Resurrecting a crumbling giant

By Pacharo Felix Munthali
The count down towards a political smack down has begun. Pacing down the political terrains, a wave of uncertainty is being felt. The next year’s elections are stirring a lot than an eye can see: the electorates are anticipating who to vote for. Perhaps it is the battle of running mate that is intriguing.
No party in Malawi has, so far, identified the running mate. Very few have chosen the presidential candidates. Of the giant parties, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) might have confirmed honorable John Tembo as its presidential candidate, but the more battle seems to be seething.
The party has the image, not only to protect, but to mend instantly re-invent its identity. The party that has seen its long journey moseying from Nyasaland African Congress, before being banned followed by resurrection through one Orton Chirwa, has maintained to stamp its image as the country’s biggest opposition party since creeping in of multiparty dispensation.
During the first democratic elections after the plunging one party rule, MCP managed to have Members of Parliament in the North and South. With Gwanda Chakuamba in its boat, the party managed to have votes in the Lower Shire.
However as the journey, the political journey has showed, with each passing day, the party has struggled to regain the strength it had in the 1994 election. With each election coming the party’s strength has plummeted.
With 2009 election beckoning around the corner, the battle for next year’s election is on again. Parties will have to employ all strategies that could see them having their leaders going to the state house.
All three giant parties haven’t yet identified the running mate. Bakili Muluzi and Dr Bingu Wa Mutharika are all mum. One thing is common among all the parties; they don’t want someone from the same region with the president. The reason is simple, perhaps very obvious; they want to be masked as national parties. The parties don’t want to be defined by regional lines. They want to woo as much votes as they can.
The Malawi Congress Party has been busy. In the South it has gone there, so is the north. The latest rumours had it that the party had met with Loveness Gondwe. She had denied it. But this is Malawi. People deny when they mean what they are denying.
The fact that MCP is desperately seeking for a running mate is bizarre. What went wrong to the country’s possibly biggest party? The most stable so far, though full of disgruntled voices in the background.

Kamuzu’s Legacy
Everyone, then, pretty well knew that one day Dr Kamuzu Banda would go. Even though they branded him messiah, there was time for his departure. Perhaps that is why Ecclesiastics says there is time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.
Kamuzu still the centre of the party. It seems they never thought that one day he would have to die. No one had the urge inside to hatch a proposal – a proposal that would have shaded a clearly succession plan. At times the future really looked gloomy. But as a tradition, they pretended – all is well.
This is the period when Gwanda Chakuamba was locked up behind the bars. Tembo was around. His eyes were watchful, very alert. Tembo had a dream – one day he would rule the country. From Nsanje to Chitipa the drums would burrow. Bow down to him as not only the party’s leader, but the president of the country.
But the change of winds in 1993 ushered in a period that was to determine the strength of MCP in the years to come. Dr Banda had bowed to the pressure. It had all started with the Lantern letter popularly known as Pastoral letter.
The Letter had attacked the one party rule. It left no room. It was too much, especially for the MCP faithfuls. This did not go down well with Tembo. He was angry with the Bishops who had authored the latter. It is alleged that he led the signing of a death warrant for them.
The acceptance speech by Kamuzu of the multiparty did not easily permeate down Tembo’s heart. Dr Banda had made an acceptance speech at Sanjika and it had to be sent to MBC to be aired. Tembo had followed it.
Before MBC had aired it, he told them not to go ahead. It was now very apparent that the man from Dedza didn’t want multiparty. MBC had to follow the old man at Sanjika. The MBC recorded his speech at Sanjika.
What was to follow years later was Kamuzu’s vote of no confidence in Tembo. Age was now catching up with him. It was now time to choose the successor of the party. Dr Banda bypassed Tembo. Gwanda was picked. Dr Banda had chosen a man who was seen as rebellion – a person who was a throat to Kamuzu.
But was the choosing of Gwanda Chakuamba a right move…

Gwanda Chakuamba
Immediately after ushering Gwanda Chakuamba on the pinnacle of MCP’s leadership summit a wrangle rumbled. The appointment spurred a tussle. It was a leadership battle - Gwanda versus Tembo.
With Gwanda Chakuamba as the president and Tembo as the deputy there was a problem, and there always would be a problem. The pain inflicted by the daggers of what Bright Molande calls ‘politics of imposition’ dug deeper. These people were imposed on one another. They were imposed, also on the people.
Ascending Gwanda into the pinnacle of MCP powers equates to giving someone leadership where he did not deserved to lead.
As Bright Molande, a Literary critic notes, “Unlike Nelson Mandela, Gwanda Chakuamba was serving a prison sentence not fighting for change whilst in prison.”
He barely had a dream for the country. He never harboured any meaningful vision. In fact when he was in the prison, Gwanda said he wanted to be a pastor. He never had any political direction – no vision.
Thus, “it is dangerous to be ushered into power when you have no vision,” notes Molande.
Gwanda Chakuamba way to MCP was like a visitor – a guest. He was just invited. After being released from the jail he had joined UDF. Later MCP coaxed him. He gave in. He joined the party. His past has no literature of someone with burning desire to lead the nation.
After 1999, Molande describes Gwanda as a “man without house.” He kept on changing parties. He was someone not settled. Up to date he is unsettled.
Perhaps, the last fight he fought was through Mgwirizano Coalition. An important indication of a “powerless man, and up to date he is still a man without a house.” Up to date he is talking of coalitions, if not then it’s an alliance. A man without a house.

John Tembo
The question of defining Tembo is elusive one. Molande describes him as “a man forced into the dance of democracy, and it has taken time for him to learn to dance.” Tembo is one person who was refusing multiparty.
Perhaps that spirit is what is gradually with far reaching consequences eating away MCP. Though Tembo seems to have leant some democratic steps, he doesn’t wholly abide by the principles of the game.
Sometime back in March 2006, a group of MCP members of Parliament adding up to forty-five had signed a petition to remove Tembo. They accused him of abusing his position. Tembo was striking deals without consulting the party’s MPs. Not even the national executive committee.
“We are fed up with being intimidated,” one of the MPs had said to the media. “These are days when leaders must accept diversity of opinion. How do you enrich the party if you take with those with a different opinion as rebels or confusionists?” The statement tells a lot. He has been struggling to learn step over styles that are in the political game.
He is a man whose “ultimate goal is the power itself as the end to the means.” Muluzi had forgotten this statement. Late last year Tembo kept Muluzi waiting. Muluzi had proposed to Tembo that Tembo should be the running mate. Muluzi got the share of a good dose of frustrations. Tembo kept on asking for more time. Today the move is down. Muluzi might think that Tembo was not serious. He is serious. But he wants to be a president before he bows out. In fact he is not getting any younger. With age catching up with him, he can’t give it a damn in accepting to be a running mate.
In fact he is the one busy looking for the running mate.
Now he is busy. With 2009 furiously approaching, he is trying to dance. He has always said he will leave politics when he gets hot seat. That is perhaps he is running up and down – to find a running mate.

The running mate puzzle
Then, especially the MCP needed Nicholas Dausi very much. He was a good reserve of Kamuzu, says Molande. At this crisis time MCP would have needed him most – he is from south.
There is no doubt that MCP is very powerful in the centre. It has by default become a fact that the strengths of the parties in Malawi follow the regional lines.
But now it is facing probably the most difficult tastes in the modern era. It is running up and down searching for the running mate to the president. It is very difficult, especially when you become serious during the election time.
The MCP has been dormant. It is party well known that when it has a rally its in the centre region. Much as all parties are regionalistic, MCP is somewhere up. Now it wants to heal that wound. In the 2004 it is strongly believed that much as the late Dumbo Lemani said the votes were rigged still MCP would have been in government had it that they had someone so powerful in a certain region like Gwanda Chakuamba.
The media had unearthed it all that the party’s president had approach loveness Gondwe. In the media she had said no. We don’t know what happened on the other side. Tembo is busy. He has tried in the south. In fact rumours are spreading their wings that the likes Mark Katsonga are some of the people he has earmarked as his running mate.
But it is yet to be seen how far the party will go on. Will it regain the lost vigour. It is perhaps everyone’s guess.