In 2024, Malawi will celebrate 60 years of independence. The
country was a British Protectorate in one form or another from 1889 to 1964.
For 75 years, the British Union Jack flew over what the modern Malawi was then
called, Nyasaland.
There is a striking power symmetry in independent Malawi.
The president of Malawi during the first 30 years of independence came from Malawi
Congress Party (MCP). The United Democratic Front and its spinoffs of
Democratic People’s Party and People’s Party (UDF/DPP) have provided presidents
in the second half* of the 60 years.
Although MCP will have been out of power for 30 years in
2024, it has remained a potent political force coming second in every election.
It is worth highlighting that the two halves of post-colonial Malawi have had
two different political systems. Malawi was a single-party country up to 1993
during which the MCP president was not challenged in elections. Elections from 1994 onwards are contested by
multiple parties. The presidents of UDF/DPP have won all elections during the
multiparty era.
Closer analysis of the Malawi political structure shows that
each dominating political party matched the sentiments of the population at
different points in time. In 1964, politics was driven by nationalism. All
Malawians were united against British rule. MCP provided leadership in the
fight so all people rallied behind MCP. Once the common enemy was gone, people
sought benefits from the government of independence. In competing for a piece
of the pie, nepotistic tendencies started to creep in. The MCP president hailed
from the Central Region. People from other regions started to feel left out in
the share of the spoils of the independence fight.
Malawi has traditionally consisted of three regions:
Northern, Central, and Southern. Ironically, most of the founders of MCP were
from the Northern and Southern Regions.
The Southern Region is the most populous, followed by the
Central Region. The Northern Region is sparsely populated.
The scramble for the meagre resources of the country led to
the displeasure with MCP. Subsequent legalization of multiple parties resulted
in political units organized on regional lines. The UDF/DPP has a stronghold in
the south, MCP still dominates the center, and there was a political party
called Alliance for Democracy (AforD) from the north. AforD died a natural
death.
There is already widespread discontent with the UDF/DPP
rule. It should not come as a shock that a political structure based on regions
cannot maintain equilibrium. Southern Region nepotism has been rampant in the
multiparty era. The resentment with the political system has reached levels
where it is not too farfetched to deduce that it is time for a new political
era.
The only solution to the current impasse is a political
system where the ruling party has true national representation and genuine
commitment to equitable sharing of national resources. Political systems only
mirror the sentiments of the population. Therefore, the population needs a new
nationalism. When the population will demand this new nationalism, the
political system will respond by reforming itself into national structures
rather than regional ones. Here are the
reasons for a new nationalism.
First, the regions are artificial. These regions were a
creation of the British for administrative purposes and do not mirror distinct
boundaries in the origins of the people divided by the lines on the map.
Unfortunately, boundaries that were created for administrative purposes have
taken a new meaning by giving birth to political identity. Malawians should
reject this creation and revert to a national identity that knows no regional
boundaries.
Second, even if one were to subscribe to the significance of
the regions, there has been so much assimilation of people from the different
regions into new regions that region of origin has lost its relevance. The bond
that binds a person to the nation is stronger than the bond with a region.
Third, for success and advancement in the new economies people
should unshackle themselves from regional ties. Malawi needs to move away from
a subsistence economy. People will rely more on employment in the service and
manufacturing sectors. This will require relocating more frequently to
locations of employment.
The next phase of Malawi political competition will be based
on employment. To go with employment is the necessity to build the required
infrastructure and developing policies that strategically kick start employment
sectors. The new political dispensation will evolve around political parties
that are national and whose manifestos present visions of how to bring forth
the new environment.
* At the time this article was
written, there was a law suit challenging the results of the 2019 presidential
elections won by Democratic People’s Party.
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