The corpse pestering MCP

In 2020, Malawians sent packing professor Peter Mutharika and his unruly blued-eyed boys.

No sooner, they started wrangling over who would succeed Mutharika.

They jostled as rival camps emerged in the party that once got intoxicated with excesses of power, a thing that sealed their exit.

Concurrently, MCP and its eight alliance partners, won the hearts of Malawians because they had appealed to the voters’ senses, promising a fanciful future.

But as the saying nuances, the more things change; the more they remain the same.

The first red flag was the abuse of Covid-19 funds by government officials, including a former cabinet minister.

Another cause for alarm was the shenanigans surrounding the arrest of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director Martha Chizuma.

Hence forth, they started behaving the same way their predecessors did, entangling themselves in corruption scandals involving top government officials.

Fate has left them to their own devices. 

Today, the life of a common man is dangerously squalid, far much worse than what Peter Mutharika and his blue-eyed boys had left them some five years ago.

The cost of living is off the roof, the price of a 50-kilogram bag of maize almost equals or surpasses the minimum wage (K100 000).

In hospitals, there’s a lack of essential supplies as medics advise patients to buy medicines from private pharmacies, something a common cannot afford.

Now because of these and other blunders, professor Peter Mutharika and blue-eyed boys seem to be an option in the September 16 General Election.

But one wonder as to why Malawians seem ready to exhume this political corpse from its cold graves.

A plethora of reasons.

First, it’s because of sheer disregard or arrogance by this administration. From 2020 to date, the government has governed Malawi without a strong opposition as well as civil society.

Because of the infighting among professor Peter Mutharika and blue-eyed boys, the opposition was in disarray for the last three years, hence, they failed to provide real checks and balances in parliament and beyond. 

Also, the government weakened civil society and the news media.

In professor Peter Mutharika and his blue-eyed boys’ era, these two non-state actors were part of the architects that sent his government into a political grave.

One needs not be reminded of the violent demonstrations against the 2019 presidential election and the hard-hitting journalism during that tumultuous time.

Sadly, this administration has had no stiff resistance and those who dared to, were ruffed up.

Activists Slyvester Namiwa and Bon Kalindo, investigative journalist Gregory Gondwe are a few examples.  In other words, nobody has called this administration to order.  None. 

It’s because of this preferential treatment that has made this administration drunk with people, giving them the impression that nobody can oppose them.

But as they enjoy the excesses of power, reality on the ground speaks otherwise. Things have fallen apart, and the administration is scrambling to salvage what remains.

Their laissez-faire is likely going to cost them power if they don’t act now. But even if they do, will it change anything? Well, make your own conclusion.

But one thing for sure, however, is that this administration has resurrected professor Peter Mutharika and his blue-eyed boys from their political grave.

Malawians were done with their arrogance and bravado.  

But look at what has become of the people who said professor Peter Mutharika was the Prince of Thieves?

Try to remind of the promises they said and see if they won't fume at you with fire and brimstone?

They will give you excuses, some sensible and others unpalatable to hear. 

But no doubt, this corpse they have resurrected will pester them in all manner of various forms until the voting day. In parliament, social media, and public spaces.

This political corpse will likely send you packing, courtesy of your own mediocrity.