From A Little Spark…

We, the sobre ones in the country and beyond, are watching events with grave concern as September 16 General Elections are approaching fast.

A tiff that began with the opposition’s unsubstantiated claim of vote rigging by the government has mutated into a dynamite capable of razing down one of the fundamental pillars of democracy—free, fair credible elections.

From the mainstream media to the uncultured social media society, the credibility of the forthcoming elections and the Malawi Electoral Commission has been thrown to the dogs, again thanks to the opposition.

Since 2024 when Justice Annabel Mtalimanja assumed the chairmanship of the Commission from her predecessor Justice Chifundo Kachale, she has stubbornly been punching above her weight.

Her inherited sin: because she's a daughter of former Malawi Congress Party enigmatic president John Tembo alias Puludzu.

However, the law provides that the chairman of the Commission must be a judge of the High Court, a requirement she meets.

Then, what’s the fuss?

Another reject hanging loosely to the threads of the appointing authority at the Commission is its chief executive officer, Andrew Mpesi.

The opposition is haranguing him for having worked as president Lazurus Chakwera personal assistant before. The matter is in court.

Finally, another matter wagging the untamed tongues of the opposition is the electronic management devices purchased from a company called Smartmatic from The Netherlands.

Judging from what the opposition and some civil society groups are saying, it seems they don’t know what they are saying, or they are confused, or they just want to cause mayhem.

To claim that Justice Annabel Mtalimanja is the one forcing the electronic devices down our throats is false and malicious.

The machines were procured in 2023 by her predecessor Justice Kachale and all election stakeholders, including the opposition, were consulted.

So, this baseless claim by the opposition is saltless. 

The hotheads in the opposition trumpeting this must check their facts before they spew out hot air.

History teems with examples of civil wars fought over flimsiest of reasons because of carelessness by political leaders. 

In our case therefore, all it takes is for leaders to incite their followers against their political enemies for their pecuniary selfish gain.

But in Malawi we don't want that savagery. Do you? 

As Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet and philosopher, warned many centuries ago: "From a little spark may burst a mighty flame.”

And this flame seems inevitable if the opposition continues to mistrust the Malawi Electoral Commission deliberately and parrot their propaganda. 

Now, as we wait for the voting day, we, the voters, must be careful with the messages that politicians churn out.

We must be vigilant in knowing how to separate spin from facts. Trust what the Malawi Electoral Commission says and not the propaganda by some opposition parties meant to confuse you.

As for the mainstream media, be careful with the individuals you give a platform to express themselves. Because some of them have nothing but verbal diarrhea.

Don’t knowingly or unknowingly feed into their narratives because what gets broadcast or published through your platforms carries more weight than the lies that buzz on social media.

Beware, don’t fall prey.