Opposition warned

Political and governance commentators have warned opposition parties against growing internal bickering, saying they portray bad conflict resolution skills among party leaders besides eroding people’s confidence in them.

While acknowledging that even the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is not spared the internal wrangles, the commentators further cautioned that the infighting may minimise opposition parties’ chances of winning the 2019 Tripartite Elections.

In an interview, Happy Kayuni, a political scientist based at the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College, said the current squabbles in the opposition threaten to cost them a competitive advantage in next year’s elections.

While noting that even the ruling DPP has problems, where people are fighting for positions, he said they are not exposed because the State machinery tends to reward those fighting with some positions. This is not the case with the opposition, he observed.

Said Kayuni: “The opposition is vulnerable. It is not easy for them [the opposition] to win an election. So, for them to win an election, they have to be above the ruling party, but infighting, especially leadership wrangles, make them lose a competitive advantage.

“However, opposition parties can take these squabbles as a blessing in disguise. This will be a blessing if they resolve the issues now, so that they just concentrate on gaining support, where they will no longer be bothered with internal struggles.”

On his part, University of Livingstonia (Unilia) political analyst George Phiri observed that the infighting may even spill over to the conventions because leaders seem intolerant and are driven by selfish desires.

He said: “What these parties are doing is very unfortunate. Actually, they are helping the DPP win the 2019 elections easily. If they lose, they will have themselves to blame. Do you think Richard Msowoya and Jessie Kabwila in MCP [Malawi Congress Party] will just go down without fighting?

“Why can’t MCP, for instance, resolve these issues amicably and concentrate on the elections? These squabbles will also result in divisions at grassroot level, and that will be very detrimental. They don’t have so much time left, and they need to resolve these issues with speed.”

Human rights defender Timothy Mtambo, who is executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), wondered how leaders who fail to resolve party level problems can solve broader issues affecting the nation.

He said: “If your house is on fire, how do you go to war with someone? How do you say you will solve national challenges when you are failing to deal with issues within your party?

“These squabbles raise questions on whether these leaders are really democratic, or if they have conflict resolution skills. Let them put their houses in order if they want to rule the country, otherwise all I see is power-hungry people, too many opportunists.”

Mzuzu-based activist Moses Mkandawire, director of the Church and Society Programme of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Synod of Livingstonia, called for strong and honest dialogue in political parties to entrench intraparty unity and democracy.

He said: “This whole bickering is lack of understanding intraparty democracy. The problem again is that many of these people are opportunists. They do not understand leadership, management and administration.

“There are also no conflict or dispute resolution mechanisms systems and structures in parties. So, they must put in place complaint structures, training programmes for leadership including democracy and peace, strategy, research and analysis.”

The analysts’ views come against a background of a report by the United Kingdom-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) generated on January 14 this year which has tipped President Peter Mutharika and his DPP to narrowly win the 2019 elections owing to a divided opposition despite facing an uphill task to ease economic hardships causing dissatisfaction among citizens.

But in their reactions yesterday, MCP and People’s Party (PP) felt it was too early to think that the infighting may affect the electorate, arguing, it will depend on how they resolve the issues.

Currently, MCP, PP, United Democratic Front (UDF) and Alliance for Democracy (Aford)—parties that made it to Parliament as opposition after the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections—are rocked by leadership squabbles that keep widening by the day.

In separate interviews, PP deputy spokesperson Ackson Kalaile Banda and MCP deputy secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka said the infighting was normal.

Said Banda: “Infighting is normal where two or more people meet gather, but some of these infightings are sponsored. The good thing is that the voters are aware of this. In PP we are already speaking with one voice, except for those serving interests of other parties.

“We are a party governed by the constitution and whosoever will bring confusion or not abide by the constitution as agreed in the National Executive Committee meeting, he or she shall face disciplinary action.”

Mkaka, on the other hand, said erosion of confidence depends on how people look at it, but also noted that conflicts could also be a blessing.

“Conflicts are normal and healthy. When you go towards conventions, conflicts are inevitable because people try to position themselves. What matters for me is how a party handles those conflicts,” he said.

On Sunday, the MCP NEC resolved to suspend first deputy president Richard Msowoya and secretary general Gustave Kaliwo for allegedly trying to destabilise the party.

In an earlier interview in reaction to the EIU report, political analyst Nandin Patel said both the prediction of a likely Mutharika victory and continued citizen dissatisfaction are not surprising outcomes as they reflect realities on the ground.

In the run-up to the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections, the EIU wrongly predicted a victory for then president Joyce Banda who was voted out after finishing a distant third in both presidential and parliamentary races. The EIU also predicted victory for United States of America Democratic presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton.