Politics has its own time

It has been observed that the current leadership of President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima prefers talking about programmes, projects and anything to do with developing Malawi.

This is unlike in the past when the former president Peter Mutharika seemed to perpetually talk about winning elections.  Such a habit used to throw this country into nonstop politicking.

There were many activities happening within parties to respond to Mutharika challenges. In the process development was not a priority at all.

If Chakwera and Chilima had taken the same path, by now, they would be bragging about winning the most difficult presidential election in the history of Malawi.

But they realised quite early that in their servant leadership they have to think of the next generation as well as the current.  In order to deliver, they have to put politics on hold.

Despite the current leadership not politicking, some people still feel it is time to raise their party flags getting ready for the 2021 tripartite elections.  So far, the social media has come up with a story of a lady from Bangula in Nsanje called Febby Pirimita who says she is ready to stand as a presidential candidate in 2025 through her Chisomo Party. 

While there is nothing wrong to have such ambitions, what might not be right is the time to make such an announcement before the party is even registered.  She might have some followers who are ready to take advantage of her resources and by the time 2025 election comes she might be bankrupt.

The other thing is that people accepting a new party while the country has more than 50 dormant parties might not be easy.  What must be noted is that politics has its own time.

Meanwhile, it can be said that people react to the slow pace of development in the country and without consulting they feel that the solution is to try their luck by forming a new party. This is how Malawi ended up with so many parties.

So far, despite the setbacks of corruption and Covid-19, the Tonse Alliance government has found its feet. It is now very busy with infrastructure development such as roads, bridges and others.

What people need to do is to support government by stopping corruption and stealing government resources. Past experience had shown that some contractors almost withdrew their contracts because people steal materials such as fuel, cement and others.

What people should realise is that development is for all Malawians regardless of their party affiliations. Bad habits of not safeguarding public resources because one does not support political parties in power should not be allowed at all costs.

The other bad habit that needs correcting is vandalism of road signs. There are a lot of road accidents in Malawi and some of them are due to lack of proper road signs.  Let stealing and corruption be a thing of the past because they can destroy progress in the country.

Meanwhile, Malawians have to take advantage of the peaceful environment where they talk freely without looking over their shoulders. They can work hard to achieve their goals. They should not waste time politicking. It has already been seen that politicking at the wrong time hinders progress. In fact, people do not eat politics. Therefore, it must only be done at the right time and that is during election time. The rest of the time is for development.