By Bertrand Banda

What are DPP, MCP, PP, and UTM thinking in these final weeks of the campaign? One thing is clear: candidates for president, parliament, and local councils will promise much. Some of what they will say is true, much of it not. The real question for voters seems simple to me. What has life been like for me in the past five years, and where do I want to be tomorrow?

I don’t know anyone who wants to remain stagnant. Even those who are doing well dream of more. That is human nature.

The main dogs in this election are the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Democratic Progress Party (DPP); its MCP vs DPP. The other parties might not like me saying so. But is it not true?

DPP feels MCP stole its lunch in 2020 and now wants payback. MCP, which won through a court ruling that didn’t prove rigging, must convince voters it deserves another chance.

But the burden is heavy. MCP has failed to rebuild the economy. Boasting about road upgrades in Lilongwe will probably not work. Just ask Ghana’s former president who learned the hard way that infrastructure doesn’t win elections when people are hungry.

The DPP, meanwhile, is not helping itself. Its choice of running mate is baffling. Peter Mutharika’s age was already a weak spot yet it doubled down by picking the former electoral commission chair — remember the “correction fluid” fiasco? — is almost self-sabotage. Add to that a roster of shady characters still clinging to the party, and voters are left to wonder if the DPP has truly learned anything.

Still, the UTM and People’s Party (PP) could play spoiler roles. I find UTM’s Dalitso Kabambe refreshing. His ideas sound credible, and I hope the party wins bigger numbers in parliament this time.

Then there’s Joyce Banda of PP, the queen of retail politics. She quietly does what she
knows best: connecting with the grassroots. I like her style, and honestly, I don’t know why UTM and PP couldn’t unite. Together, they could have been a serious alternative for voters disenchanted with both DPP and MCP.

And who can forget Michael Usi and his Odya Zake Alibe Mulandu party? He has single-handedly reshaped MCP’s public image and could still prove influential. Yet, he is unlikely to out-muscle UTM’s momentum.

Other small parties, like PETRA, which has been around as long as our democracy itself but is only fielding one candidate. Some say this is democracy at its best as it allows voters to choose from a large pool of candidates. True, but sometimes too much choice only clutters the stage, distracting voters from serious contenders.

With one hand tied behind its back, DPP’s strategy has to include tying MCP to its record: the unbearable cost of living, hunger, fuel scarcity, and rising crime. Personally, I am looking for a candidate with a plan to deal with crime. MCP, for its part, must persuade voters it can do better with a second term, despite having little to show so far.

That is the battlefield. Those are the choices. And in the final weeks of this campaign, we voters must separate truth from lies, promises from illusions, and most importantly, decide who deserves to lead Malawi out of its struggles.

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