By Bertrand Banda

I was scrolling online with my earpods on when I came across an old 2017 interview between Brian Banda and Ken Msonda. And let me say this: if you want a masterclass in political opportunism, that interview is still Exhibit A.

Msonda, now of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), didn’t even make it to the ballot this year. He lost in the primaries. But that hasn’t stopped him from being loud, contradictory, and frankly insulting to the voters’ intelligence.

Back in that interview, Brian Banda pressed him on something obvious: how could a man who spent years bad-mouthing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suddenly find comfort in its fold?

Msonda’s response? He brushed it off, saying he doesn’t look back. His words were, “when I sleep now, I only dream about DPP and Professor Peter Mutharika.” Dreaming of Mutharika! You couldn’t make this up if you tried.

And to justify it, he reached for the Bible and claimed he was unlike Lot’s wife who looked back at Sodom and turned into salt. He said he only looks forward. Nice try. But let’s be real: this isn’t about scripture. It’s about chasing political opportunities, plain and simple.

Fast forward to the September 16 elections. As MCP collapsed at the polls, Msonda went on the attack again, this time saying DPP was “worse than Satan” and that he’d rather side with Satan than with them. That’s the same party he once claimed to dream about at night. If that’s not hypocrisy, I don’t know what is.

The problem here isn’t just Msonda. It’s a culture of opportunism in our politics with politicians hopping from party to party, hoping the next move lands them a seat, a position, or a payday. And the bigger shame? Parties keep welcoming them back.

Thankfully, voters in Msonda’s constituency saw through the act and denied him a ticket. That should be a wake-up call: Malawians are not fools. They know who’s in politics to serve themselves and who’s in it to serve the people.

MCP’s heavy defeat to DPP should send a clear message: opportunism and arrogance have a price. Msonda is a walking example of what’s wrong with our politics and why voters are right to punish it.