Things happen too fast in politics. This time less than two years ago, the People’s Party was one big happy family that had too little to worry about.
If at all it had anything to lose sleep over then it was how and when to organise the next big banquet to celebrate the party’s miraculous entry into government.
Things are not all rosy now and that once-upon-a-time happy home is crumbling fast.
These days, the People’s Party has become a circus of mad men and it is so difficult to pick out a sane voice from its cacophony.
Here, we are talking about a party that is smarting from a humiliating defeat at the polls that were held two years ago and one would expect it to regroup, rebrand and finally give another shot at the next elections that are only three years from now.
In 2012, after the Democratic Progressive Party unexpectedly found itself out of government after the sudden death of Bingu wa Mutharika, the party’s quickly reorganised itself and in just two years it ended up winning one of fiercest presidential contests in recorded time.
But the People’s Party thinks otherwise.
First, it was its leader Joyce Banda who decided to take flight leaving behind a spineless and confused leadership that cannot shore up the remnant of what used to hold the party together.
If they are not chasing each other like some dagga puffing mobs of war ravaged Somalia, then they are all over the place running with court injunctions or press statements that are about nothing but struggle for leadership.
Clearly, the People’s Party has miserably failed on a test of resilience and you cannot expect such a party to run something as serious as a government. It is not like we want the People’s Party back in government anytime soon but, as most people will agree, we need a strong and organised opposition that will keep this naive DPP government alert.
Currently, only the Malawi Congress Party has a semblance of a strong opposition party.
Sadly, its prolonged stay in opposition seems to be taking its toll on some of its senior members who are looking for a short cut to power instead of giving meaningful insights to the problems that are on our neck as a nation.
We should forget about the UDF. Ken Ndanga, who is UDF’s spin doctor, will disagree with me and would work so hard to convince everyone who cares to hear that the UDF is alive and kicking.
But we all know the truth. With its leader Atupele Muluzi enjoying the plush banquets of state house leaving those who voted for him confused, disappointed and shocked, it is clear that the UDF is now an appendage to the DPP and it is only a mark of naivety for us to think the UDF will stand up for us when things are messy as they are now.
Between 2004 and 2009, we enjoyed some brighter days under Bingu wa Mutharika’s stellar first five years in office not because Bingu had a magic wand to turn our fortunes around but largely because we had a brisk opposition that made sure Bingu did not dose on duty.
When the opposition weakened after 2009, Bingu became big-headed and turned into a tin pot dictator who lost all interest to run the economy; he amassed wealth for himself and his cronies, building villa’s ala Taj Mahal and focused his attention on giving all jobs that matter to his tribesmen.
Peter Mutharika has not been impressive in his eighteen months at the helm. Almost every sector is crippled yet, when you ask him, he will look you in the eye and tell you that he is the best thing ever to happen to this country since
Adam and Eve sinned. He has the luxury to be aloof because he knows that he is under no pressure with the opposition busy falling all over the place and failing to get organised.
As it is now, the People’s Party, which happens to be the second biggest opposition party in the country, is on a fast and dangerous spiral into the quicksand of political oblivion.
Somehow, it was inevitable that the People’s Party would not last bearing in mind that the party was built on the foundation of wealth other than shared determination and philosophy.
Once it got out of power and the purse shrunk, all those who joined the party for the money started either fighting for the crumbs or running away.
As I said earlier, we do need exactly need the People’s Party in government tomorrow or the day after. Honestly, the People’s Party has an unenviable record of managing to mess us things in a very short time in government.
Simply put, this party failed to appropriately run affairs. But since here at home, people start thinking properly when they are out of government, some of us would wish the People Party to clean up its act, just like we would wish the UDF to resurrect and help the MCP to jerk up this drooling DPP government.
But with a frail and confused opposition that won’t stand up for us in these hard times, we will continue on this path to perdition.
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