It was quite interesting to watch how events unfolded as we approached the presidential debates the other week. On the one hand, there was a group of candidates who lamented being left out of proceedings by the presidential debate taskforce. These are aspirants whom the committee thinks have no realistic chance of winning the election – the so called “small fish”. On the other hand, were the so-called big fish, who deliberately shunned the debate despite being the two frontrunners in the race for the big seat. The big fish did not think it wise to engage with their competitors before the electorate.
The absence of former president Peter Mutharika and the incumbent, Lazarus Chakwera, from that debate ought to be a cause for concern. Of course, it is their right to choose not to participate but we should not forget that these are the people who are entrusted with safeguarding the rights of millions of Malawians once they get into power.
The organisation of these presidential debates is on the assumption that our politics is issue and policy-based. In such an environment, you would find politicians anticipating the chance to exchange with their opponents and demonstrate how their strategic vision outweighs what other politicians are promising Malawians. This is what is expected in mature democracies. But the fact that two of the biggest candidates on the scene thought it wise not to participate in the debate should tell you that politics here has very little to do with policy or issues. We are still playing politics of hunger and food.
Mutharika and Chakwera clearly understand the kind of people they are dealing with on the road to September 16, 2025. They know that most of the people who will vote are illiterate and, therefore, ignorant of the responsibilities of political candidates. We still live in that place where political leaders are seen as benefactors and not servants of those who elect them into those high offices. This is why the first service of any politician we elect as president of this country is to those closest to them in the party and to their family members. The average Malawian comes last, if there are to feature at all in their priorities. And this is why we are still poor 60 years after independence.
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If you go back to a survey that was carried out by IPOR, more than 60 percent of Malawians interviewed said that they would love to see their favourite candidate participate in these debates. This means that a good number of citizens value their votes and take elections seriously. Voting is a way of voicing out, and Malawians think that their voices matter. But when presidential hopefuls shun such important events, the message they are sending is that the election is not necessarily about what the citizens think but, rather, it is about what the politicians want. One then gets to wonder at what point ordinary citizens come into play in such situations if they don’t get the chance to sit down beside their radios and listen to those carrying their voices pose questions to each other in the spirit of crafting what is best for the nation.
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When it’s all said and done, while we would have loved to have the frontrunners participate in the debate, it was not in anybody’s right to force them. The debate still took place and there are a few important things that the exchange between former president, Joyce Banda, Atupele Muluzi, and Dalitso Kabambe revealed to us. The issues that these candidates brought to the podium show that they are in the same boat, in terms of what they think is wrong with this country. At the top of it is the problem of worsening economic conditions, which the present government is failing to address. All the candidates also agreed on corruption as one of our biggest challenges. But there is nothing we can do now until September 16, 2025, when the voices of ordinary Malawians will matter.
