by Hobbs Gama, Malawi, February 1998
THEME = ELECTIONS
Things may not be so easy for the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF)
party,
as the Opposition seeks to form an alliance to strengthen their stand,
in readiness for the presidential and parliamentary elections due next year.
They are basing their stand on President Muluzi's broken promises
Malawi's two major opposition parties represented in Parliament, the former ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) are teaming up with smaller parties, as a way to oust President Bakili Muluzi and his UDF.
Already they have come up with a campaign agenda, capitalising on corruption (always worrying to donors), the government's lack of accountability, the government monopolising the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, and the rising crime rate. The Opposition are also accusing the government of manipulating the Electoral Commission, saying it is not sufficiently independent, as the UDF always ensures that the Commission acts in its favour.
The UDF's first five-year term in office is approaching its end. The UDF came to power following Malawi's first multi-party general elections held in May 1994 when Hastings Banda and his dictatorial MCP were defeated at the polls.
Four years on, there is growing discontent with the present government's performance. Muluzu must brace himself for a rough ride and a tough campaign in the run-up to the elections.
Recently, in a closed-door meeting, the MCP and AFORD, together with four smaller parties agreed to form an electoral alliance and field one presidential candidate in the 1999 elections, as their only hope of defeating the UDF.
Prior to this meeting, the small parties had already joined forces when they held their campaign-launching rally in Thyolo district. Rolf Patel is a UDF dissident. He once served in Muluzi's cabinet and is now standing as an independent Member of Parliament in the National Assembly. He is president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Patel organised the rally and was the first to sound the campaign rallying cry. He said: "We've been complaining of corruption and lack of accountability in government. We have been asking government to take steps, but nothing has been done." Kamlepo Kalua, president of the Malawi Democratic Party (MDP) was in complete agreement. He said that by uniting, the Opposition will bring in a government with leaders who will provide democracy with its full meaning.
This isn't the first time political parties have formed an alliance. At the start of the transition period in 1992, the UDF and AFORD worked together to fight their common enemy. Later, other parties came together in a Common Electoral Group (CEG) with the declared intention of driving the MCP out of power.
The Opposition have chosen the southern region as their main battleground. This is the UDF stronghold but most of the smaller political parties have their bases there as well, so it promises to be a gruelling political drama. Political analysts also point to Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, former secretary-general of the Common Market for Eastern Africa (COMESA) and now interim president of the Unity Party as a potential threat to Muluzi. Mutharika is an accomplished economist with an international reputation. He comes from Thyolo.
The Opposition have also called for: The introduction of photo- bearing identity cards, to ensure honesty in the elections; the amendment of the Electoral Act. They say that this will even out the contesting "teams", and clarify the way forward for the Electoral Commission (whose impartiality they question".
The UDF are obviously getting jumpy, although their senior politicians pretend otherwise. Party leaders at all levels are holding daily election meetings, most of which are broadcast by radio. Aleke Banda, is the UDF's vice-present and Minister of Agriculture in the government. He held senior positions in the MCP government including that of secretary-general. When talking to the Press, he sounded unmoved. He dismissed the opposition alliance as being no threat to his party, saying that the UDF will win a second term in Office. "The UDF will win because it has clear programmes dealing with issues like the alleviation of poverty. Already the lives of Malawi's poor are being changed for the better", he said.
But there is pressure on the UDF coming from outside, which cannot be ignored. International donors have warned Muluzi that he has to stamp out corruption and set up cost-cutting measures. If not, he will lose foreign aid.
Muluzi has come up with strong campaign language. He warns Malawians against going into alliances, as it will defeat the whole purpose of multi-party democracy. "Look at what the MCP is doing", he says. "The MCP is trying to persuade the smaller parties to dissolve themselves and join the MCP ranks. The nation has already decided that a multi-party system of government is best for this country and the way things are going, it could revert to a one-party state, again".
A strong positive point for the Muluzi administration is its human rights record. Pollwatch, a South African-based election monitoring organisation, conducted a Gallop poll in Malawi towards the end of last year. The results showed that if elections had been held then, the UDF would have swept the country by 75%.
It remains to be seen if opposition supporters will, in the long run, favour the idea of fielding a single candidate to represent all their parties. There are likely to be problems, as each party will eventually want its own leader to stand for Office.
END
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PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement