Two prominent African former leaders Joachim Chisano from Mocambique and John Kuofour from Ghana flew into Malawi for what they called preemptive mediation ahead of the May 19 elections. The two were sponsored by the African Union (AU).
Among several issues the AU talks resolved that all players in the forth coming May 19 elections should avoid inflammatory and hate speeches during the campaign, but none of the parties has kept the agreement as evidenced by various statements made during recent political rallies.
However, since the campaign started it is clear that the two just wasted their breath, resources, time and everything. Political commentators have described the AU initiated talks between government and opposition political parties as a waste of time and an insult to the two former leaders, especially Chisano who actually chaired the talks.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) executive director Undule Mwakasungula in an interview said it was sad that despite the agreement which was signed by the DPP, MCP and the UDF leaders, all the parties still insult each other during their campaign rallies.
“I think the memorandum of understanding has been pushed aside. It was really a waste of time and the recent developments are an insult to the AU and the former Mozambican president who chaired the meeting,” he said.
He also said it was sad that during the campaign all the speeches from different party leaders were more of personal attacks than on issues affecting Malawians.
Mwakasungula said these attacks would not help the country but divide and polarise it while at the same time promote hatred among the party followers.
“The most important thing is that the campaign should be based on issues regarding on what the parties would do for the country. As a country we accepted multi-party so that we can co-exist,” he said.
During DPP recent rallies President Bingu wa Muntharika has been telling his supporters that they should not vote for MCP president John Tembo since he said he was a killer.
Muntharika went on to chronicle people who he said were killed by Tembo such as Dick Matenje, Aaron Gadama, Twaibu Sangala and David Chiwanga.
While the MCP during its recent rally in Ntcheu the party’s running mate Brown Mpinganjira told the people of the district that Muntharika hate the district and that is why he dismissed former minister Marjorie Ngaunje, police boss Olive Kumbambe, and Escom chief executive Kandi Padambo.
Mwakasungula said people in the country were tired of such speeches which he said do not create a conducive environment for development.
“This is also an insult to the victims. The politicians are using the victims’ sufferings for their own political interests yet they have not done anything to assist them,” he added.
Political commentator from Mzuzu University Noel Mbowela said political parties in the country should be aware that politics of castigating each other was outdated and not in line with the current democratic desperation.
“I think it is unfortunate that the political parties have decided to ignore the AU MOU. However, to me the point of trigger is the ruling party. DPP as a ruling party is supposed to be exemplary but it seems it is the first to break the rule and the others are just following suit,” he said.
Mbowela said although propaganda and castigation is regarded as part of the political game that propaganda can be done with attacks at personal levels.
DPP secretary general Henry Chimunthu Banda said he does not think that what his party and Muntharika have been saying during their political rallies amounts to hate speeches or character assassination.
“As a party we do not condone hate speeches we will only remind people what happened since 1964. I don’t know whether to consider as hate speeches reminding failures of other leaders,” he said.
Chimunthu Banda also said when Muntharika chronicled the alleged killings by Tembo he was just outlining facts of what the MCP president did and that can also not amount to hate speeches.
“It is a fact that these people are no longer here, it could have been different if those referred to as being killed were still around. These are only facts,” he said.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson on Parliamentary affairs Ishmael Chafukira said his party was sticking to the AU MOU but he pushed the blame to DPP saying it was the only party which has “blatantly violated all the 14 points in the agreement.”
“Almost all their rallies they engage in very terrible attacks which would not help Malawians but only promote hatred and animosity. As MCP our rallies are based on issues,” he said.
Referring to the MCP comments in Ntcheu Chafukira said Mpinganjira during the rally was just pointing out the truth.
“Hate speeches has an element of a lie or falsehood in it with the intention to incite hatred and animosity. You can see that there was no hatred in that speech, it was just talking about facts,” he added.
UDF Alliance spokesperson Humphrey Mvula said his party was still subscribing to the objective of the MOU but said the problem was that the government was abrogating to fulfil its required role to make the agreement work.
“UDF went through that process on its own cost which showed a spirit of commitment and volunteerism to the cause. The problem is that the MOU demands that the DPP or government delivers 80 per cent of the 14 points, but so far nothing has been fulfilled,” he said.
Mvula said among government obligations to the MOU include freeing the public broadcasters TVM and MBC, and the police and cease its hostilities and holding other political players hostage.
“I don’t want to agree that the talks were a waste of time but government instead of fulfilling its role it has gone overboard to set a barrage of hate speeches against the opposition. Unfortunately, it is the same people who signed the MOU who are in the fore front doing that,” he said.
Mvula warned that if government side continues with the “barrage of accusations” the opposition will have no option but to retaliate with their own attacks.
An official at the AU secretariat in Lilongwe said the AU does not think that the process was a waste of time but said it was up to the involved parties to follow what was agreed.
“The agreement was made by themselves AU did not force them, it was unanimously agreed,” said the official who declined to be named and referred the details of his response to the speech made by Chisano, who also said it would be up to Malawians to have the agreement work.
AU initiated the meeting involving the DPP, MCP and UDF as a preventive mediation process to avoid any crisis that might come following disagreements over the elections results.
