Opinion
Malawi democracy is more mature than it is given credit for
– former president Bakili Muluzi’s (in office between 1994 – 2004) attempt to change the constitution in a bid to increase presidential term limits so that he could seek a third term in office; the country’s parliament voted against Muluzi, and democracy ultimately prevailed.
– Bingu wa Mutharika (in office between 2004 – 2012), Muluzi’s handpicked successor whose sudden death in office on April 5 2012 triggered a political transition, was another moment that tested the country’s democracy. Mutharika’s loyalists attempted to block Malawi’s then vice-president Joyce Banda’s succession of Mutharika as per constitutional stipulation. Again, the rule of law prevailed and Banda was sworn in on April 7 2012 as the fourth president of Malawi.
– Joyce Banda lost this year’s elections to Peter Mutharika. She is the first incumbent president to lose an election since Malawi adopted multiparty democracy. She conceded victory to Mutharika. This was yet another test for Malawi’s democracy, and the country passed it.
It is not unheard of that some sitting presidents have refused to accept defeat and have settled for power-sharing deals. It happened in in Zimbabwe in 2008 and in Côte d’Ivoire in 2010 when then president Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede electoral defeat, and thus plunging the country into crisis.
Malawi, like many African democracies, has a some ways to go, especially in the areas of social, economic and human development. There is too much politicking in the country, which takes more precedence than service delivery. Recent statistics indicate that close to fifty-two percent of Malawians live below the international poverty line. Service delivery, though improving, remains poor.
Findings by Water for People – an NGO advocating for safe drinking water in the country since 2000, show that only 62 percent of peri-urban areas have access to water that meets government standards, while in rural areas only 45 percent of people have access to safe drinking water.
These are the areas where democracy has clearly failed to deliver in Malawi. If left unchecked, it could result in voter apathy, which is harmful for a developing democracy. We need people to continue participating in politics, but if voting patterns are anything to go by, Malawians are already losing trust in politicians and the parties they represent.
