By Francis Kanduwa
Following a very successful Democratic Progressive Party-DPP Convention which sealed the candidature of His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika as the party’s torch bearer in 2025, Malawi Congress Party cam is under intense pressure, knowing exactly that APM will defeat their candidate what come may!
To discredit him in the public eye, MCP has immediately recruited social media influencers who survives on pay per post to run a crusade, attacking APM’s age as a sole factor for his disqualification to stand.
To the crusaders running a campaign against APM comeback, they are basing their argument on the premise of age of APM by 2025. They say by 2025, APM would turn 85 and therefore would not be physically fit enough to run a campaign as well as in an event that he wins, he will not be able to effectively run the affairs of this country.
I find this line of reasoning to be so vague and baseless. Ironically, those running this campaign are the same so called influencers, who vehemently opposed APM to run in 2019.
To achieve their objective, they resorted to a smear campaign painting APM as a man not fit to run again in 2019. In their failed plan, they went to town telling people that DPP needed a youthful presidential candidate if it is to win the elections. Unfortunately, their agenda miserably failed.
Today, the same group of people has resurfaced after taking note that people are still longing for APM than any other candidate including the incumbent Chakwera whose popularity has gone down dismally.
They have now resorted into a campaign of information distortion by alleging that those pushing the APM agenda are selfish and do not with APM well!
The truth is, MCP knows that the only person that can defeat Chakwera as it stands today is APM and that is a reason they are panting like a giraffe which has just fallen in a den of lions
Now, If we want to talk of the age APM! Let it be known that we have practical examples in Africa and beyond where leaders are elected irrespective of how aged they are! What people see in the candidates is their ability to lead a people towards a common destiny!
To drive an agenda for the society with soberness and a mature mind! They don’t look at how big and tough one’s biceps are! They are neither carried away with how many push ups the can make or how good their English is! They only look at substance.
Here are a few examples of world leaders who despite their age were still entrusted to run the affairs of their countries!
Cameroon.
Paul Biya, 89, is the current president of Cameroon. He has been president since November 1982. His political party, Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC) and the people of Cameroon know what is means when it comes to leadership! They don’t play silly games like chipapapa the way Malawians did in 2020!
They know their destiny and age of their leader is not something that would deter them from their collective mission. They understand that running a government is not a one man show but rather collective responsibility.
They have their 89-year-old Biya as captain of the ship issuing directives, instructions and orders to the General Commandant Unit propelling the country to greater heights!
Dominican Republic
JoaquÃn Balaguer left office when he was 89 after taking charge of the country for 24 years. Ironically, these were not consecutive years. After taking refuge in the U.S. for a few years, Balaguer returned home in 1965 and won the 1966 presidential election.
Balaguer lost the 1978 election and did not run for president again until 1986 – he went on to serve as president for another 10 years. Both of JoaquÃn Balaguer’s real terms as president are marked by highs – such as extensive public programs and an economic boom!
Israel
Shimon Peres was the ninth president of Israel from 2007 to 2014. Before his time as Israel’s President, he served two terms as a Prime Minister and three terms as Foreign Minister of Israel. At the time of his retirement, Peres was the world’s oldehead of state at 90 years old. As a county, Israel is so resilient in all angles.
Despite being surrounded by hostile nations, Israel has the capability to defend itself. The people of Israel are guided by good morals and standards when electing leaders! No wonder, Benjamin had to make a comeback as Prime Minister!
To them country’s progression is much more important than feeding individual political egos! They vote for substance not comic comedians and fraudsters like what happened in Malawi in 2020 when Malawians were duped!
Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu was born on 21st October 1949. He is an Israeli politician who has been serving as the prime minister of Israel since December 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is the chairman of the Likud party.
Netanyahu is the longest-tenured prime minister in the country’s history, having served for a total of over 15 years. He is also the first prime minister to be born in Israel after its Declaration of Independence.
The list is endless!
Conclusion
Malawi Congress Party has miserably failed and Chakwera knows it that there is no way he can manage to convince Malawians to vote for him at this stage. The best MCP can do now is to accept that they are facing Mutharika at the ballot and an embarrassing defeat is awaiting them!
Waging war against Mutharika on the pretext of age will just amplify Mutharika’s profile and make people to love him more! Why should MCP be concerned about the age of a rival candidate??
