Ugingqigongqo wedemokhrasi ubuyise ezindala eMalawi
Labo asebethakasele imiphumela yokhetho lwaseMalawi ngokuthi ngekhombisa izinguquko ezizayo bazoke balinde ngoba umlando weqembu elidle umhlanganiso nalabo abazohola uHulumeni akuwona oveza ukuthi bangabenzi bezinguquko.
Ngowe-1964 iMalawi Congress Party (MCP) eyayiholwa nguDkt uHastings Kamuzu Banda yaba yiqembu lokuqala ukuhola izwe emveni kokuthola inkululeko ku-England. Emva kwalokho, uDkt uBanda nabaholi beMCP bavumelana base bedalula isinqumo sokuthi yiqembu labo kuphela elizoba semthethweni eMalawi. Abamanga lapho, ngowe-1970 abaholi beMCP banquma ukuthi uBanda uyoba uMengameli weqembu kanye neMalawi aze ayongena egodini. Ngaleyo minyaka amazwe amaningi ase-Afrika eseNingizimu afana neMozambique, iZimbabwe, iNamibia kanye namanye, ayengamakoloni amazwe asenyakatho, okwadala ukuthi kube namaqembu ahlukene ayelwela inkululeko. Ukuphumelela kwala maqembu kweyenkululeko kwakuncike kakhulu ekuxhasweni ngamazwe ayesethole eyawo, afana neMalawi. iKenya, iMalawi, ngaphansi kukaBanda kanye neMCP, kwaba yiyo kuphela kulesi sifundazwe eyaphumela obala yadlondlobalisa ubudlelwano noHulumeni wobandlululo eNingizimu Afrika kanye noHulumeni wamaPutukezi owawuphethe abangokudabuka eMozambique ngendluzula, nalapho yeseka iqembu iRenamo elabe liphazamisa ukwakhekha kwezwe elisha eMozambique. IMCP yabusa eMalawi ngesihluku iminyaka ecishe ibe ngama-30. Yaqumbeka phansi ngowe-1994 emveni kokuba iyivumile induku yokuthi angeke izwe liqhubeke nokubuswa ngale ndlela futhi kwase kuvele kunemimoya evunguzayo yezinguquko ngakwezedemokhrasi emazweni amaningi. Kusukela ngalowo nyaka, leli qembu lathathwa njengamanye angatheni ezweni, nalapho laliyingxenye yamaqembu aphikisayo kodwa kujike izinto ngomhla wama-28 kuNhlangulana ngenkathi iMalawi igcoba ngokusesikweni uMengameli omusha nongumholi weMCP.
UMnu uLazarous Chakwera uphumelele ukhetho obelubanjwe mhla zingama-23 kuNhlangulana. Kuzokhunjulwa ukuthi ekuqaleni kwalo nyaka, iNkantolo Ephezulu eMalawi ithathe isinqumo sokuthi ukhetho olwabanjwa nyakenye kumele luphindwe. INkantolo yakhipha lesi sinqumo emveni kokuba amaqembu aphikisayo afaka isikhalo sokuthi iKhomishini eyengamele ukhetho yehluleka ukuluphatha ngendlela ekhombisa ukungachemi nokwadala ukuthi owayenguMengameli uMnu uMutharika nongumholi weqembu iDemocratic Progress Party (DPP) kuthiwe nguye odle ubhedu. Kuyiwe okhethweni nonyaka izwe lidungekile ngenxa yokungaboni ngaso linye phakathi kwezinhlaka ezahlukene ngokuthi kubhekwane kanjani nokhuvethe kanye nemibhikisho yezakhamuzi ziholwa amaqembu aphikisayo okubalwa iMCP, zikhonondela okuningi okufana nokwentuleka kwemisebenzi, umntotho ontengayo, nokudicilelwa phansi kwamalungelo ezakhamuzi.
Amaqembu aphikisayo, ikakhulukazi iMCP kanye ne-United Transformation Movement (UTM), akwazile ukusebenzisa intuba yalezi zikhalo ngokuthi abe yimbumba ebizwa ngeTonse Alliance ukuze aqumbe phansi uMengameli uMutharika. Iqhingasu lokuhlangana lithathelwe emiphumeleni yokhetho lwangonyaka odlule, lapho uChakwera wazuza ama-35.41%, uChilima yena wathola ama-20.24% kanti uMutharika kwathiwa nguye ophumelele ngokuzuza ama-38.57%. Lokhu kubasebenzele ngoba uChakwera, esekwa yi-UTM, akwazile ukuzuza inani elingama-58.5%, kunangama-39.92% kaMutharika. Emveni kokudla umhlanganiso, le mbumba eholwa uChakwera iqoke uDkt uSaulos Chilima ohola i-UTM ukuba abe yiPhini Mengameli.
Noma laba baholi bobabili sebehalaliselwe kwaphinde kwathiwa bazoza nezinguquko ezweni kumele kungakhohlwa ukuthi bona namaqembu abawaholayo badabuka kuphi kwezepolitiki ezweni. Nokuthi, kungabe kukhona yini ebahlanganisayo ngaphandle kwale nhloso abekade benayo yokuqumba phansi uMutharika. Bazokwazi yini ukusebenza ngokubambisana njengoba le nhloso sebeyifezile? Kuzokhunjulwa ukuthi, uDkt uSaulos Chilima wabe eyiPhini likaMengameli uMutharika ngeminyaka yezi-2014 kuya kweyezi-2018. Waphinde waba sezikhundleni ezithize kuHulumeni wangaphambili okungabalwa ukuba uNgqongqoshe obhekene Nezokuhlela Umnotho Nentuthuko. Okwamqhatha noMutharika kwabe kuhlangene nepolitiki yobuholi, okwadala ukuthi uDkt uChilima ahlubuke kuDPP azisungulele elakhe iqembu naselihola i-UTM. Noma lokhu kukhombisa ukuthi usemkantshubovu ezinhlelweni zikaHulumeni eMalawi, asethembe ukuthi uzokwazi ukubekezelela ipolitiki yengxoxompikiswano kanye nokuphambana kwemimoya okuvame ukuvela kubaholi bamaqembu ahlukene kodwa abazithola sebephethe izintambo zombuso. Ngamanye amazwi, angeke yini anqume ukushesha ashiye phansi uma ebona engathi ziyamnetha? Ngakolwakhe uhlangothi, uMnu uChakwera washiya eyobufundisi ngowezi-2013 wangena kupolitiki nokwaba wunyaka enyulwa ngawo ukuba ahole iMCP. Noma ehluleka ukuphumelela ukhetho lobuMengamali phambilini, wabe eyingxenye yamalungu ePhalamande emaqenjini aphikisayo. Ethula inkulumo yakhe yokuzibongela, uChakwera uthe: “Lokhu okwenzekile kuwumphumela wedemokhrasi kanye nobulungiswa.” Asethembe ukuthi iqembu aliholayo neselibusa lizokwenza ubulungiswa ezweni futhi liphathe kangcono kunendlela elenza ngayo phambilini ngesikhathi sikaBanda.
