Power does not disappear quietly. It is dismantled loudly—unless the owners of that power choose silence. That is exactly what the Malawi Congress Party is doing today: choosing silence. And silence, in politics, is not maturity. It is surrender.
MCP heavyweights are being arrested one by one. Not subtly. Not discreetly. Openly. Brazenly. Almost casually. And what is the reaction from MCP supporters?
Nothing.
No outrage.
No street pressure.
No visible political cost.
Just vibes. And vibes don’t scare a state.
Here is a hard truth many don’t like to hear: arrests are not only legal decisions; they are political calculations. The state never arrests blindly. It assesses risk. Will the streets explode? Will the country destabilize? Will the cost outweigh the benefit?
If the answer is yes—they back off.
If the answer is no—they move in.
History has already taught us this lesson.
When Joyce Banda arrested Peter Mutharika, DPP supporters erupted. The country shook. That single arrest poisoned her presidency. Chakwera learned from that. When he came to power, he never touched Mutharika—not because Mutharika was clean, but because Malawi would burn.
When Bingu arrested Atupele Muluzi in Area 24, UDF supporters exploded politically. When Gangata was arrested, Lilongwe boiled. Everyone remembers what followed.
Now compare that with today.
Richard Chimwendo—once a crowd-puller, a cult figure—arrested. No camps. No pressure. No uprising. Just one lonely social media supporter who protested online… and got arrested too.
Ezekiel Ching’oma—on his own.
Vitumbiko Mumba—on his own.
Jessie Kabwila—on her own.
Sosten Gwengwe—on his own.
Sam Kawale—on his own.
Six former cabinet ministers. Six political heavyweights. Zero political resistance.
This is not bravery. This is vulnerability.
Let’s stop pretending otherwise.
There are only two possible explanations for this silence—and neither flatters MCP.
One: These leaders were so selfish while in power that no one now feels they are worth fighting for. If that is true, then this is not persecution—it is karma collecting its debt.
Two: The MCP youth leadership is asleep at the wheel. Docile. Directionless. Toothless.
And if it’s the second, then that is unforgivable.
Youth wings exist for one reason: to raise political temperature. To make arrests expensive. To make the state hesitate. You don’t need violence. You need visibility. Pressure. Numbers. Noise.
Right now, the state has learned a dangerous lesson:
“We can arrest MCP figures and nothing will happen.”
That confidence is lethal.
Today it is Kawale, calm and collected, sitting at Kanengo Police Station. Tomorrow it will be another. Then another. Until arrests become a routine embarrassment ritual—used not just to investigate, but to humiliate.
And don’t fool yourselves: once a party shows weakness, its leader is never off the menu.
People laughed when DPP operatives encircled Chakwera’s residence during the so-called “dog issue.” That was not comedy. That was reconnaissance. Testing the waters. The only reason it stopped was because MPs walked out of Parliament. That single action rattled the system—and the DPP mafias backed off.
Notice the pattern?
Action forces retreat. Silence invites aggression.
Today, former Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale has joined the growing list of detainees. Police have not disclosed charges. Lawyers are “engaging.” Spokespersons are “seeking clarity.” Police want “more time.”
Translation?
The machinery is moving, and no one feels pressured to explain anything.
Six former ministers. No charges. No urgency. No accountability from the arresting authority.
Whether these arrests are about genuine accountability or political score-settling is almost beside the point now. What matters is this: MCP has lost its fear factor.
Politics is not a church. It is not a debating club. It is power—raw, contested, ruthless. When you signal that you won’t defend your own, you tell your enemies exactly how far they can go.
And they will go further.
This docility will take MCP nowhere. Wolves don’t stop because sheep behave well. They stop when sheep bite back.
Wake up, MCP family.
Wake up, MCP youth.
Wake up, MCP leadership.
Because today it is “just another arrest.”
Tomorrow it will be a purge.
And if this silence continues, you will be picked off—one by one—while the rest watch quietly and scroll.
And then, when it’s finally your turn, there will be no one left to make noise for you.
The question is no longer who will be next.
The question is: will anyone still care when it happens?
