Today, former Malawi President and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, met with former ministers from his administration at the party’s headquarters in Lilongwe. The timing and location of this meeting are politically significant. It comes amid a blitz of arrests targeting former MCP ministers, a development that has heightened political tension and exposed the vulnerability of a divided opposition.
This was not a casual gathering. Holding the meeting at MCP headquarters sent a clear signal: this was about the party, its survival, and its future direction. At a time when pressure is mounting on former leaders, Dr Chakwera’s decision to bring them together under the party’s roof reflects an understanding that unity must be institutional, not informal. Unity anchored in the party structure.
It must be acknowledged that when these leaders were in government, unity was often lacking. Some ministers were more focused on outdoing one another, creating factions and alienating colleagues. Those internal rivalries weakened the party and laid the groundwork for today’s challenges. However, politics does not reward nostalgia or blame; it rewards clear thinking and timely action. The current situation demands a sober reassessment and a common front.
For years, we have argued that MCP’s biggest weakness has been divisions among its own leaders. Today’s meeting suggests that this reality is finally being confronted. Dr Chakwera deserves credit for initiating dialogue at such a critical moment. While the full agenda of the meeting has not been made public, logic points to the need for a coordinated political, legal, and communication strategy.
Without unity of purpose, MCP risks allowing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to abuse state machinery to politically humiliate its former leaders under the cover of law enforcement. Whether one agrees with the arrests or not, the optics and timing raise serious concerns about selective justice in a highly charged political environment.
The lesson is simple but powerful: divided parties crumble under pressure; united parties endure. If today’s meeting at MCP headquarters marks the beginning of genuine internal cohesion, then it may prove to be a decisive moment for the party. In times of political siege, unity is not just desirable—it is indispensable.
