The need for a Party's sound Economic base.
BY: Peter Qeko Jere
The birth of multiparty democracy in the early ninety’s, led to the establishment of other political parties in Malawi in addition to the Kamuzu Banda’s Malawi Congress Party. For the first time in Malawi’s political history, Malawians were given many political parties to choose from during the first ever Presidential and Parliamentary multiparty general elections of 1994. There were political parties like, Bakili Muluzi’s UDF, Chakufwa Chihana’s Aford, George Kanyanya’s UFMD, Kamlepo Kalua’s MDP, to mention but a few.
Ten years down the political line in Malawi history, almost all the parties (apart from the MCP) are finding it hard to survive the political game. When UDF came to power in 1994, many Malawians thought that this party was to remain for some time strong in Malawi’s politics but Alas!, things are not as many imagined. That old UDF magic that made it once the dominant party in Malawi politics vanished in a thin air and the part has fallen apart as never before. Who thought four or five years ago that UDF could be on the opposition bench in parliament? What has gone wrong to the party administration that the once famous political machine has been relegated to the opposition bench? Did the UDF Gurus miss something during their reign? What lesson should other political parties learn from so that they should not face similar situation in the near future. In general what are some of the problems our political parties have in Malawi? For just a minute, what magic did the Kamuzu instill in MCP that it is still a strong political party after forty-seven (47) years now? Will there be any UDF, Aford, DPP, and MDP forty seven (47) years from now? Will these parties survive the heavy political wind as MCP has managed all these years?
In South Africa, the Nelson Mandela’s ANC has survived five decades of heavy political struggle and fight. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe’s ZanuPF has managed to survive more than four to five decades of political showdown. In Mozambique, Frelimo is still a big political party after more than three decades of political rule. In Tanzania, Chamachamapinduzi is still a big and ruling party since independence. Now how is it possible for political parties to survival all this long? What is the magic behind their long political survival? A brief analysis shows that political parties formed during colonial struggle have the capacity to survive than those formed during multiparty dispensation. If these parties formed during colonialism can survive this long, then what is it that new parties can copy from these old guards? We are talking of parties that have survived 40 to 50 years of political fight but still strong today.
Having said all these let me give you the magic formula behind political party’s survival. The first magic behind any political party survival is its investment in their youth through good quality education. The Political parties’ current generation will one day go and they will leave a vacuum if their youth are not prepared with the skills and intellectual capacity. The Parties need to find means and ways of how they could educate and prepare their youth nationwide so that they one day take over. In this Youth Education Investment (YEI), the parties need to find scholarships for their youths in all academic disciplines where they could graduate with BA, MA and even PhDs. Upon their graduation, the party could find them employment in both private and public sector. These youth therefore could become the backbone of the party. This strategy is important because the future of any political party is in the investment they put in the youth. This investment is vital in terms of political party’s human resource building and political continuity when the going gets tough politically. Political party that does not invest in the youth will always find it difficult to move on from this generation to the next.
As of late we have many old guards in various political parties still cling to power because they don’t see anyone prepared enough to take over from them. They don’t see any system that could prepare others to take over from them one day hence they feel that they were born to be in those positions for ever. Transition in terms of party administration becomes difficult in a situation where there are no people to take over.
Having said this, we need to know that Kamuzu Banda managed to create this youth development program which later became the very backbone of the party. In Zimbabwe Comrade Bob Mugabe send many young people to various South African Universities and every year thousands of Zimbabweans graduate their BA, MA and even PhDs in various fields of study. Now these educated Zimbabweans are the ones who support their government in social, political and economic program. The ANC in South Africa sends many young people to various universities during the struggle hence they now have good human resource to man the party and government. Infact the ANC government still give huge bursaries support to their citizens who later become patriotic members of the party.
The second magical formula is the Party’s private investment for income generation. Just as we all need money, the daily programs of the party need money too. In other words, we mean to say that all political parties need to have what we call, pangozi kankhani galasi ili (economic survival jacket). Thus DPP, MCP, UDF, Aford, RP, MDP and others need to each have strategies of how they could economically survive as a party. This is vital because no political party will be in government for life in this democratic dispensation. Our constitutional guarantee two terms of political rule for each Presidential Candidate. In this regard, every party has ten years of re-grouping and economically putting their house in order.
UDF had this opportunity the past ten years but never utilized and invested anything hence Bob Khamisa their Treasure General had the nerve to tell the nation that the party has no money at the moment. Where has the money gone? Now where shall they get the money for their economic survival as party? This future economic disaster does not spare any party. Just like the UDF, DPP and other parties could sail in the same economic mess in the near future if they don’t create party’s long-term income generating investments. Now what is the position of the Bingu Wamthalika’s DPP? Are they clever enough to begin establishing the party’s economic investments for their economic and political survival in future? Do they see the advantage they have being in government and that they can easily put their house in order economically? Shall Malawians ten years from now see DPP in the say way as in the case now? Are they doing anything to avoid future economic embarrassment and disaster as a party?
Finally is the vision for the future. Even in the bible it is very clear that without a vision people and nations perish (Proverb 29:18). There has to be a vision for the party and what the party wants to become in some many years to come. Now this vision needs to be shared amongst members and they all need to firmly stand and help in the realization of the party vision. What we currently see in UDF, and other parties, is the result of not having a clear-cut vision for the party’s economic future. It is also the result of not investing in the youth and lack of party’s private long-term investments.
BY: Peter Qeko Jere
The birth of multiparty democracy in the early ninety’s, led to the establishment of other political parties in Malawi in addition to the Kamuzu Banda’s Malawi Congress Party. For the first time in Malawi’s political history, Malawians were given many political parties to choose from during the first ever Presidential and Parliamentary multiparty general elections of 1994. There were political parties like, Bakili Muluzi’s UDF, Chakufwa Chihana’s Aford, George Kanyanya’s UFMD, Kamlepo Kalua’s MDP, to mention but a few.
Ten years down the political line in Malawi history, almost all the parties (apart from the MCP) are finding it hard to survive the political game. When UDF came to power in 1994, many Malawians thought that this party was to remain for some time strong in Malawi’s politics but Alas!, things are not as many imagined. That old UDF magic that made it once the dominant party in Malawi politics vanished in a thin air and the part has fallen apart as never before. Who thought four or five years ago that UDF could be on the opposition bench in parliament? What has gone wrong to the party administration that the once famous political machine has been relegated to the opposition bench? Did the UDF Gurus miss something during their reign? What lesson should other political parties learn from so that they should not face similar situation in the near future. In general what are some of the problems our political parties have in Malawi? For just a minute, what magic did the Kamuzu instill in MCP that it is still a strong political party after forty-seven (47) years now? Will there be any UDF, Aford, DPP, and MDP forty seven (47) years from now? Will these parties survive the heavy political wind as MCP has managed all these years?
In South Africa, the Nelson Mandela’s ANC has survived five decades of heavy political struggle and fight. In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe’s ZanuPF has managed to survive more than four to five decades of political showdown. In Mozambique, Frelimo is still a big political party after more than three decades of political rule. In Tanzania, Chamachamapinduzi is still a big and ruling party since independence. Now how is it possible for political parties to survival all this long? What is the magic behind their long political survival? A brief analysis shows that political parties formed during colonial struggle have the capacity to survive than those formed during multiparty dispensation. If these parties formed during colonialism can survive this long, then what is it that new parties can copy from these old guards? We are talking of parties that have survived 40 to 50 years of political fight but still strong today.
Having said all these let me give you the magic formula behind political party’s survival. The first magic behind any political party survival is its investment in their youth through good quality education. The Political parties’ current generation will one day go and they will leave a vacuum if their youth are not prepared with the skills and intellectual capacity. The Parties need to find means and ways of how they could educate and prepare their youth nationwide so that they one day take over. In this Youth Education Investment (YEI), the parties need to find scholarships for their youths in all academic disciplines where they could graduate with BA, MA and even PhDs. Upon their graduation, the party could find them employment in both private and public sector. These youth therefore could become the backbone of the party. This strategy is important because the future of any political party is in the investment they put in the youth. This investment is vital in terms of political party’s human resource building and political continuity when the going gets tough politically. Political party that does not invest in the youth will always find it difficult to move on from this generation to the next.
As of late we have many old guards in various political parties still cling to power because they don’t see anyone prepared enough to take over from them. They don’t see any system that could prepare others to take over from them one day hence they feel that they were born to be in those positions for ever. Transition in terms of party administration becomes difficult in a situation where there are no people to take over.
Having said this, we need to know that Kamuzu Banda managed to create this youth development program which later became the very backbone of the party. In Zimbabwe Comrade Bob Mugabe send many young people to various South African Universities and every year thousands of Zimbabweans graduate their BA, MA and even PhDs in various fields of study. Now these educated Zimbabweans are the ones who support their government in social, political and economic program. The ANC in South Africa sends many young people to various universities during the struggle hence they now have good human resource to man the party and government. Infact the ANC government still give huge bursaries support to their citizens who later become patriotic members of the party.
The second magical formula is the Party’s private investment for income generation. Just as we all need money, the daily programs of the party need money too. In other words, we mean to say that all political parties need to have what we call, pangozi kankhani galasi ili (economic survival jacket). Thus DPP, MCP, UDF, Aford, RP, MDP and others need to each have strategies of how they could economically survive as a party. This is vital because no political party will be in government for life in this democratic dispensation. Our constitutional guarantee two terms of political rule for each Presidential Candidate. In this regard, every party has ten years of re-grouping and economically putting their house in order.
UDF had this opportunity the past ten years but never utilized and invested anything hence Bob Khamisa their Treasure General had the nerve to tell the nation that the party has no money at the moment. Where has the money gone? Now where shall they get the money for their economic survival as party? This future economic disaster does not spare any party. Just like the UDF, DPP and other parties could sail in the same economic mess in the near future if they don’t create party’s long-term income generating investments. Now what is the position of the Bingu Wamthalika’s DPP? Are they clever enough to begin establishing the party’s economic investments for their economic and political survival in future? Do they see the advantage they have being in government and that they can easily put their house in order economically? Shall Malawians ten years from now see DPP in the say way as in the case now? Are they doing anything to avoid future economic embarrassment and disaster as a party?
Finally is the vision for the future. Even in the bible it is very clear that without a vision people and nations perish (Proverb 29:18). There has to be a vision for the party and what the party wants to become in some many years to come. Now this vision needs to be shared amongst members and they all need to firmly stand and help in the realization of the party vision. What we currently see in UDF, and other parties, is the result of not having a clear-cut vision for the party’s economic future. It is also the result of not investing in the youth and lack of party’s private long-term investments.
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