Former Malawi President and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarus Chakwera has called on party members to rebuild unity and public trust, admitting that the party’s recent electoral loss reflected a failure to meet the expectations of Malawians, but vowed to lead efforts to restore the party to power.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lilongwe on Monday, Chakwera said the loss in the September 16 elections was a result of Malawians losing trust in the party to meet their expectations, but stressed that the party must accept the outcome as an opportunity to learn and improve.
He urged MCP members to treat the loss and their pain as a test to strengthen unity and discipline, learn from voters, and regain the public’s trust to govern Malawi again.
“(The loss is) a test to prove to Malawians that we will only use our pain to encourage each other. A test to prove that we will only use our pain to do a postmortem that listens to and learns from the lessons or the reasons that caused Malawians to vote the way they did. As reported.
“(It is) a test to prove that we will only use our pain to unite as one team in our commitment, and a test to prove that we will only use our pain to meet the needs of Malawians by responding to their pain through humble and self-discipline,” Chakwera said.
While calling for peace and unity within the party, Chakwera warned that internal divisions and attacks among members would only weaken the party, urging them to strengthen relations within the party.
“Before we can rebuild our party’s trust with the people of Malawi, we must rebuild trust among ourselves and with each other within the party,” said Chakwera. “Resist the temptation to tear each other apart with careless attacks, that only make us weaker as a party.”
Meanwhile, Chakwera has vowed to lead efforts to rebuild unity, restore public trust, and ensure the MCP is ready to govern Malawi again.
“That is the test I believe we must pass and I am confident that if we pass this test, if we all use our pain in this constructive way, then Malawians from Nsanje to Chitipa, will in time, once again, trust our party to govern. And I give you my claim that as long as I am president of this party, I will not rest until we achieve that goal,” he concluded.
The press briefing marked Chakwera’s first public appearance since the September 16 polls, which he lost to President Peter Mutharika.
