Leader of the New Liberation Party (NLP), Isaiah Emmanuel Sunganimoyo, asserts that it is an indisputable fact that the Tonse Alliance government under President Lazarus Chakwera leadership and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a complete failure. However, he warns that this should not drive Malawians back to the reign of the DPP and Peter Mutharika.
Sunganimoyo identifies valid reasons that have contributed to the failure of the Tonse Alliance government, noting that some of the challenges are insurmountable for any leader, citing the Covid-19 pandemic, cholera outbreaks, tropical cyclones including Freddy, and other disasters.
He criticizes the government for greed, lies, corruption, theft of public resources, indecisive leadership, the lack of strong opposition parties, self-aggrandizement, and ignoring rational voices, all of which have contributed to President Chakwera’s failures.
In a statement dated May 12, 2024, Sunganimoyo claims that corruption has worsened under the Tonse Alliance government, now three times greater than during the DPP’s reign, leaving Malawians unable to discern a difference between these two political parties.
Sunganimoyo lamented what many Malawians thought—that the Tonse Alliance government members were reformed—but they have merely replicated the same practices as the DPP, with the only difference being the degree of corruption and theft of public resources.
He observes that by repeating the actions of the previous DPP-led government, the international community and donor partners have lost hope and trust in Malawi, thus labeling the Tonse Alliance government as a “failure.”
The NLP leader finds it regrettable that after witnessing the decline of the MCP government, some Malawians are now reverting to the DPP, believing it can govern Malawi better than the current Tonse Alliance government—a decision he describes as a grave mistake.
He expresses concern that if the DPP returns to power in 2025, thievery, corruption, and looting of public resources will persist, and Malawians will see no change because “a hyena remains a hyena despite changing mountains.”
“DPP will strengthen its ties with China for financial gain, prices of essential goods will not decrease, fertilizer prices will not be reduced, and what it will do is bow to China, thereby selling the country to the highest bidder,” Sunganimoyo adds.
He argues that if Malawi were economically affluent, people would not consider reverting to the DPP, claiming that the DPP, UDF, MCP, PP, and AFORD have all failed to address corruption cases among their leaders, hence there is no justification to give them a second chance to govern Malawi.
Sunganimoyo warns that due to the high illiteracy rate and widespread ignorance, Malawians will continue to applaud incompetence. He hopes they will remember his words in the future, reminding them that like the children of Israel who endured pain and suffering in the wilderness for 40 years, they did not return to Egypt but continued their journey to the promised land of Canaan.
