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The UML has so far avoided the internal strife that has plagued Malawi’s major political parties such as the MCP, DPP and UDF. However, events following the tragic death of Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima in a plane crash on June 10, 2024, suggest that the party is now ready for internal turmoil.
On July 12, 2024, some UTM Central Executive Committee members held a press conference where, among other things, they announced their decision to withdraw from the Tonse coalition government, in which the UTM was the main partner and the MCP was the major partner.
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Listening to some senior members of the UTM speaking at the hastily convened press conference in Region 10, one cannot help but wonder if these people have thought things through. Soon, these UTM members will understand why it is undesirable to make emotional decisions in politics.
Chilima’s tragic death in the Akegawa forest has undoubtedly caused a wave of emotions across the country. In such tragic times, people usually lose their minds; many become confused. Usually, most people cannot sort out their thoughts when they lose someone they love or someone they placed all their hopes on. This is understandable.
There is a theory that has been widely circulated on social media that Chilima was killed by the MCP. Although no one has yet clearly stated how he was killed by the MCP, it seems that this is one of the theories that prompted UTM’s decision to withdraw from the alliance. This is both emotional and dangerous, especially in the absence of a conclusive expert-led investigation.
Indeed, the government’s response after the Chilima plane crash was less than satisfactory, but it is premature for people to start making big decisions based on social media theories.
He was still in the alliance when Chilima died. If he was addressing issues related to the UTM and MCP alliances, he was doing so very discreetly and away from public scrutiny.
For the public, UTM was an active partner in the Tonse coalition and Chilima served as Vice President of the Republic. Therefore, now that Chilima is dead, it is difficult for anyone to claim or make any decisions on his behalf. Therefore, UTM’s decision raises moral and rational questions.
Now that Chilima is gone, some senior UTM party members may take this opportunity to push their agenda in the party and they want to move quickly in the name of honouring Chilima. This is not right.
Are these people motivated by personal gain or are they genuinely looking out for the best interests of the party? The UTM constitution provides clear guidelines for making such decisions and bypassing these rules shows that they have no respect for party governance or even for the late Chilima, who was a fervent advocate of order and discipline.
Michael Usi has just assumed the leadership of the party as acting chairman; he needs time to organize the party and lead it to an electoral congress. Only then can a well-thought-out decision on the alliance be made.
The UTM is currently in a delicate position where hasty decisions could have adverse consequences. The party already lacks a strong organisation in rural areas, where most voters are concentrated. The brand of the UTM as a party has been subservient to that of Chilima since its inception.
All is not set in stone for the UTM; the party needs to do a lot to penetrate deeper into the hinterlands in order to make a splash in next year’s elections. In such situations, sentiment is not usually affected.
Using emotion as a campaign strategy for 2025 may be smart, but it is difficult to sustain because it has a strict time limit. It also requires skilled leadership, which is clearly lacking among the conspirators within UTM who encouraged the decision to withdraw.
Soon, all those who cheered this decision will go home and UTM will go on its own. I hope no one wants to bring UTM back to the hands of Peter Mutharika’s DPP.
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