MALAWIANS AND THE POLITICS OF SUFFERING

PART ONE

By Emerson Sam Navaya

In African societies, people say history is the greatest teacher. Well. For Malawians, the last five years under the MCP-led administration of Dr. Lazarus Chakwera have been nothing short of a living classroom of painful lessons. What Malawians have learnt from modern politicians is always a reminder—an equivalent, perhaps, to what the Israelites endured in Egypt. The memory of those days is still menacing and fresh, etched into the minds of citizens who queued, struggled, and prayed simply to survive.

The Forex Nightmare
One of the darkest experiences has been the severe shortage of foreign exchange. While government officials could access forex with ease, ordinary Malawians were locked out, forced to watch helplessly as the Malawi Kwacha fell to K6,000 against the U.S. dollar. For families, this was more than just numbers on a financial board.

“I watched my husband die without treatment,” said one woman from Blantyre.

“We were told the medicine could only be bought abroad, but there was no forex. What could I do?”

Such testimonies do reflect a nation pushed to the brink, not by natural disasters alone but by administrative negligence.

Fuel Shortages and Soaring Prices
Equally haunting were the endless queues at fuel stations. For many Malawians, daily life became synonymous with waiting in line. From dawn to dusk, motorists and commuters alike endured long, frustrating hours, often only to be told “no fuel” at the end. In this vacuum of leadership, unscrupulous traders dictated market prices, while ordinary citizens paid exorbitant sums for basic commodities.

“We lived as if there was no government at all,” commented a farm produce vendor from Zomba.

“Prices went up every week. By the time you sold your tomatoes, you couldn’t afford cooking oil.”

Healthcare Without Healing
Hospitals, the very places of refuge for the sick, became sites of despair. Patients would arrive only to find absent doctors, empty pharmacies, and broken promises. Families were repeatedly told to source medicines from private pharmacies—places that many could not afford. 

“My child went without treatment for malaria because I didn’t have K8,000 to buy drugs outside,” lamented a mother in Mchinji. The dream of universal healthcare remained just that: a dream. In reality, poverty-stricken citizens bore the cost of negligence.

Surviving and Speaking Through the Ballot
Despite these hardships, Malawians carried themselves with remarkable patience and resilience. They did not storm the streets in anger every day, nor did they give up hope entirely. Instead, they chose to bide their time and wait for the only tool that truly empowers them: the ballot. The September 16 election was more than a political event—it was a release valve for frustrations bottled up over five years. Ironically, Malawians turned around and re-elected the very party they had ousted in 2020. This paradox may puzzle many, but it is a testament to the complex and unpredictable nature of Malawi’s democracy.

The Unpredictability of Malawians
If there is one warning to be drawn from this cycle, it is that Malawians should never be underestimated. They may endure quietly, but their silence is not consent. Politicians who mistake patience for approval do so at their peril.

In the words of a retired teacher in Chikwawa: “We are like water in the riverbed. Calm on the surface, but when the rains come, we sweep everything away.” This unpredictability is the greatest strength of the Malawian voter.

It ensures no party, no leader, can take the people for granted indefinitely.

A Crucial Warning for the Present and Future
The MCP’s record between 2020 and 2025 should stand as a living testimony for any party in power. It reveals how quickly public trust can be squandered and how costly poor governance can become. Malawians are not a people to be played with. They may endure for a season, but when the opportunity comes, they remind leaders that ultimate authority rests with the citizens.

For any government now or in the future, the message is clear: deliver on promises, guard against corruption, and protect the dignity of every Malawian—or face the ballot’s unforgiving judgment.

In the end, the last five years have proven what every student of history knows: that suffering leaves behind memory, and memory fuels change. The real question now is whether those in power will learn from the past or repeat the same mistakes. For Malawians, the vote remains their strongest weapon, their most trusted voice, and their greatest reminder that no government-no matter how mighty-can outlive the will of the people.

...to be continued.