Copyright mwnation
This week, 224 candidates who won the September 16 parliamentary race flooded the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe for a five-day orientation as members of Parliament (MPs)-elect. Fresh from this victory, the honourable members came in their finest suits with grinning smiles, posing for selfies and exchanging polite hugs with people they will soon be heckling across the aisle. But as the excitement settles, the weight of expectation is also starting to take shape. Yes, the orientation was meant to prepare the MPs for their three key constitutional functions, namely legislation, oversight and representation. But, if truth be told, many of our lawmakers from previous cohorts mistook the August House for a social club where loyalty to their political parties outweighed loyalty to the people that put them in office. No wonder The Nation reported this week that a staggering 64 percent of MPs from the 2019-2025 cohort failed to bounce back to the National Assembly. According to The Nation, only 36 percent (70 out of 193) managed to survive the voters’ axe, among them a mere 15 women and 55 men. These figures speak louder. Malawians have had enough excuses, sweet talk and the same tired political excuses over the years. I do not want to go into the specifics, suffice to say that gone are the days when voters blindly followed party colours. MPs who performed well and fought for their constituencies were rewarded and are back in the House. Their counterparts who wasted five years clapping and defending mediocrity are in the village digesting their regrets. So, the lesson for this new cohort is simple: Malawians want leaders, not cheerleaders, in Parliament. They want action to address the multifaceted socio-economic challenges, not hand-clappers. Many problems are staring us in the face. Look at youth unemployment, the collapsing health systems, rising corruption levels, hunger and a struggling economy. I mean, if you are not ready to confront these issues head-on, then Parliament is not your playground. Malawians want MPs who will speak for them, not those who will defend executive blunders just to stay in the party’s good books. We have seen this before, and the results were always detrimental for the culprits come the next election. So, always remember that oversight and representation are sacred duties that give voice to the hopes and struggles of the electorate, not political betrayal. This new Parliament must also restore dignity to the institution. The last one left a mixed legacy. Of course, some MPs did their work with honour, but too many treated the House as a theatre for insults, real fights, allowances and photo opportunities. Malawi is bleeding, not from lack of ideas, but from too many years of empty talk and lip service masquerading as leadership. This time, we shall not stomach another Parliament full of pretenders, opportunists and clueless loudmouths. So, if you are an MP-elect and you won a seat in Parliament on the promise of change, then, for heaven’s sake, deliver it. Five years fly faster than campaign lies, and the same people who danced for you in dusty grounds during campaign time will soon demand to see results, not excuses. The “Honourable” title and sitting allowances are just passing ornaments, but what will stand the test of time are the roads and bridges you built, the hospitals and school blocks you fixed and the lives you transformed in your constituencies. Because if there is one thing this year’s general election has taught us, it is that the voter has grown wiser, braver and less patient with empty rhetoric. Malawians now know how to separate those who truly serve from those who simply steal. So, honourable folks elected to Parliament in 2025, deliver between now and 2030 or start preparing for life in the village, where broken promises will be your only legacy. Feedback: 08 82 167 309, WhatsApp and SMS only
