At first, the dominant talk was about going to the State House. Some politicians even went to the extent of calling president Bingu wa Mutharika a failure who had let the pockets of the people run dry because of his stringent economic policies.
Now, after the May 19 elections, so many things have changed. Not only in the shape of national politics once dominated by regionalism and nepotism. Even the language of, hither to, 'unappreciative' politicians.
Almost every political party in Malawi- including the United Democratic Front (UDF), Maravi People's Party- are talking about supporting Mutharika, a language that has become synonymous with Mutharika's overwhelming 50.7 per cent national vote victory over opposition joint Malawi Congress Party's ( MCP) and UDF presidential candidate John Tembo.
UDF spokesperson, Robbie Jammieson, said the party would now support government, but not blindly. Sentiments shared by MPP, whose President Uladi Mussa says he, too, will support Mutharika's government.
Several other independent MPs have also said they will support government, raising fears such sentiments could be making of a dictatorship.
Chancellor College political scientist, Blessings Chinsinga, says the development could both be a blessing and recipe for disaster.
"If the DPP uses its majority well, it will be a blessing. If it will misuse it, it will be a disaster," he said.
MPP president, Uladi Mussa, has defended his decision to support government, saying he had all along supported it- even during the intense heat of the last five years.
The MCP is, however, divided, with some MPs like Ishmael Chafukira saying they would support government while party president Tembo says it would be too early before completion of his court case. He is disputing the results of the polls citing "massive irregularities".
AEP/richard chirombo
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