Your sentiments below, well respected but I want to give an alternative argument...you do not have to agree with it.
Part of the problem, in my view, is that we want to believe or we have made ourselves believe that our parties have to or do operate on regionalistic lines and as days went and go by, we have told ourselves that this is "normal"...it is not normal, at least in my view, we can all move out from this comfort zone and embrace the challenges of a national identity for our political parties.
As I argued yesterday, I see very few of our politicians, the current crop, withstanding the heat of a Malawi that woke up strong from the nightmare of "regionalism" - most of them would not know what to do with a united Malawi, a Malawi that told itself and its people that "Malawi is our country" and we want sensible leadership for ourselves." Further to that, what makes you think, really, a Malawian originating from a region other than the Central region should not or can not be leader of MCP? What makes you think that a Malawian originating from a region other than the South can not pick up the top notch job in the UDF? And what makes you think a Malawian originating from a region other than the North can not be President of AFORD?
Annie, it is the root cause of this thinking and its perpetual nurturing that makes our current crop of politicians continue to take advantage, very unnecessary advantage, of the same to divide and rule us...we can help to reshape the thinking of our people and you never know, Nyasanet and Malawi Talk could be starting points for progressive thinking in combating regionalism, perceived or actual.
Malawians, in my view, would care very little about where their leader comes from provided that leader facilitates the arrival of food on their plates on a daily, constant basis, Malawians, in my view, would care very little of where their leader comes from if that leader facilitated improvement in the quality of Malawians' lives; in my view Malawians will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader facilitated good infrastructural development, Malawians, in my view, will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader made Malawian matter in his leadership dispensation, Malawians, yes, in my view, will care very little where their leader comes from if that leader made them live on more than a dollar a day, in real terms.
We, the people that think it is ok, normal, insurmountable for political party leadership to be based on regions contribute heavily, hugely and immensely to the backward movement of a nation that, at best, should be marching forward...we are in the 21st century for God's sake...let us move on, let us judge our possible leaders on the content of their leadership jars, on the content of their characters, on the content of their integrity other than a very simple and irrelevant consideration of where they happen to come from...
My heart bleeds...
Isaac Cheke Ziba
Livingston
Annie Kumwenda
Koma anthu mwatota_ni? Zipani zambiri mu Malawi are regionalistic whatever that means. Aford is for the north, MCP is for the centre Yudievu (UDF) is for the south. Tisanamizane apa kuti aford president angachokere pakati kapena ku mwera !! Mwauponda wauwisi ndithu wochita kudzola ngati mafuta phazi lonse ntchentche zili ng'waa ngati nakubabada Mbuya wa ku Nsanje!! Kapena kuti MCP ingalamuliridwe ndi a kumpoto kapena kumwera ayi !! Si a Tcheya awa amene akukakamira mpandowu. Anthu inu mwatota_ni? Leave aford alone
Annie
