It is clear Lazarus Chakwera  has lost, and it is equally clear that  Peter Mutharika has won- Hopewell Chin’ono

By Hopewell Chin’ono

Malawi is one of the countries that I love dearly because of our shared history which spans more than a century. One can safely hazard a guess and say that a quarter of Zimbabweans living in Harare are of Malawian origin. We are the same people, we are brothers and sisters. That is why what happens in Malawi also matters to us in Zimbabwe and across the region.

I hope the participants in the presidential election that has just ended in Malawi will take counsel from history. There are many bad things that former Malawian president Kamuzu Banda did in Malawi, but there are also good things he left behind.
As my father used to say, learn to eat the meat and throw away the bones — take the good things and discard the bad.

One of the good things that Kamuzu Banda did was when he lost the election to President Bakili Muluzi. He did not wait for all the ceremonial processes. He simply congratulated his successor and did the right thing. That is a lesson that should never be forgotten.

I hope that President Lazarus Chakwera will do the same and not plunge Malawi into crisis. It is clear that he has lost, and it is equally clear that President Peter Mutharika has won. Whatever personal views people may have about Chakwera or about Mutharika, the people of Malawi have placed their trust in Mutharika. Even though he is old, he is the one they have chosen. For the sake of Malawi, those who participated in the election must show humility, accept the will of the people, and congratulate the winner.

In other democracies, this is the norm. In America, candidates do not even wait for the full announcement of results when it is already obvious who has won. President Bush and John McCain both picked up the phone to congratulate President Obama even before the official declaration. That is maturity. That is statesmanship. Malawi needs the same spirit.

I also hope that President Mutharika, for his part, will rise to the occasion. He should be magnanimous enough in victory to reach out to his rivals. Those among them who have the competence should be invited to government, including in cabinet, in order to unite the nation. Elections are a contest, but after the contest the people must come together as one, to build their country.

For the sake of Malawi’s stability, there should be no unnecessary drama. Leaders must do the right thing. The right thing is to follow the example of the Ngwazi, Kamuzu Banda. When you lose an election, accept it, congratulate the winner, and work for the unity of your people.

True leadership is not about clinging to power, but about knowing when to let go with dignity so that your nation can move forward in unity. It is also about winners being magnanimous and reaching out to the losers for the purposes of unity and national interest.

Mulungu adalitse Malawi. Zikomo wambili