By Burnett Munthali
On the 2nd of May 2024, Comrade Jumbe released a deeply resonant message that reverberated through Malawi’s political landscape — a message not only of gratitude, but of firm resolve, moral urgency, and uncompromising clarity.
To the leaders of the opposition parties in Malawi, Comrade Jumbe extended his heartfelt thanks.
He acknowledged not merely their voices, but more profoundly, their courage to align with truth in a time of democratic uncertainty.
Their willingness to act on his call — a call for an audit of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) voter registration roll — was recognized as more than political maneuvering; it was characterized as an act of civic bravery.
He described this gesture not as routine, but as the spark of collective vigilance that democracy so desperately requires.
Quoting, “When the wise hear the cry of justice, they do not turn away — they rise,” Jumbe reminded the nation that moral clarity must be the response to injustice.
In an age where political comfort often trumps conscience, he hailed these leaders for choosing principle over passivity.
Jumbe evoked the proverb, “A single tree does not make a forest,” to emphasize that without their united stand, the voices of ordinary Malawians would have been diminished and perhaps silenced.
Together, he said, this unity reinforced the fragile but vital foundation of the country’s democracy.
With conviction, he dispelled any notion that his call for judicial intervention was just political theater.
In his own words, “A barking dog may frighten the thief, but it is the bite that brings justice,” he asserted that action — not noise — defines true accountability.
He made it unmistakably clear that Malawi is not a toy to be mishandled by those charged with protecting its democratic integrity.
The demands being made, he declared, are not mere suggestions or pleas for favor.
They are, as he described, “a cry for fairness, truth, and dignity” — the non-negotiable essentials of any credible electoral process.
He laid out five demands, beginning with the call for a complete and fresh voter registration process.
Describing the current MEC roll as “a scar upon the face of democracy,” he went further to say it is not just flawed, but “rotten at the root.”
He invoked the metaphor, “You cannot straighten a shadow when the stick is bent,” to illustrate the futility of conducting a credible election using a corrupted register.
The second demand was for the removal of all partisan operatives within the MEC.
Jumbe stressed that no institution can wear the badge of neutrality if it is painted with partisan allegiance.
He reminded the nation, “You cannot serve two masters and remain faithful to truth,” insisting that veterans of political camps have no role in a body meant to safeguard impartiality.
Thirdly, he called for the end of the use of Smartmatic, the controversial electoral technology provider.
According to Jumbe, “Technology should be a servant of truth, not a tool for deceit,” and any system tainted by mistrust must be replaced with one founded on transparency.
“What is built on deception will collapse with truth,” he warned, underscoring the necessity of technological credibility in modern elections.
The fourth demand involved the extension of the voter registration period, which he said was unjustly narrow and excluded many would-be voters.
“A rushed process is a robbed process,” he noted, invoking the maxim, “Justice hurried is justice buried,” to warn against the dangers of haste in democratic procedures.
Finally, Jumbe demanded an independent audit of the voter roll — one led not by the compromised, but by credible, independent experts.
“If there is nothing to hide, let the light shine,” he challenged, citing the parable, “When the fox guards the henhouse, the farmer must take charge,” to explain the necessity of people-led verification.
Should these demands be disregarded, Jumbe made it clear that the path forward would be legal action.
He signaled a readiness to take the matter to the courts, reminding MEC and the nation that “The mill of justice grinds slowly, but it grinds exceedingly fine.”
He warned that no institution should consider itself immune from scrutiny, and no citizen should feel beneath dignity.
To MEC, he sent a direct caution: “Do not mistake silence for surrender.”
“Still waters run deep,” he wrote, warning that the people’s patience should not be misinterpreted as weakness.
And when patience is exhausted, history has shown that even the seemingly immovable — the mountains of injustice — can be shifted.
To his fellow Malawians, Jumbe issued a call to remain alert and engaged: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
He urged citizens to remember that the soul of the republic depends not on institutional promises but on the enduring power of the people.
He closed with a rallying cry: let us press forward with “truth as our banner, and justice as our compass.”
In his final note, Jumbe affirmed his unwavering commitment to advocacy, concluding that his pen is mightier than a sword.
