Get Out the Vote

I am now convinced that by comparison, there is nothing very interesting, creative, or exciting about American politics, and compared to political elections in Malawi, American elections are BO-RING!   In the US over time many people become rather cynical and begin to see both the politicians and the process as all same-same. That is probably why many people choose to snooze through Election Day.

Some in the US complain that they dislike the two major candidates and  feel as if they are choosing between bad and worse.  Not having a choice is certainly not an issue here in Malawi.  When I say Malawi is a multiparty democracy, I mean multi-party. I recently read that there are 46 political parties. Most of them are extremely low budget and don't stand a chance of winning an election. Many of their presidential candidates probably would not be recognized by the majority of citizens, and practically no one could tell you the platform for most of these parties. I believe many of these contenders hope to gain enough attention and votes to find a position in the winning party after the election. 

Of all 46 parties, there are only a few well recognized, serious contenders. The ruling People's Party (PP) colors are orange and black, and their symbol is a lock and key. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) colors are blue and black, and their symbol is three ears of corn. The United Democratic Front (UDF) colors are yellow and green, and their symbol is a pair of clasped hands. The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) colors are red, black, green, and white, and their symbol is a rooster. 

Malawians only get to vote every 5 years, and virtually everyone counts that as one of their cherished rights.  So, over the past year, and increasingly over the past 6 months or so, Malawi has been buzzing with excitement about the May 20 presidential and parliamentary elections.  

Everyone is talking about it, and displays of party affiliation are everywhere. It is impossible to not notice. Unlike US politics, in which candidates count on outspending one another with billboards and TV ads and most people don't let their political views be publicly known, politics here is propelled primarily by grassroots community activism, and evidence of that is everywhere. Instead of posting yard signs, many people proudly wear their party's colors. 

Each political party prints beautiful, specially designed cloth, usually bearing the candidate's image and their party's logo. In many places, these are used as banners above major roads and intersections. They are also used as flags. Party flags are furled above little shops along rural roads and above stores in the city. Hundreds of them are now hanging from light poles and bamboo poles and  even high in trees along the roads into Zomba.  

Many tailors turn this colorful cloth into beautiful women's skirts, hats, and dresses as well as men's shirts. Along rural roads we often see throngs of women adorned in beautiful political statement clothing. Ahead of our vehicle may be a sea of party affiliated blue, yellow, orange, or some other party color, as people walk long distances to attend rallies, which are usually staged in soccer fields.  There is no need to ask how they plan to vote or even where they are going, because they are proudly wearing their political preference. In addition to all of this display of party affiliation, party teeshirts and hats are also very popular, and candidates often distribute these at these large party rallies. These events include speeches as well as much singing and dancing. 

To take their positions to the people who have no access to printed material, politicians mount huge speakers to their vehicle's roof and cover the hood as well as side and back windows with posters and party banners. Then they drive through rural communities loudly playing popular music, which, of course, attracts a crowd. 

Often, people pour out of their houses and into the road and begin to dance, following along as the vehicle moves forward.  The vehicle stops from time to time to gather a crowd, pass out fliers and make speeches.  We recently saw a candidate standing in the back of a pickup holding up a lightbulb as she moved through Zomba. Evidently, the theme of her campaign for district council is "I have the bright ideas."  

So, this Tuesday, May 20 is Election Day.  Most people take this very seriously, and they have made great efforts to be informed,  as informed as they can be.  Rural people are sometimes persuaded by promises of development: roads, electricity, water, so when rural citizens are notified that a political candidate will be in the area, within reason, they will walk there to hear them speak about these things and to get the freebies, mere trinkets, they are passing out. 

Once every five years, rural people feel as if their leaders are really interested in them, and being heard is very important to Malawians.  So, voters here don't sit out elections. In fact, voter turnout was an amazing 104% in their last presidential election in 2009.  Hmmm??? I am not sure how that compares to recent US elections.