There is no doubt that the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has risen to prominence in recent years, particularly years leading to the exit from power of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government due to its role of leading mass protests against the DPP excesses.

Over the weekend HRDC has issued a press release where they raised a number of social-economic issues the country is facing. However, if the truth is to be told, there is nothing the HRDC is saying that other bodies such as the Episcopal Conference of Malawi has not said.

Perhaps from the onset I must draw parallels to the way the HRDC and the Episcopal Conference of Malawi deal with issues of national interest. It is only this month that President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera acknowledged the role the Catholic Bishops plays in this country including speaking the truth to power.

Although the Pastoral Letters are brutal sometimes, the Catholics rarely agitate for regime change. HRDC on the other hand always makes careless remarks, calling for an early election with the intention of changing the regime.

In the press release the HRDC has proposed for an early election should government fail to address some of the problems they raised.

While HRDC may have every right to query government on some issues that need urgent attention, calling for an early election is not the answer to the prevailing problems.

Again, by calling for an early election what the HRDC is suggesting is that there should a regime change as stated in my opening. But in agitating for the regime change where are they placing the Malawi Congress Party and President Chakwera? As someone has rightly observed, what will happen if MCP and Chakwera win the proposed early election again?

In any case, looking at the current political landscape, its only MCP and Chakwera who are assured of victory any day. If anything, DPP is not a better alternative and HDRDC should know better that Malawi is in this mess largely because of the way DPP presided over the affairs of this country. President Chakwera inherited a broken economy.

By the way, HRDC must not get twisted, even their demonsrations enjoyed massive patronage particularly after it came apparent that there was systematic fraud in the 2019 elections, that is beside the fact that Malawians were fed up with the DPP.

Things may not be good in the country but the country is better off now compared to how things were under DPP and I do not believe people are that desperate to bring back the DPP.