On Thursday, social media pages run by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) zealots lit up with wild euphoria over something quite mundane: a photograph.
Yes, just a picture, not a policy, not a rally, not even a press conference, but a still image of their ageing leader, Arthur Peter Mutharika, shaking hands with outgoing U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, Amy Diaz.
In the image, Mutharika appears to be standing with relative ease, clad in a suit and flashing what could pass for a diplomatic smile.
And that, for the DPP, was enough to declare political resurrection.
If ever there was proof that the once mighty party has sunk into a pit of delusion and desperation, this is it.
Let’s ask the obvious: Is this what the DPP has come to a party whose highlight of the month is a well-posed photo of a retired president?
Why is a picture such a momentous occasion? If Peter Mutharika is truly well, alive and kicking, fit for the rigours of a national campaign, why has he not been seen walking through a market, holding a rally, or delivering a fiery speech?
Why celebrate a man’s posture in a diplomatic corridor instead of his performance on the political frontline?
This is politics reduced to cosplay. This is reducing a statesman to a stock image
The contrast is glaring.
Just weeks ago, another image of APM surfaced, the one taken as he returned from South Africa after a long stay, reportedly for medical reasons. In that image, he appeared tired, fragile, and visibly aged. The party scrambled to bury that photo in the archives of embarrassment. No celebration. No profile picture updates. Just silence.
Now, as if to erase public memory, the DPP is parading a new image like a royal portrait. But the question is: can a man’s fitness to rule be proven by Photoshop lighting and a strong handshake?
This cult-like celebration of a still photo reveals more than the DPP wants to admit. It is proof that: the party has no clear campaign strategy, and clings to visual illusions instead; they are painfully aware of Mutharika’s deteriorating health, and are desperately trying to fool the public, and themselves, into believing otherwise; and the leadership vacuum is real—when a picture substitutes for presence, you know the centre has collapsed.
In a normal party, a photograph like this would be shared quietly as part of diplomatic courtesy. In the DPP, it is now being treated like the second coming of Mandela.
If Mutharika is as strong as they want us to believe, why hasn’t he addressed a single mass rally since his return or just a simple press briefing from the comfort of his home? Why haven’t we seen him at the forefront of the campaign, commanding stages, giving interviews, interacting with real voters?
Where is the action behind the illusion?
No public engagements. No spontaneous appearances. No campaign energy. Just filtered photos in temperature-controlled offices.
Let’s be brutally honest: if DPP’s supporters now throw confetti over a photograph, then the party is running on fumes.
Atupele Muluzi is holding rallies. Dalitso Kabambe is building alliances. Even Joyce Banda occasionally shows up in public. But APM, his entire political capital is now stored in a single image file, probably cropped and sharpened for effect.
And yet, this is the man they want to return to State House?
Mind you, a picture doesn’t speak a thousand words–it hides them
What the DPP is doing here is classic misdirection. By fixating on a carefully choreographed photo with a foreign diplomat which, by the way, was part of a farewell meeting with multiple political leaders, they are trying to steer public attention away from their real problems.
Factionalism tearing the party from within; power grabs by the so-called Ntcheu Cabal; Gangata’s public rants about funding the party alone in Central Region; Chimulirenji’s exit and explosive claims of intimidation and fraud; and a candidate who, let’s face it, may not even be fully aware he’s running.
Let’s be clear. This was not a Mutharika-exclusive moment. Amy Diaz also met Joyce Banda, Atupele Muluzi, and Dalitso Kabambe. They, too, got their handshakes. None of them staged a media carnival about it.
Here’s the chilling reality. A party that celebrates a pose instead of a policy, a snapshot instead of a strategy, is not serious about governing.
We are in 2025. The elections are two months away. The economy needs good policies. Youth employment needs good strategies. Our healthcare and education require top drawer planning. And the DPP wants us to believe that a man’s readiness to lead can be determined by the fact that he wore a clean suit and shook someone’s hand.
It’s insulting to the Malawian voter. It’s an embarrassment to democratic politics.
If DPP really wants to convince the country that Mutharika is fit and ready, put him on a podium. Let him debate. Let him take media questions. Let him walk through a village. Let him stand for three hours on stage and speak without a script.
Until then, no amount of smiles or gold-wrapped files can mask the truth.
This photo moment, no matter how it is paraded on social media, will not save the DPP from its reality. The DPP would do well to remember that Malawians don’t vote for profile pictures. They vote for presence, policy, and performance.
And on all three counts, Mutharika is missing in action.
Let the people decide, not based on photoshoots, but on substance. The campaign trail awaits. And the silence of APM speaks louder than any flashbulb ever could.
