In an alarming display of miscalculated political opportunism and deliberate misinformation, self-proclaimed activist Bon Kalindo has once again caught pants down—this time, not for the truth he claims to champion, but for spreading a dangerously misleading narrative regarding the 2025 Philippine elections and the Malawi Electoral Commission’s (MEC) engagement with Smartmatic.
Kalindo has been alleging that Smartmatic, the tech company that MEC has contracted for the 2025 elections in Malawi, had failed disastrously in administering electoral technology in the Philippines — claims he insists are backed by reputable platforms such as the BBC and Google.
However, a detailed verification by iVerify Malawi exposes these statements as entirely false, baseless, and aimed solely at stoking fear and undermining trust in the electoral process. The result?
To understand the gravity of Kalindo’s misinformation, it is important to clarify a key fact: Smartmatic is not involved in the 2025 Philippine elections. Contrary to his assertions, the Philippine Commission on Elections awarded the election automation contract to Miru Systems, a South Korean firm, in partnership with local entities such as Integrated Computer Systems, St. Timothy Construction Corporation, and Centerpoint Solutions Technologies.
This information is readily available from multiple reputable sources, including:
There is no evidence, from either the BBC or Google, that Smartmatic has had any role in the current Philippine election cycle or that the company has failed in any capacity. Kalindo’s narrative, therefore, is not just incorrect — it is fabricated.
THE PANGOLIN’S TAKE ON KALINDO’S FALSEHOODS ON ELECTIONS
Bon Kalindo and other political leaders have recently been on a strategic and well-oiled campaign discrediting the electoral process leading to the September polls. The Pangolin Online carried a story exposing the opposition in this heinous scheme which has now been rolled in full swing.
However, analysts have observed that these lies over the elections is a political blunder that risks suppressing opposition turnout in September’s crucial polls.
While Kalindo and his allies may have intended to tarnish MEC’s credibility and, by extension, cast doubt on the legitimacy of the upcoming elections, the strategy proves to be a spectacular case of political self-sabotage.
Kalindo is widely viewed as aligned with the opposition particularly the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) the masterminds behind the smear campaign against MEC, and his public messaging frequently mirrors the opposition’s criticisms of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration.
However, by peddling falsehoods that question the integrity of the very process his allies depend on to return to power, he has inadvertently triggered a voter confidence crisis among the opposition’s base.
Disillusioned by claims that the election will be rigged, a belief they may now hold thanks to Kalindo’s misinformation, many opposition supporters are at risk of choosing apathy over action. In essence, Kalindo’s lie could demobilize the very voters his camp needs most.
This is not mere speculation. Political science research consistently shows that allegations of rigged elections tend to reduce turnout among those who believe the system is compromised. When these allegations are demonstrably false, the damage is twofold: trust is eroded, and credibility is lost.
Kalindo and the entire opposition’s choice to weaponize misinformation also raises broader concerns about the role of disinformation in the country’s democratic process. While robust debate and criticism of electoral bodies are healthy and necessary, deliberate lies, especially about key democratic institutions, corrode the civic fabric.
MEC, in this case, is unfairly vilified. It lawfully contracted Smartmatic, a firm with extensive experience in administering elections globally, including in countries like Belgium, Brazil, and the United States. There is no credible evidence suggesting that Smartmatic has failed in the Philippines — particularly not in 2025, when it is not even participating.
By conjoining Miru Systems’ name with Smartmatic and then spinning a narrative of technical failure, Kalindo effectively invented a controversy where none exists.
Ultimately, Kalindo’s falsehood is not just a public embarrassment for him personally — it is a strategic disaster for the opposition.
Instead of focusing their energy on mobilizing voters, articulating policy alternatives, or holding the government to account, segments of the opposition now find themselves on the defensive, entangled in a controversy of their own making. More tragically, they risk pushing their own supporters toward political disengagement, thereby weakening their electoral prospects.
If the opposition’s path to victory requires a strong turnout among a motivated base, then Kalindo’s lie is not just a misstep — it’s a bullet to their own foot.
Bon Kalindo’s disinformation campaign on Smartmatic’s involvement in the Philippine elections is a textbook case of political misinformation backfiring spectacularly. Not only was his claim completely debunked by iVerify Malawi and multiple international sources, but it has also sowed confusion and apathy among opposition supporters at a critical electoral juncture.
In a political climate where every vote counts, discrediting the electoral process without cause is not activism — it is sabotage. And in this case, the biggest losers are not the governing elites or election officials, but the very citizens and opposition supporters Kalindo claims to represent.
The truth may be less dramatic than a conspiracy, but in a democracy, it is the foundation on which real change is built. Kalindo’s lie, on the other hand, may well go down as the most self-destructive act of Malawi’s 2025 campaign season.
