With the Venomous Hope...
It has been a couple of months since I scribbled something on this forum as a guest. However, I have avidly followed every subsequent Friday post from the venerable landlord alias government licensed mphini-cutter. An assorted range of topics that included last week's parabolic write-up about Tv Series have been illuminating for they wisely give a moral dimension worth adhering, something only peculiar to the Chindunji program on DPP rented MBC. For the starters, the heading above should not mislead you as the basket of issues herein is as wide as it is deep. One has to be concerned about the endemic socio-economic and political problems that have crippled our beloved republic. As I am writing, I'm braving the sun, waiting to be registered for the much coveted national ID. Myriad of fellow Zombans around me are just cursing the officers who look like competing for the title of the "Slowest Working Enumerator." The centre now resemble a market place as a number of sagacious vendors are cashing in on the bellowing stomachs of those waiting. It is a torture just to be recognized as a bona fide citizen. Perhaps one can appreciate the comedic efforts of His Excellency Mr. Vincent Wandale of the United States of Mulanje and Thyolo, who alongside his sidekick, revered joker and parliamentarian Bon "Winiko" Kalindo are expected to unveil their cabinet ministers for the budding country. We cannot take them seriously of course but the underlying cause they're advancing needs to be tailored among the priorities of our government. Wandale and his accomplices want the government to reallocate land that is just lying idle under the pretense it leased to noexistent estates owners, just among many other documented grievances. These people are risking their necks just to help fellow citizens improve their lives. In principle, at some point we have to make sacrifices for others to benefit. The scorching sun is the sacrifice I am paying for wanting to be associated with Malawi. But like Wandale, one has to love his country for it is the only place we can be allowed to be very corrupt.
In the news at the moment, is the landmark ruling that the learned judges of the Supreme Court of Kenya have delivered to the extent that the presidential elections that saw incumbent president, Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of former president Jomo Kenyatta, won "with a mudslide" against veteran serial loser Raila Odinga, should be declared "null and void", and a rerun be held within 60 days. Paja "Amayi" ataluza anati tivotenso within 90 days koma iwo saima.... Now folks, this ruling cannot be replicated anywhere in Africa. We have political dynasties that are just impossible to dethrone. The likes of comrade Robert Mugabe who will rule Zimbabwe till, well, eternity, Yoweri Mu7 who has hoodwinked every Ugandan to think there's no better candidate in history or in future, ever, other than him, and former guerrilla warlord Paul Kagame, who has the birthright to be Rwandan de facto leader, are illustrations of how difficult it is for the opposition in Africa to inherit statehouses. Angola's Jose Eduardo dos Santos, famous for slaying Jonas Savimbi, has just handed the reins of power to his defense minister but even kids on the streets of Luanda know he is still ringing the bell ali pakaliyala... Those in government have the public resources at their disposal, (e.g. kunyamula anthu ku Phalombe pagalimoto za Prison kuti akapange nawo ma primaries ku Nsanje) which helps them to manipulate the result, frustrate the opposition, and even decide who wins where. Nchifukwa chake after 50+ years, commissioner of elections could cry by himself while announcing the results... (well the late Mbendera was believed to be too emotional). What I'm saying is that Kenya should be a lesson for us ahead of the 2019 Tripartite elections. It is impossible to overturn a result that has favoured the ruling party, but the laws in Kenya enabled the process to be reviewed. In Malawi, our archaic laws do not help the aggrieved party. Electoral laws need to be changed to avoid zijazi zopanga announce owina while the owls are hunting, then kulumbiritsana kusanache nkomwe. Miracles indeed do happen, we hope for that change.
The electoral fever in Nyasaland has been gathering a lot of pace in the past few months, now it looks like everyone is strategizing for 2019. We have seen defections from right and centre, new parties mashrooming, conventions, and of course Blue Nights every time Ntaba needs a special meal. Every soul nowadays want to be taken seriously even though not even their wives can vote for them. We cannot develop as a country when we have such leaders who after two years in office shift their focus back to campaigning for the next elections. Our politicians seem to only dream of how to lie to their voters instead of fulfilling their impossible promises and manifestos. Looking closely, our political system breed this myopic thinking. It is a system which is individualistic and every Jim in office will do what it takes to stay there, thus, starting campaign as early as possible puts them at a vantage position against a long list of pretenders. Here is a system that does not allow voters to check periodically, bar during elections when we boot many of them out, how those voted into power are faring. Of course they selfishly removed the Recall Provision (section 64 of the constitution) which would have given mandate to most urchins whining on the streets to vent their poverty on eMuPs. Ngati sanagule bokosi bwezi chikukhala chifukwa chowachotsera pampando. Our leaders just move across the poles of power without the risk of the toothless Section 65. We risk going circa with a system that doesn't give a political party much needed influence apart from sponsoring a candidate. Why do we have political parties when during elections we vote for individuals? a parliamentary democracy model like South African, at least cut out excesses of power abuse and mismanagement by politicians for parties themselves regulate one another from time to time. Here a leader of opposition will yell on Zodiac about things like corruption which only fell on deaf ears, we forget his message as our new priorities turn to the losses of Arsenal somewhere we will never go even by broom. No where but in Malawi can we have a ruling party operative telling a parastatal boss kuti "ndalama zapa cheke zachepa akaonjezere." Those making a lot of noise are construed as wanting chibanzi to quieten them. In 2017 September we should be hearing that the solution to persistent blackouts have been found, osati list of planned political rallies. Komabe nkhani ili apo akuti ndiwalandire bwana Sidik Mia kuchipani. Never-ending campaign rhetorics are recipes for failed leaderships. Perhaps, we should also blame the media pokolezera moto. With due respect to free access to media laws we barely enjoy, it's high time the local media sieves relevant news from granules of trash.
Kungomva some hoax arrival of beleaguered South African outspoken leader Malema and Zambian wannabe Hinchilema basi atengeka and then think that failed recycled politicians like Moses Kunkuyu flying the flag of the so-called Transformation Alliance should be front page news. Usawi, chichi? Even with the help of gravegoing Mozambican witchdoctors they cannot win ngakhale ukhansala. Lol.
Seriously, the media in Malawi is easily bend towards a false wind, that's why some of them are paid by politicians to do stories and programs. Worse than the devil is MBC whose propaganda waves are envied by Joseph Goebbels rotting alongside Hitler over seas. We should take our leaders to task and not to give them another space to keep lying to us, we campaign for entire life.
Will bow out with some comments on the Area 18 sewage water. The unfortunate plight was obviously handled badly, as expected in Malawi. It just highlight how rotten and mediocre our leadership is. Blame game that ensued between Malawi Housing Corporation, LL Water Board and LL City Council was indicative of how retroactive aDziPPani aliri. It took them weeks to set the so-called committee of inquiry, something already done by Parliamentary Committee on Health, if Zodiak is your choice of bulletins. The government under the unwise and undynamic leadership of Mapwiyha has lost touch with reality. The same was eevident after another unfortunate deaths of 8 people during the Dependency celebrations when it took them ages to institute these fashionable inquiries. Just wasting our time and taxes. Any leader worth his salt needs to be on top of tragedies when they suddenly arise. Taona Trump visiting victims of the ravaging Hurricane Harvey within hours of devastation, ngakhale a first lady akumeneko anapita kumafloodsko atavala gogoda ya 1km high heel. Let's hope timva kuti aliyense ku Area 18 apatsidwa 7 million kwacha for the damages and psychological torture they have endured. We expect some emotional help for the people so as to be able to trust the LLWB water again. Amangwetu someone should be sacked.
I will hope for another chance to write again. Have a perfect weekend.
Very nice
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