Malawi ndi Anthu Ache

It is yet another wonderful Friday and once again we get to be treated with an article. I must admit that I did not want to write today as I just felt lazy. I however changed my mind when one needy human sent me a message that she will need the article sent to her as a word document or portable document format (PDF, for some of you who didn’t know what that stands for). That made me have some guilt over the sin of abandoning the those who anticipate a read on a Friday.

Picking a topic I could zoom in this week hasn’t been an easy thing. As most of you must have observed, Richie Online is much of a fault finder and most of the articles are developed out of the blunders that people make. In this week however, no one stepped on the wrong toes enough to fill the prescribed two A4 pages of Richie Online. The week, however, provided a lot of news worth fitting into an article.

The past week saw a couple of videos of the leader of the warm heart of Africa go viral on the social networks especially on my favorite WhatsApp. The first one was the comparison in the statements between the late Prof Bingu wa Mutharika and his brother, the current leader on the developmental outputs of the Malawi Congress Party led government. While one (sititchula kuti ndani) praised the MCP led government for its contributions to national development, the other boldly said that the same regime did nothing for the country in the same period. That was probably just politics. It is, however the second video that caught my attention.

In the other video, el presidente was speaking at a rally against the killings of people with albinism. In his speech, he mentioned how his government through the Malawi Police Service was working hard to ensure that the killings of people with albinism were brought to an end. Forget the chiboda word, but I found that speech not so useful considering the duration for which we have been singing this song of stopping killings of our brothers and sisters with albinism. I have no idea of how to run government but I am pretty sure that I am not being unfair on anyone if I say that the government and the citizenry are not doing enough to curb these killings. Some have gone overboard and said that the reason these brutal killings have not been controlled is that some senior government officials know something about these operations. While I do not think that such is the case, I would not blame a person for harboring such thoughts. We have been told that there was a commission of sorts that was instituted to protect our brothers and sisters. Some people are probably on a salary for that job and all they will be doing is to come out when another killing has happened, telling us how they will intensify their operation of protecting those living with albinism. That is simply unbearable.

While most people think that this issue only affects those living with albinism and their families, this issue goes beyond our borders ad it affects the way people our nation with negative effects. I wonder as to why people entertain the thought of someone getting rich from rituals from parts of a fellow human and I wonder how people find peace enjoying monies realized from vending the same. Umunthu ndi Umulungu udzititsuta nthawi inayake.

Despite the evils of the killings of people with albinism, there hasn’t been much of a strong voice to condemn the same. I have not heard much from the (in)famous civil society organizations and there is deafening silence from the members of the clergy who in my view were supposed to be shouting in a loud and collective voice against such barbaric acts. Instead, we in our churches are busy with political posturing, exorcising members in the most unusual of ways or preaching the gospel of prosperity. Where is that humanitarian role of the church? Your answer is as good as mine.

Despite the ongoing countdown to the elections, there isn’t much of a voice against the killings of people with albinism from the people who are aspiring for the position of the country’s CEO. Instead, people are busy discussing retirement packages, causing commotions and arresting each other on political grounds. News has it that some politically motivated arrests were made at some point. Whether that is true or not is subject to debate, but the response from the members of the rival party left a lot to be desired. Result? More arrests. More often than not, I wish we all could practice issue-based and objective politics. As people who walk, talk, eat and dream politics, we cannot afford to be practicing politics of mudslinging and intimidation. Tidzitolere. We need to get our priorities straight as a nation.

While we are still on politics, the week saw the country’s electoral body release names of the presidential aspirants who had collected their nomination forms. On top of the usual APM, SKC, JB, Abusa and mwana wa Atcheya, Chris Daza and Cassim Chilumpha also collected their papers. Completing the 13-human list were some unusual names like  Mr Henry Jailos Mbewe, Mr Smart Swira, Mr Peter Kuwani, Mr Chimbuna Belekiah and Ras Chikomeni David Chirwa. While I know that the well read members of the Richie Online community may know these people very well, I had hardly heard any of these names before MEC released them for us to know who is throwing their hat in the ring. Missing from the list was the name of my wonderful teacher in medical school, Prof John Chisi. Looking at the list, I cannot help but believe that most of these are having a go at the elections with clear foreknowledge that they are not going to be anywhere near victory. That, to me brings questions as to what people really aim for when they join these presidential races. I am yet to find out the reason, but I am pretty sure that it has something to do with financial gains at the very end of it all.

There was a clip of a collapsing bridge in Lilongwe that went around groups and WhatsApp status posts. I am told that this was a 4 month old bridge that had been recently built as part of the widespread development that is taking place in the country. Looking at the way it was swept away, one could easily note that the bridge was built using substandard materials and techniques. Engineers, consultants and the people involved in procurement owe the nation an explanation.

Rather informally, one good doctor theorized that this was all due to people who review the bids for such contracts, who in agreement with construction companies and inflate the bids so that they can get money from the contractors as reward for giving them the contracts. In a bid to make their ends meet, the companies use substandard materials and techniques and the result is substandard work that does not live to the expected life span. Nanga mlatho mpaka kukokoloka patangotha miyezi inayi? Again, Umunthu ndi Umulungu udzititsutsa.

Looking at the politicians who are in a race to the state house and their silence on issues that matter, the people involved in our development projects and those who are killing our brothers and sisters with albinism, I am inclined to think that we have this trait of selfishness that needs addressing. People are willing to take a life for a few thousand kwachas more in their account and others are willing to make their pockets fat at the expense of the entire nation. One would smell the hypocrisy that comes with the assertion that Malawi is a God-fearing nation when we consider the day to day wrongs that we have now come to consider usual. I am not too sure of what it will take to sort this nation out but it begins with all of us. Perhaps if we were all individually willing to rise above our own interests and for a second thought about the needs of our fellow countrymen… Perhaps we could get a step closer to prosperity as a nation.

Wishing you a lovely weekend as you ponder on who to vote for on  the array of candidates that spans from the incumbent Prof Mutharika to Ras Chikomeni. That, is worth your thought.