Dzuka Malawi: How many should die, get hacked to gut us moving

The story of John Chione, a 31 year-old-Malawian man who dropped out of college due to real poverty nobody in the University of Malawi nor that Chris Chisoni club which dishes out loans could verify and asses. Chione is a hardworking and spirited young man. The University Managers who are allergic to poverty, did not give a damn- they even refused him to write examinations. For God’s sake, why not allow him complete the year and withhold results?

Chione decided to do what majority of Malawians of this generation will not do. He went to become a security guard. He tried hard. His father is an old man, his brother is dumb and cant walk. This is man in misery, deep in Malawi poverty, a reflection of our society, energetic young men and women sent into despair. Sent to their doom and death by failing leadership and systems.

It had to take some desperate young people turned into thugs. Yes, we have many criminals now again out of despair. These thugs decided to hack the poor hardworking Chione. A reporter from the Nation came along and suddenly we have Christians, a Bank and hordes of people trying to make life easier for Chione. May God Bless those that extend the giving hand, may they not wait for people to be moved and react.

Today, I am proud of Chione. He is a hero in my eyes, an inspiration to the majority poor. When the going gets tough, keep walking, one day you will get hacked- oops I mean you will make it in this life.

But while the story of Chione is rare and heart rendering, there is story of people fighting to steal more public resources, banks and mobile companies thieving from the poor and vendors trying to milk poor farmers of their produce and Auction Floors literally stealing from our tobacco farmers.

In Malawi, our poverty is entrenched by greed. Our poor leadership and lack of personal responsibility is just unbelievable.

Lets start with personal responsibility. I have always said the most thriving businesses in Malawi are pubs and rest houses and hotels. We spend billions of kwachas drinking from kachaso, masacheti to imported whiskies. Beer makers- individual or companies are the richest.

Look at cashagtors and their cronies, the spent all the MWK60 billion on booze, cars and women. Less than 100 houses were built with the looted MWK60 billion when MHC could build flats with MWK500 million. Its shows how shallow our brains are. We hear of stories of cashgators that bought alcohol of the whole club.

Lets look at our thieving politicians. Those that were rich and powerful during Kamuzu Banda’s period are now wallowing in poverty, the same those under Bakili Muluzi and those under Late Bingu (Who have failed to do a return of mack) and those under Joyce Banda.

The infighting in the ruling DPP has little to do with helping Malawians, rather its about the power and kickbacks they want to receive by being next to power. Already new conglomerates are being mentioned forgetting we had recently Atupele Properties that is almost defunct after selling Keza and Lornho buildings, we no longer hear of the Bineth Trust nor the Joyce Banda Foundation.

Just like Chitukuko Chamayi Mmalawi, Freedom Foundation, Bakili Muluzi Institute of Transformation, Bingu Silver Grey and Bineth Trust have disappeared, should we live to see the DPP out of power, I can bet my middle finger that the exit of the party in power, will mean the exit of many more companies.

But the country never learns. We drink and live like everything is normal. We produce our cheques when people like Chione hacked, but we refuse to move on as a nation to start tackling our poverty in realistic terms.

Look at our politicians- in parliament they all agree to raise their salaries and get more loans, when students like Chione cant be given a single dime or push to become another mechanical engineer the country desperately needs

We are pathetic. Being in the ruling party many think its their right to eat and plunder money. Very few have the hearts to make a difference. You hear heart wrenching stories of corruption, CEOs supporting each other or hacking each other over deals.

Government supply services are riddled with corruption. All deals depend on who is where and what is the cut. Look at the Road traffic deal, nobody sees nothing wrong, because their pockets are deep in their pants. Look at Roads Authority, Malawi Revenue Authority, MERA, MACRA, Embassies and look at Capital Hill itself.

There is too much despair and very little hope among the plebians. Forming parties like Moses Kunkuyu and the other guy where Makangala and company are does not solve problems. Firing Felix Jumbe or Jessie Kabwila or creating cosmetic Ministries for appeasement shows how shallow our political leadership is.

We need a revolution that the hacking of Chione should inspire. A revolution that creates opportunities for all. A revolution that will wake up my country and start addressing real issues of the poor. We cant always wait for someone’s pain to move us. We should be pained by the sheer poverty, blackouts, lack of jobs, too much sex and drinking going around by desperate people created by our desperate conditions. We should take personal responsibility and our politicians too, show stop taking Malawi as a personal project. It belongs to all of us.

Nyasa Times 10^th anniversary

I am still sulking over the dinner Nyasa Times had in Leeds, UK on 27th August, 2016. Let the Editors be told that Nyasa Times serves Malawi and we expect another party in Malawi to celebrate this important milestone.

Yes 10 years of breaking barriers of secrecy that Malawi is known for. 10 years of pioneering online media for a country where people fear to speak the truth. If Nyasa Times will be remembered for the future generations, it would be entrenching freedom of speech, creating spaces and platforms for anyone to express themselves.

The biggest pointer of an independent publication is when you see authorities fighting it. Nyasa Times has fought all our political establishments. The journey might have not been smooth, but we wish Nyasa Times a hundred more years of fearless and courageous Journalism- entrenching everyones birth rights of freedom of expression!

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