Goodall’s gobede-gobede, Malawians are lazy bones and hence the poverty

I cannot agree more with one Goodall Gondwe. That flamboyant old man from the ex-corridors of the world’s most influential  economic organs. Yes, the same Goodall who walked his talk during Bakili Muluzi’s rule and braved the learned late Bingu wa Mutharika’s economic ‘ingenuity’.

I am not sure what Goodall did during Kamuzu Days if anything within Capital Hill corridors, but am only aware that after Muluzi and Mutharika ventures, he is now giving it another go in Joyce Banda’s regime.

What strikes me more, however, this guy seems not to be talking politics like his other colleagues, who at every opportunity would like to be singing praises for the JB than addressing real issues with the people and to do with their cabinet portfolios.

Unlike now-silent Uladi Mussa – the ‘village idiot’ –  who would want every cop to hear it from a live broadcast that JB was making sure they are getting new sets of raincoats, ‘because the rains have started’, Goodall has grabbed the bull by the horns.

And this is damn true, we Malawians are lazy in all spheres of life. We have one growing season in a year – so we say. Perhaps ingrained in our brains by the late  true Ngwazi, Hastings Kamuzu Banda. But then, we had a bountiful of indigenous and those other fruits aplenty. We also had a lot of water – fresh water at that, and power was no problem.Masinga column banner ha ha ha!

Goodal has said it, we can do more with the dwindling resources that we currently have. We can do more with the little we have, and that reminds me of the initiative I hear the church is talking about. The Umoja or Umodzi or CCMP concept  where communities are being empowered to identify the problems and their readily available resources to turn around their lives.

But that is at community level, and Goodal is talking at national level, where we have an abundant resource in Lake Malawi, Lake Chilwa, Lake Chiuta, Lake Mweru and Lake Malombe; and Shire River, Rukuru Rivers, and plenty more water sources laying idle before our very eyes.

We also have Mulanje Mountation, Zomba Plateau, plus many others. We have all that game reserves and national parks, and added to that we have plenty of non-habited land where full scale farming can take place. Added to the slow tourism we have, there are also other places of attraction, including sightseeing spots like the river flowing down Khwekhwelereroad mountains somewhere up there.

Up Khwekhwelere, tourism bums could enjoy viewing the lake and also the mountain ranges, sloping rivers, curios, birds and even animals of fancy. There could be an electronic cable to go up and down those cliffs to the enjoyment of many a tourist. Those Chinese like hanging bridges and who knows, Ken Lipenga could relive his tourism ministry days and perform some bungee jump on one of those escarpments! He did sky-jumping last time I can remember!

Up Khwekhwelere the Tourism ministry needs to plop up at least one great lodge of hotel so that tourists can enjoy the cool atmosphere as Malawi rakes in the dollars to beef up our external revenue.

This can similarly take shape up the Blantyre-Chikwawa mountain roads, where the Shire River could be a spot and the lower Shire valley provide a great scenery, if am not mistaken. We could do the same with the road between Rumphi and Karonga up those mountains – Chiweta, where the lake is a great view and the natural beauty outstanding.

Goodal Gondwe speaks with emphasis, and his spoken capital letters do not only remind me of the late Aleke Banda who added ‘underlines’ and ‘bolds’ to his spoken capital letters in emphasis, but also speaks logical.

Goodal is right, but as some people will join me say, can government really help turn the mindset of the lazy Malawian multitude who tells stories and jokes all day, eat and sleep endlessly, and whose only areas of prowess seem to be in political bickering, baby making, and mass demonstrating? Malawians can’t even plant flowers on their doorsteps, not even …. Damn!

It is time each one of us stood up and did something with the little we have. And again, Malawi has plenty of resources – but our minds see nothing or little of all this. Time we toed a Goodal mindset and worked those extra hours.

Get that early start, the better, and IMF and World Bank with their kick boot fellows can fast forget about us begging to eternity!

 

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