‘Backbencher’ goes to town on ‘lie about generators’ and Malawi exploitation
A newspaper column has hit at the Peter Mutharika administration over rlling power cuts that have hit homes and businesses across the country in the just ending year, saying 25-hour electricity load-shedding is a new reality that made 2017 conspicuous.
Writting in the Weekend Nation , a columnist that goes by the name of ‘Backbencher’, says the electricity crisis has never been this bad in Malawi ever since the nation became an independent sovereign State in 1964.
The columnist argue that despite the Mutharika government giving hope for “respite in 2018”, his administration has a reputation “for flying kites in our faces. They just might be taking us for fools.”
He writes: “Already they have pulled a fast one on generators meant to add 50 megawatts (MW) to the national grid. They were to be here this month, where are they?”
Backbencher says “the lie about generators as a short-term solution to power crisis” started either in the first or second quarter of the year. Ministers, technocrats and even President Peter Mutharika himself “all pretended to care a about our plight.”
In the column’s review of 2017, Backbencher also tackled the issue of food security.
The writer argues that Mutharika’s administration “ exaggerated the magnitude of hunger of the yesteryear”, claiming that nearly half the population was so badly hit by a combination of floods and drought that they needed food relief.
“Donors came in with massive support. Corrupt folks in government capitalised on the frenzy, flouting laid down procurement procedures on the pretext of fast tracking the procurement of the much needed maize in order to save life.
“In the end, there was so much maize on the market that farmers had no choice but to sell their surplus for this year at below production costs,” reads the column in part.
The article says while the small farmer was crying over the exploitation, government was all smiles because, thanks to the abundance of maize, inflation has been brought to single digit and in its” Machiavellian reason, the end justifies the means.”
On whether 2018 will be any different, the columnist say “No!”.
Reads the columnist argument: “Exploitation is the reason why the poor are getting poorer when the rich few are getting richer. Exploitation is also the reason why our leaders are enjoying expensive lives at the expense of a nation ranked the poorest by GDP per capita.
“Exploitation is also the reason why our human development index (HDI) rating is among the lowest in the world. The rich politicians are oblivious to the fact that more and more Malawians are tripping into the cycle of abject poverty.”
For Malawi to get out of this mess, the columnist says Malawi leaders must know that “stepping on our toes is crossing the red line and we’ll meet on the street. Our Constitution allows it.”
In conclusion, the column calls for prayers lfor Public Affairs Committee (PAC) “before it’s leaders are all bought with lucrative positions in parastatal boards.”
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