Dzuka Malawi: Jeff wa Jeff, Kamlepo and the Dead North

The dead north, as Welesnkey, Kamuzu Banda, George Chaponda and now Jeff wa Jeffrey calls it, still remains dead. Imagine, only in 2014, there was massive celebration of its first traffic lights. The Reserve Bank only opened in 2015 and its major infrastructure over the past 20 years has been conversion of a Teachers Training College into a University and a Taiwanese donated Central Hospital.

The mortuary at Rumphi has been dead for years, at Karonga, Chitipa and Mzimba hospitals they normally have one old ambulance covering many health facilities. The bridge on M1 keeps being washed away, yes the same M1 with proud Kamuzu and other strong bridges in other areas.

A whole President accused Northerners of cheating at “Mzuzu corner” rendering credentials of most northerners “suspicious.” Of course Jeff wa Jeffrey will get away with her remarks, she is not from the North and behind the curtains most of our political class agree with her, encourage her and wanted her to say more.

Compare the unfortunate Khumbo Kachali and his “pakhomo pa nyoko theory” the poor man was made to apologise not twice, but thrice. Imagine the poor Henry Chibwana who suggested “one party” and was forced to resign and forgo his ambition even as MP in Bwanje, Ntcheu.

In short any sin committed against Northerner is acceptable in Malawi. During Kamuzu Banda’s period they had to change their surnames, home address and even marry somewhere just to be accepted for an opportunity in the University of Malawi. Today, quota system is accepted, not meritorious award because we are afraid of Northerners taking over.

You wonder why Malawi is poor. Instead of promoting the best, we accept poor standards, poor grades and push them to the national front, as long as they belong to our tribe, family or district. The cost of this, you have many who feel entitled to do what they want and fail Malawians.

The standards of Malawi continue to plummet because for me to get a job I need to be a praise singer and boot licker and never worry about ethics and performance. Today, we have people that are delivering being sacked or contracts terminated, just because they come from Northern region.

Within the Government, there has been one exception. The First Lady Dr. Getrude Mutharika. I have read more than once her engagements, which she normally schedules and she has been one highly visible visitor to the “dead north” than any other senior politician.

With the firing of people like Patricia Kaliati who could truly travel across the country and loved by all without looking at tribe, the ruling party is now left with a Secretary General who was put in because someone within the party wants to become President Mutharika running mate and she is a political novice.

Going towards elections with a possibility of a 50 plus one vote, DPP might want to rethink about Jeff wa Jeffrey. She has fought Kaliati, swore at Journalists from Nkhotakota Community, insulted a whole region and engaged in bitter fights with some MP’s and denied others access to party materials. The party which won with 36 percent during the last election, could make a summersault if it keeps people like Jeff wa Jeffrey who every time they open their mouths makes the DPP look more arrogant, tribalistic and isolated.

The internal fight of the DPP has already seen the  near political deaths of George Chaponda, Patricia Kaliati, Ben Phiri, Bright Malopa, Dr. Jean Nachika Kalirani, Dr. Soulosi Chilima and now we can add a whole region thanks to Jeff wa Jeffrey. All these were the front line and on the side of President Mutharika at the beginning. APM might need to seriously reflect where he is getting political advice and look at their intentions.  It might not be too late to let Jeff wa Jeffrey become regional governor for the Lake Shore where she can make an impact, not, definitely not a national face of a ruling party.

For death north, let them keep crying. They do really fight each other a lot. Duntu Kachali was fired by the under hand of the now holy man Harry Mkandawire and Christopher Mzomera Ngwira. These two supported by Enoch Chihana, Frank Mwenefumbo and others fought hard to remove their fellow northerner from being running mate and succeeded. The same is true for many fallen northerners since Banda’s period, that’s why I rarely shed no tear for them. Aleke Banda arrested Manoah Chirwa, Kanyama Chiume composed “zonse zimene nza Kamuzu Banda” and of course as recent as 2002 Khwauli Msiska and Chakufwa Chihana were the faces of Bakili Muluzi’s third term. Useless.

Finally, another northern giant Kamlepo Kalua was in the news recently. Kamlepo, the one who makes noise all the time is one corrupt politician Malawi can do without. Up to now he fails to produce documentation for his cars, stages the most comical abduction and then selectively remembers only a few things from his kidnapping.

Kamlepo is a key member of a certain religious grouping and his “sins” among the congregation are well documented. I would have asked him to resign if he had any morals. But as we all know our politicians have no moral vocabulary and as a “dead nation” Malawians we are, we will keep paying them with our taxes.

Dzuka Malawi, is now in agreement with ReBoot Malawi- a new initiative coming in 2019 to change the political landscape. Get ready, wake up and ReBoot Malawi, lets end the years of self-inflicted misery and wake up. Dzuka Malawi Dzuka! Dzuka dead north Dzuka!  It is time to ReBoot Malawi!