Kachaje: Have we moved at all?

Flashback, March 2012: The Public Affairs Committee (PAC) organized an All Inclusive Conference under the theme: “Time to Reclaim our Destiny: Seeking Redress to Political and Economic Challenges”. The two challenges that were a plague to Malawi were “Political” and “Economic”. At that conference, Bishop Tengatenga said some profound words; “We are here today to maintain our original vision of democracy and reclaim our destiny… things have fallen apart economically, socially and politically… Reclaim does not mean remove but take back. To reclaim does not mean to stage a coup, but to “rearrange the deranged”, Time to come up with solutions. The crisis has been discussed for far too long. Now it is time for solutions”.

It was very clear at that time that “The crisis had been discussed for far too long”. The Bishop was challenging the conference to come up with solutions to the political and economic challenges that were holding back this beautiful country from moving forward.

The Malawi Police Service however, had a conspiracy theory and the then National Police spokesperson,  Davie Chingwalu issues a strong warning through a press statement: “The police have information that the organizers (PAC) have distributed money to people to join the demonstration. The police is therefore asking members of the general public not to be tempted with money and join this illegal demonstration… the police will use necessary force if people are going to participate in the illegal demonstrations”.

Fast forward, February 2016: Just over a week ago, PAC was at it again, and held another conference under the theme: “Defining Solutions to Economic and Political Direction of Malawi”. Four years later, the theme of the conference was almost exactly the same as the theme of the 2012 conference. What does this tell us as a nation? Did we find solutions in 2012? If we did, were the solutions implemented?

Of course, the Malawi Police Service didn’t want to miss the party again. This time “they had information through a leaked WhatsApp chat that some people were planning to overthrow a democratically elected government. They swiftly arrested three of the “suspected criminals” and charged them with treason. We are told investigations are still under way, so all I can say is, bravo Malawi Police Service, you have once again saved us!

But what has really attracted my interest is this: We seem to be discussing the same challenges, political and economic. Are we making any progress as a nation? It seems that we are still in the same crisis, four years later. Maybe indeed, the crisis has been discussed for far too long. Now it is time for solutions. But what are the solutions? Or better still, do we really know the root problems to our perpetual crisis?