Malawi burning with frustration and resentment: Living in the dark ages —Idriss Ali Nassah

My first blackout, on my very first day back home on vacation early December, lasted all of an interrupted 19 hours.A recent report on electricity access in Africa stated that Malawi has 14 million of its people living without electricity. For those lucky few with access, supply is not guaranteed—even if one is ready and willing to pay for it—or, as it is with the pre-paid system, one has already paid.

Our nation, literally and figuratively, is living in the dark ages.

Someone will have to use a biggercalculator than mine to find the total cost of thisthe erratic power supply, but to small businesses it is devastating. Easy G, a young man who makes an honest living out of cutting hair from his roadside barbershop in Blantyre’sChitawira is all but grounded, as are so many others, because there is no supply of electricity with which to work.

The cost of doing business for medium to large-scale enterprises has significantly gone up because big diesel-fueled generators don’t run cheap. As a result, everythingcosts much more than when I was last here, just six months ago. In some cases, it’s twice as much.

Already, companies are constantly evaluating if its worth the pain to continue doing business here and the prognosis is not good. Its simple really; if doing business in Malawi isn’t cheaper and better than doing business in Mozambique, for example, then companies will go to Mozambique.

In the face of this, it was amusing to listen to President Peter Mutharikadeliver his end of year message and declare that in 2016 “Malawi became an attractive destination for investment”. Either the president is a hapless optimist, or is hopelessly misinformed. Either way, it’s sad to see. While the president was saying this, the newspapers had been running series of stories of people in Mutharika’s cabinet and in parastatals who are ravaged by terminal kleptomania and cannot help themselves but steal from public coffers. To this day the pillage continues, and the president hasn’t been bothered to fire anyone in anger.

“What can we do?”

For starters, we should not tire of demanding better from those weemployed to get this nation working again and, should they not listen and change,we must exercise our authority by ditching them at the next election.

For far too long Malawians have been taken for granted, their votes stolen by a shameless, special breed of politicians who only pretend to be interested in the poor during election time.

I do not know of any other nation on this continent, independent for over 50 years, never been at protracted war with itself or others, a country blessed with admirable natural resource capital, yet doing as badly as Malawi is. No, we aren’t cursed; that’s a lame excuse I hear far too often to excuseour ineptitude and the erosion of national consciousness at the altar of political expediency.

We complain too much yet we are too nice to our tormentors. We are the world’s poorest country when we shouldn’t, but we don’t struggle with it because we have found comfort in our deprivation. We are gullible and we worship lying politicians when we should be more dismissive of them, assertive with them and demanding more from them.

Peter Mutharika has been president for close to three years now but I doubt if he knows his priority areas, the business plan for each and the turn-around strategy for our vital sectors—from energy to agriculture, from manufacturing to emerging businesses, from health to education.

What infuriates about Malawi, far more than the debilitating frustration of living with everyday challenges, is the realization that we are doomed for a generation because nobody is planning for the next generation.

In the energy sector alone Ethiopia had our problems, and more, but started on the construction of a mega dam some 16 years ago. Now nearing completion, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will generate 6,000 megawatts, and will be the largest hydro-electrical power plant in Africa and the 11th largest in the world.

Rwanda, we all know, faced far worse but look at it now? Tanzania, across our borders, is on an upward trajectory. Within one year of President John Magufuli in office 1423 industries were opened, including a $120 million fruit-processing factory. Some African countries are on the rise, whilst ours is a race to the bottom.

President Peter Mutharika is well aware of the grand corruption of his ministers and cronies. Yet to deal with that, he will close his eyes and hope the public outrage goes away. That is his management style on most of Malawi’s problems: ignore them, pretend they don’t exist and maybe they will disappear.

But there is a big problem. The mood of the people is not good. There is pessimism all over the place and everyone is worried about the future of a country that doesn’t seem to have a government with a single purpose in mind and a leadership with the resolve to fix things. My guess is that eventually—might be soon—something will snap. You can only contain a frustrated people for so long.

People read about the endless cases of corruption in high places, they see their leadership swanning around in fancy custom-made , bullet-proof, luxury Lexus vehicles and they know that only the few favoured and their cronies are splitting the country’s spoils among themselves, while the rest feed off falling crumbs.

Personally I am amazed that the people have remained calm thus far. Talk to everyday folk and you will soon realize that Malawi is burning with frustration and resentment.

Something is going to have to give.

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Jelbin mk
Jelbin mk
7 years ago

I can’t get what Mr Chikopa is trying to say, maybe someone can help me understand it or maybe my vocabulary conrent is too low. The guy contradicts himself left and right you can hardly get what he is trying to say. Tanzania is succeeding because there is sound leadership so is Rwanda. If a $120 mil company moves into your country your country start benefiting immediately even before the investors themselves get their return. For all machinary to come to your country they have to be customed at a border post. Citizens will get employed and get taxed at… Read more »

pixy
pixy
7 years ago

A Malawi mpakana liti tikungoyang’ana zinthu zikuonongeka?Popanda woyambitsa.Whatis required are tools.

Peter Chimangeni
Peter Chimangeni
7 years ago

a Malawi tonsefe tili ndi vuto kunena chilungamo. Ma Company anthu safuna kuyang’ana kutsogolo (investment plan). mmalo moganiza zaka 5 kapena 10 popanga zinthu tiziganiza zaka 50 kapena 100 kutsogolo. Tikanakhala kuti timaganiza kutsogolo bwenzi magetsi, misewu, nkhani za skool za zipitala ndi zina zotelo zisali vuto. Apa blame game siyitithandiza, tonsefe ndife mbuzi ndithu. 23 hours a day tili pa facebook kapena pa internet kukomenta za ndale mmalo mokuti tiziganiza kuti tingapange chani chotukula moyo wathu angakhale chitakhala chochepa koma chochepa chomwecho nchimene chimapititsa zinthu patsogolo. kumanyumba kwathu bambo akangomwalira pakhomo, mkazi ndi ana kukhala pa umphawi chifukwa bambo… Read more »

Jijo
Jijo
7 years ago

The biggest political challenge in Malawi is that we don’t elect our presidents on merit. Peter Mutharika was elected by a paltry 36 percent of the vote, largely comprising of his Lomwe tribesmen and a few others from elsewhere. We need to change our electoral laws to encourage presidential candidates to get out of their tribal and regional zones and campaign for votes in other regions of the country.

Henry
Henry
7 years ago

PEOPLE .. THE WORST IS YET TO COME..

MALAWIANS WILL SUFFER!..

INVESTORS ARE AFRAID OF THIS COUNTRY.. NO! Not because of the deep rooted jealousy in the culture LOL
Much Much Much more….

chikopa
chikopa
7 years ago

Let me start as follows, Malawi will not develop if we heap all our problems on politicians and especially the president. You should ask yourself what you can do to make Malawi better. Look, Brian Banda was at state house during Amayi and completely forgot the sorrows of Malawi and he has started biting thinking a yellow bun perhaps is on its way. Mr Idrissa you have been talking too much but I have not heard or seen any solution you have offered. That is scary. Now regarding ESCOM, it is a cash cow for politicians as it has embarked… Read more »

Voice of Reason
Voice of Reason
7 years ago
Reply to  chikopa

This is a stupid comment! So you think it will be individual Malawians that will build public infrastructure like roads, power plants and fix the interest rates? You think it is me and you who will bring order in parastatals like ADMARC, Macra to stop wasting public resources? Malawians are as hardworking as their counterparts in Rwanda or USA. The difference is poor governance and like of general strategy for the country. Idriss gave an example of the young hardworking barber whose life has ground to a halt because he can’t work without electricity. I know families that have invested… Read more »

chikopa
chikopa
7 years ago

There appears to be no reasonableness in your comment because you have low IQ and Pea Brain. Who made politicians less accountable? Who said we will vote for “Uyo Wakubayo – The Six Pounds Thief?” Who said Kamuzu amaletsa anthu kumanga pa phiri? Now you claim to be rich by working hard in your employment. Kkkk I can challenge only business people and cashgaters are rich people in Malawi otherwise you meeting your needs. Look for ex-executives in Malawii in the Banking Sector, Insurance, Energy and Water and tell me who is rich based on accumulation of personal wealth truthfully?… Read more »

Mmalawi weniweni
Mmalawi weniweni
7 years ago

Indeed something will have to give. Well written Idris.

namasina
namasina
7 years ago

A Malawi ndi amantha.There is nothing they ca n do.They can complain but that is as far as it goes and the next thing, sadly,is that the very same people without water,electricity and food wil go and clapp hands for the so called president! How stupid is that? Carry on suffering1

zudi mzee
7 years ago

Please, Chakwera is the only hope Malawians are waitng for. Amalawi how long are we going to cry. Let’s remove these thieves they are torturing us. This government and its leadership have completely failed as evidenced by these endless problems. Should we continue having them beyond 2019? No no enough is enough Chakwera has promised to make Malawi great again.He’s our hope.

Pida
Pida
7 years ago
Reply to  zudi mzee

Chakwera we are banking on you please,rescue us.

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