Malawians pay high price for being peaceful
It is true that Malawians are a very peaceful people. Even if they are faced with a situation which would normally call for protests, Malawians still remain calm.
It is equally true that the country and the people have not benefited much from the peace and calm. This is because the government and the entire leadership take people as being dull and having no idea about the affairs of the country. Therefore they think it is right to subject people to a torturous life of which Malawians are currently facing.
It goes without saying that any sensible leader should know that Malawians have never been and will never be daft. Those who are pumped up with power must avoid regarding people as senseless. It is on record that Malawians got rid of the colonial rule as well as dictatorship. They also have the power to get rid of any leader who has illusions that he owns the people of Malawi.
Honestly speaking, since the attainment of democracy in 1994, people of Malawi have never been in such dire straits as is the case during the Bingu wa Mutharika regime. Money is hard to come by even if people work very hard. What is more worrisome is that there is no information about what the government is doing to improve the economy. Instead the country is awash with stories of how public resources are being turned into personal fortunes.
The government seem to think that the more ignorant people are, the better for Mutharika’s rule. It is thinking along these lines that statements by both the Presidential and government spokesperson are very demeaning. They have a tone of arrogance as if whoever questions government lacks intelligence. They even deliberately forget that the same perceived dull people are the one who voted President Mutharika into power.
Meanwhile, it was unacceptable to deny Malawians information about where the President was holidaying. Treating this information as state secret just shows how far the government can go to belittle the people of Malawi.
There are countless examples which show that the government looks at the peaceful nature of the people as a weakness to capitalize on. Just imagine, it is now more than four months after the July 20 petition to the President. Yet, none of the issues have been addressed. The question is, how many people should die before government takes action?
People should borrow a leaf from Chancellor college lecturers who remained defiant until they achieved their goal. People must learn not to surrender even if the government dishes out threats. Accepting to go into dialogue as a solution to address issues raised in the July 20 petition is a form of surrender. The dialogue has proved to be unproductive and everything is back to square one.
Sooner than later this country will be completely plundered because of government’s misconception that intelligence is a monopoly of those people in power.
Lastly Malawians should stand up and say NO to suffering in PEACE.
Emily Mkamanga Email [email protected]
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