Talking Blues: President Chakwera, shame on you too
Sometimes, wrote Friedrich Nietzsche, people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.
Under the so-called Tonse Government, this behaviour is quickly becoming the norm. As I write, there are multitudes refusing to believe that the much-touted Tonse Philosophy was all a hoax despite increasing evidence.
Before I proceed, let me debunk the propaganda that just because:
• the Tonse government has failed to immediately implement the universal fertiliser subsidy it promised;
• passport fees have not been reduced as promised, and
• a million jobs in year one promise is now being tossed like a hot potato onto laps of people who promised no one a job;
the Tonse Government has failed.
I beg to differ. The Tonse Government has not failed. Not yet.
That said, some of President Lazarus Chakwera’ ill-advised decisions are creating a solid foundation for colossal failure and several indicators of impending public dissatisfaction are sending out worrisome red flashes.
Where can I start?
“No one can construct for you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross the stream of life, no one but you alone.”
These words of wisdom from Nietzsche also hold true for a leader wishing to succeed.
For Chakwera to succeed, by the end of his first hundred days, he should have – at a minimum – built a solid hierarchy of women and men capable of innovating our way to prosperity.
To deliver the ambitious Tonse promises, Chakwera needed a top-notch cabinet, sophisticated board members and parastatal CEOs that you could leave your wallet with and on return, find all the contents intact.
Today, I will not dwell on Chakwera’s cut and try cabinet again because I already dealt with that. The same applies to reports of bribe-soliciting senior Tonse ministers. Since they don’t have that much to do, why not finagle a bribe or two from contractors?
The thing is: while the higher a monkey climbs, the smaller he appears to those below; as that monkey climbs higher, the more he exposes his buttocks. The enhanced ‘buttocks’ exposure is why Tonse’s failure to ensure equitable and meritorious distribution of appointments, including a gender balance, as promised, is a serious matter.
Look here:
• Which Malawian president has had people demonstrating at the time she/he should be basking in a first 100 days victory lap?
• Answer = Chakwera.
Chakwera faced his first major nationwide protests on Friday. The demos, organised by the Women Manifesto Movement, were protesting Chakwera’s failure to fulfil the Gender Equality Act (GEA) requirement of 60:40 representation of either sex in public appointments.
While the GEA stipulates not less than 40 per cent and not more than 60 per cent of either sex in public service appointments, of the 54 filled boards, only 11, representing 20.37 per cent, comply with the law.
The NGO-GCN chairperson, Barbara Banda said,
“We want to mobilise the women’s movement to make a stand against systemic discrimination in public appointments. We … are unhappy.”
I sympathise wholeheartedly with all the people, both women and men of goodwill, feeling let down by Chakwera’s hypocrisy vis-à-vis Tonse’s stated promise to “enforce and promote the 2013 Gender Equality Act to redress the gender imbalance in the employment and appointment of women in decision-making positions.”
Even before we talk about the broken law, a promise is a credit. Hence, Malawians are not necessarily angry that Chakwera lied to them; they are disappointed that from now onwards, they cannot trust Chakwera because his promises are proving to be lies. The dude is fast becoming an excuse generating machine and a hypocrite to boot.
You know what? Rewind to 18 November 2018.
The day before, the now evicted president Peter Mutharika had just reshuffled his cabinet, and a fiery Chakwera climbed an anthill to deliver a sermon titled “Shame on you Mutharika!”
Verbatim, Chakwera’s harangue was as follows:
“Looking at Mutharika’s new cabinet, it is clear not only that Mutharika is no longer listening to good and free counsel, but also that he has no single regard for Malawians, much less the willingness to listen to their plight and undo their perils.
So, today, I direct this message to President Mutharika himself, as a last-ditch effort to get him to listen.
Mr President, this cabinet you have just created is a shameful disgrace and an unprecedented insult to all Malawians.
First of all, Mr President, your new cabinet is divisive. You have now made it clear by the lopsided regional distribution of cabinet seats that you are a tribal President, not a national one.
Besides, you clearly have no interest in appointing people on merit, leaving our nation groping in the darkness of mediocrity.
So, for the sake of all the tribes and regions of Malawi, I say shame on you.
Secondly, Mr President, your new cabinet is oppressive to our women of honour. You have proven this by appointing only three women to a cabinet of twenty in a nation that has more women than men.
This you have done even though you are supposed to be a “He for She Champion” and a Law Professor who knows that our laws require at least 40% of female representation in decision making. You are now thus a Professor of Law-breaking,” Chakwera thus pontificated, as if in Mutharika‘s shoes, he would do better.
Today, Chakwera has apparently learnt something he was unaware of when preaching to Mutharika. According to Chakwera, there are now few well-qualified women in Malawi.
Really Mr President?
Remind me, Mr President, don’t you have in your cabinet men and women, in fact, a whole family plus change, without first degrees or discernible accredited professional qualifications?
Which qualifications or merit are you now talking about?
Nietzsche was indeed right: blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders!
I hear you Blues’ Orators asking:
“Mapwiya, with this hypocrisy, what will become of us?”
Worry not, since each cloud has a silver lining, even the rank hypocrisy abundantly demonstrated by Chakwera in so short a time is a blessing: it is a timely warning that we should not expect much from him.
As for Chakwera, I have two requests:
Mr President,
1) Revisit the Note of Shame dated 18 November 2018 which you wrote as Leader of Opposition.
2) When done, ask yourself just one question: Shame on who?
The wise, said Marcus Porcius Cato, learn more from fools than fools from the wise.
By the way, now that Chakwera has realized that there aren’t many “qualified“ women around, when does he plan to apologize to Mutharika for the note of shame of November 2018?
Mr President, shame on you too.
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Good one. This is a well balanced piece of writing. Chakwera must be ashamed. Our grannies have not yet started receiving K15,000 stipend and we are not happy with chakwera the liar.
I trusted the Tonse Alliance government to give universal subsidised fertilizer and the one million jobs. I am not a political party supporter but a swinger who can vote for any party that has a good manifesto. A promise is a credit. Give me back what you promised or refund my 1 hour that I wasted voting for you.
Achawkera nyenkhwe
Chilima would have done better than chakwera
MYP mkuva government without political party.
Yes, shame on you, Maphwiya for waisting our time|
Chakwera if not careful slowly and surely will lose the people quicker than Apm did, peoples tolerance of mediocrity is thin these days.
What is done is done, no reverse gear hear. DPP is not coming back.
Chakwera, jack up and listen. Gone are the days of hand clappers. This is cancer that has started. Arrest it early enough before you get the whole leg amputated.
Shame on you too who has just come with your judgement within the 100 days, this means you are enjoying new Government with high expectations! Every Jim and JAC want the promises to be fulfilled like now now, because during the DPP Government you lost it all. Viva Tonse Alliance, Malawi ali mmanja mwa anthu uyu osati o galu, gulugunyindas!
An article, well written and thought provoking. I see only uncomfortable truths in it.Ali ndi makutu akumva,amve.Thanks Mr Columnist for your write up.You have made my day
Pepa cadet uchila
Chachikuku ndichoti dop inapita or mulumbe Chetan the Tonse Government is our flesh air.Moti tsankho limachitika lija is a thing to be praising. Chitukuko chochitika mbali imodzi.Mukunama inu we are better off now
Is the massive round about near area 18, the Mombera University Campus project, the Nkhata bay Road, Salima Fruit factory all built in Thyolo? Give Malawians a break. Shame on You!!!
Chombe tea, anyone?
Bro I disagree with your article you wrote. Im a British citizen i love Malawi my wife to be is Malawian. So write constructive articles and ideas to build the warm heart of Africa.You expect changes to come within 100 days.Have looked at the corruption and money looted by previous government officials???Economy to improve root out corruption and lure investors. Let’s put ideas to rebuild the country not just blame game. Give new government time country is not run like a house Bro.Give ideas then you criticise after your ideas are crushed. GOD BLESS THE WARM HEART OF AFRICA. WE NEED investors to come in country free from corruption.
Having a Malawi wife to be does not make u understand the politics in Malawi. This article is very good and very true as far as am concerned. In chichewa we say ” chiri kwamnzako, chigwire nyanga” Plse ask you r wife to be to translate for u. in 2018 he thought he was clever by criticizing APM, today he is now in the ring. The demonstrations he used to do are now being done for him, this is just the beginning, he will see what it means to be a President.
How is that relevant whether you are a British citizen or not. Here we are talking about the empty promises of Tonse Alliance.
I hope umamva chichewa. I want to say that ndiwe mbuzi
Writing on behalf of Malawians indeed!! Why can’t you grasp realities, or English is your second language? The writer has simply quoted a passage your miserable Chakwera once said, which apparently is exactly what he has done. He has basically shot himself in the foot. Read between the lines you idiot. You should be one of those whitemen who are unable to even write/spell their own name. No wonder you came to Malawi for greener pastures after failing to compete with the elite in your own country and thought you would find sleepy Malawians in the same class as the dude you’re defending, which unfortunately is not the case. Just shut your stinky mouth and eat whatever backward Tonse Alliance are giving you. Mate, you sulk big time.
Why are you poking your nose in our affairs? And again leave our women or else bring your sister so that we can exchange.
Respect women. There are a lot of Malawians who are losing hope in Tonse Alliance.
It appears voters have been taken as fools. Some voters are ashamed to admit that Tonse Alliance was /is just a a mere puff!
A lot of Malawians are afraid of the unknown to go on the street and demonstrate their dissatisfaction. Promises of Tonse Alliance went over the top
You call that nationwide demo！ Wonders shall never cease to happen. Anyway we know what makes you say so
I am an true MCP supporter, it also began like this with DPP, we shouldn’t underestimate the voice of a woman, we are little by little going to deeper waters.
Cairo, I am DPP supporter. But this is the reason why MCP needs people like you. Pray for your leader. He still has a chance to do better. As Malawians, we shall all benefit
Wabodza iwe, or utakhala supporter we can allow you to do just as the dpp has done to Nankhumwa foolish!
Your one of the few who go for the truth Nyawu king have overtaken the mistakes of APM,more demos are coming this one for women it was just warmup.
Couldn’t be said better than this. My problem is not the shortcomings of the president. No! I expected this because everyone is prone to failure. My problem is people, or are they people? who will go to any length to defend the president and his mistakes up to the extent of calling those who raised these issue as “cadets.” When are we going to learn?
You see anger, denial, jealous, nostalgia and what have you. However, he is doing much better than the so called Maliseche.
Nonsense, zabwino zake ziti nawenso. The electorate has no time to wait, he has to implement what he promised them. There are no excuses
Ndizimene mumapanga Ku DPP kumangotenga aziphwanu! Not Chakwera, mudya ulesi womwewo.
What a great article. Well-written, informative and interesting. Shame on you too!!!!
Shame on you too!
Muyankhula mutopa. We are better without dpp and their cadets like Bangwe 1, Ntopwa 1, Steve Maseya, Hope Chisanu, etc. Rome was not built in aday. Gender issues cannot work in Malawi. Some of these Acts are there to appease donors.
DPP was developing this country and had solid social and economic development policies inspite of having corrupt individuals, now we replaced it with empty promises and no development policies but just a feel good marketing show. Enjoy that inflation and kwacha losing value and kokoliliko state capture
I waste my time to read this nonsense
Umafuna alembe zokomera iweyo? This is not the time, Tonse Alliance and Chakwera is now the punching bag, mudziwanso
Take that Chakwera
Very good article! Lets hope the advisors do read such articles and reflect on what is happening, in the process providing timely, relevant, accurate, reliable advice to the President without fear. Also, they should do some thorough research on particular issues before the President comes on air for his usual updates. They should spend time looking in to issues, without such effort, unwarranted blatant remarks or repsonses may come back to haunt them.
Talking Blues, remind the whole nation again that politics is not for Babies
Eish now that’s what we call a genuine critique though Laz would have none of this easily. He doesn’t take criticism with civility. He would become emotional and angry with all you criticizing him. Watch out!!!
Mau.
Chakwela must be forgiven, he has never been in government or know how to run a government. He is on try and error. Unfortunately he has also failed to choose professionals to help him. May be Chilima could have tried, may be.
Kulemba kwazifukwa sikusowa….mukusonyeza kuti ndinu okwiya kwambiri kuti DPP ndi Mapwiya analuza kapena munaluza……
You sound too emotional and this makes your document so tasteless….calm down man Tonse Alliance will address your concern in 5years to come because even if the Chakwera can die today DPP has no chance to win obweraponso ndi uja mumadana nayonso kwambiri uja…komanso amadana nanunso kwambiri uja……moti akungowona kuchedwa kukhala pachiwongoleropo kuti akufinyeninso bwino….ndiye, mani slow down, calm down, mtunda udakali wautali kwambiri….mukamakwiya chonchi mufa ndi kaja kadadya Bingu kaja….mukukadziwa ndithu….ndiye a DPP muziwonelera kaye chonchi…osamakwiya chonchi…pitani mukawone adadi anu akuwothera dzuwa pamchenga ku Mangochi mvula isanayambe….DPP panonso, sitinayiwale kaya zainu…machimo onse aja!!!!
Baaapumani mani!!
Well written. Shame on you Lazalo. Kindly clear your rubble of toxic masculinity.
The Malawian presidency is cursed and so is everyone that has taken that office.