UN report right: No reason for happiness in Malawi
The 2018 United Nations world happiness report has shown that Malawi is one of the countries with the least happy people. This is mostly due to having visionless leaders. Hence it is very rare that one can come across a positive rating, which puts Malawi ahead of other African countries. With all the negative ratings supported by the real situation on the ground proves that there is no way Malawians can be a happy people.
As it were, the Minister of Information who is also a government spokesperson Nicholas Dausi, has rejected the UN report on happiness. This might be the opinion of the Peter Mutharika government. But what is obvious in this country is that nothing much comes out to make one happy. Probably, the Minister rejected the UN happiness report because as a Cabinet minister, and others in the corridors of power and influence, are always in the comfort zone. They have money and properties.
Their children go to good schools and colleges abroad. After graduating, they go into lucrative jobs in the country. At the moment, the country is grappling with the problem of electricity loadshedding. This has negatively affected businesses, some of which are now history. People have lost jobs and joined the already flooded streets of job-seekers. Those in power and the elite can afford personal generators. To such people, load shedding is not a problem at all. This is likely the reason the President and his government do not bother to come up with permanent solution by connecting Malawi to power grids which are reliable such as DRC, Zambia and others.
What is stated above are some of the luxuries enjoyed by the leadership and other influential people who account for 10 percent, or so, of the Malawi population. These are the people who are perpetually happy. The rest of Malawians are loaded up with problems and have no reason to show any happiness. How can they be happy when their children learn under trees, where it is a foregone conclusion that when it rains there are no classes. University and college graduates can hardly get jobs, instead the Head of State advises them to be self-employed. With such a statement from the leadership, it is a clear admission that the Mutharika government has failed to create jobs. With no starting capital, it makes no sense to advise one to be self-employed.
The other sad things in Malawi are the health services. Some government hospitals perpetually have no medicines. If one needs treatment abroad, they can remain on the waiting list till death, before government provides help and give a go-ahead. One other problem in this country is lack of security. The security system is so porous that tricksters are roaming the streets that even Cabinet ministers and other leaders have been duped in broadday light, and losing lots of money. The problems stated above are a tip of the iceberg.
Experience has shown that the Mutharika government might take all the suffering that Malawians are going through as an exaggeration. This can be naturally so because all the leaders are in a comfort zone and, therefore, they find it difficult to have empathy for the poor majority.
With due respect, and honestly speaking, Malawians have never before suffered as they are doing at the moment.
In conclusion, there is no reason for people of Malawi to be happy with all the hardships narrated in this article and many more out there. Therefore the UN report which says that Malawi is the least happy country has hit the nail on the h
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Goerge Orwell said: “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims… but accomplices”. It is sad the same old politicians are in power and mostly is due to ignorance of the people voting them or allowing them to stay there. If the masses will truly understand their power, things would be different.
M’manja mooooooo!!! Well articulated.
It is very unfortunate somebody called minister of information kumapanga kumatsutsa report ya UN chifukwa iwowo akusangalala, kumadya bwino kuamayendera magalimoto abwino anaawo kumapita ku xool za bwino pamene ena mmidzimu akusowa even 90 kwacha yoti agulile soap wa nima kut asambile, akusowa fees yot amulipilile mwana wawo ku CDSS, akusowa yot agulile chakudya chabwino komanso nyumba akukhala zosalongosoka…. MIND YOU a dausi muzikhala ngat munthu wanzeru osamangotsutsa zilizonse.
What is wrong with the statement of head of state by telling graduates to be entrepreneurs? Emily that kind of reasoning is wrong and backward thinking. The feeling we have that our graduates should always be employed is wrong.
People who rely on politicians for their happiness like you Emily are really likely to be very sad and frustrated.
I am a Malawian, i work with my hands, i got family and i am happy more than the person who was writing that report and you Emily…
Malawi GDP, Per Capita Income, Life Expectancy, Quality of Health Index, Quality of School Index, Corruption Index, Ease of Doing Business are all pointing in the wrong direction. Malawi is rated as the poorest country in the world. These measurements or ratings are not subjective but based on stats/data therefore very objective. Honourable Nicholas Dausi can argue that happiness is subjective but at the end of the day Malawi is poor in all faculties. Focus on taking Malawi out of its poverty as opposed to disputing reports.
DPP is happy, and since Dausi and friends in DPP are happy he is right to refute because DPP followers are Malawians. However The only reason why DPP and Dausi are happy is because Malawians are suffering!
Anthu a DPP makamaka cabinet ndi oyipa mu zonseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
African leaders, especially Malawi knows that telling the citizens the truth would be shooting themselves on the foot. In Malawi leadership is not about leading or loving or caring about people, it’s all about making money. This so-called leaders of ours are the most travelled people who roam all over the world on our taxes and see the meaning of the word “development ” and the living conditions of people in those countries but due their inhumane, dishonesty, disregard, disrespect, selfishness and taking all of us for fools; they stand on the podium with their eyes open and tell us… Read more »
Malawi is such a sorry state at the moment. Listening to the Minister’s response made me realise that these so called leaders don’t care about Malawians. He seemed so bemused by the report to an extent of raising a ridiculous question towards the report. According to him the report is not accurate coz Malawians are happy since there’s no war in the country. That’s the only only government’s measure for our livelihood. What the minister should know is that all Malawians are not surprised with the findings of the report. As a matter of fact, we would’ve all been shocked… Read more »
Oh please! what is happiness? There are so many happy people in Malawi than there are in some of the rich countries where people are over-burdened by personal debt and depression.
Malawi will be better onse odzikonda okha akasiya kulamula, pepa sindinatchole nkhwani ndangodutsamo.