Escom is stabbing DPP in the back
Over the past few weeks, Word on the Street has been concerned with talk of decaying public service provision especially from taxpayer-funded parastatal institutions. It seems the voices in the street are getting louder each passing day. An avid reader Lyton Vasulu wrote me this week about some monkey business at the power utility firm Escom, which he is not happy about. I have no choice but to step aside for him to rant, here is his letter:
If there is a public service organisation (PSO)—basking in the ambience of parastatal or quasi-autonomous governmental agency (quago)—that has constantly stabbed the ‘backs’ of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regimes in the past (during Bingu Wa Muthrika and now with Arther Peter Muthrika) is the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom). This power utility firm is bent to bring down the DPP government or perhaps for Malawians to pay for voting the DPP into power.
To whose benefit does Escom switch on electricity in residential areas at 11 pm and off at 03:50 am? Does Escom even mind students who are supposed to study and write assignments at prep-time, around 7 to 10 pm? What about working class who need electricity to prepare for next day’s work?
Escom is not only stabbing DPP in the back, but also killing development in the country by denying citizens power to produce goods and services. Escom has to know that DPP is the government, and governments come in and go, leaving Malawians. Government is us. Messing up with the people in this manner is an act against principles of justice. We are tired of ‘monkey businesses’.
Even though monkeys played their tricks during the United Democratic Front (UDF)-led government of Bakili Elson Muluzi between 1994 and 2004, no monkey could do that during the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) of Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1964 and 1994). Kamuzu had authoritative way of dealing with monkeys. None could get trapped in the turbines. Monkeys disappeared between 2012 and 2014.
For those who have no idea about the monkey business, here is a story.
Once upon a time. Dumbo Lemani, a jovial and charismatic Minister in the Muluzi administration told the nation that intermittent power supply by Escom was due to a crazy monkey that was playing hide and seek with electricity generation power plant at Nkula. He said the monkey got trapped in and caused the breakdown of the turbine. Most Malawians laughed and none believed him. Since then, the business of monkeys has not been clearly understood metaphorically, ontologically and epistemologically.
Monkeys have tails, but human monkeys do exist, particularly where actions and deeds resemble ones in ape family? It gives us a clue to read between the lines what Lemani actually meant by the word ‘monkey’. Perhaps, we Malawians fail to read those nasty lines. Do politicians, who are as human as Malawians, with and whose relations experience monkey business, cry with us? Does the President, whose electric grid Escom does not perhaps tamper with, to hide the truth about power blackouts, cry with us? As old folks warn: when on top of an elephant, do not say dew does not exist.
And by the way, what is this mess with pre-paid gadgets? Most of the time consumers cannot upload electricity units. What is happening and why is it happening? Does anyone at Escom really care that people sleep in the dark because of these problems?
I can only end by saying that in all these challenges, one thing is clear, Escom is just hell bent on stabbing the DDP-led government in the back once again!
Whew, thank you, Lyton, I hope Escom will one day respond to these concerns.
Another reader wrote:
Dear Moses,
Last week, you were spot-on about BWB billing system as if you had seen my laughable K56 000 bill!
EC, Blantyre. n
