Mphambe and the woodman

A woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river, when his axe glancing off the trunk, flew out of his hands and fell into the water.

As he stood by the water’s edge lamenting his loss, Mphambe appeared and asked him the reason for his grief.

On learning what had happened, out of pity for his distress, Mphambe dived into the river and, bringing up a golden axe, asked him if that was the one he had lost.

The woodman replied that it was not, and Mphambe then dived a second time, and, bringing up a silver axe, asked if that was his.

“No, that is not mine either,” said the woodman.

Once more Mphambe dived into the river, and brought up the missing axe.

The woodman was overjoyed at recovering his property, and thanked his benefactor warmly; and the latter was so pleased with his honesty that he made him a present of the other two axes.

When the woodman told the story to his companions, one of these was filled with envy of his good fortune and determined to try his luck for himself.

So he went and began to fell a tree at the edge of the river, and presently contrived to let his axe drop into the water.

Mphambe appeared as before, and, on learning that his axe had fallen in, he dived and brought up a golden axe, as he had done on the previous occasion.

Without waiting to be asked whether it was his or not, the fellow cried: “That’s mine, that’s mine,” and stretched out his hand eagerly for the prize.

But Mphambe was so disgusted at his dishonesty that he not only declined to give him the golden axe but also refused to recover for him the one he had let fall into the stream.

So it must be learnt from this fable, especially by Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) management, that honesty is the best policy.

Escom management has just confirmed that the country needs some kind of ‘Arab Spring’ showers, an interventionist deep soul-searching and self-cleansing act with lasting and far-reaching effects to get it out of the current ‘rut and rot’.

Perhaps it is when Malawi would come out anew or attain a deep-reaching renewal that the country is unlikely to get from empty ‘ballot-box’ democracy exhibitions.

If nothing is seriously done soon, the current and future generations are doomed to pay the heavy price for the mistakes of the recent past and present rascals the country is cursed with.

Surely, it is only dearth of the twin senses of shame and pride and lack of love of the country that would make people charged with the responsibility of running the affairs of the country spend about K56 million importing from Zimbabwe 30 000 ‘wood poles’ that can be sourced locally.

But regardless of the economic hardships Malawians are going through, Escom management, for whatever insubstantial reasons they are mumbling and probably in trying to outwit politicians in making a mockery of people’s suffering, has just done that for the tax-funded utility.

A Latin expression says “ex nihilo, nihil fit”; meaning “nothing comes out of nothing”.

While it is apparent that Malawi is the most abused country by all sorts of rogues, on a positive note, Escom management needs to know that it is becoming difficult for such out-of-the-sun transactions or pedestrian management to stay the course beyond a certain period.

It is imperative, therefore, for those holding public positions to treat with genuine respect, honest and appreciation their true bosses–the general populace that contribute to their organisation’s purse.