What qualifies as emergency to govt?
Experience has shown that Malawi has had its fare share of natural disasters, such as floods and drought. Without doubt, it is such disasters, which forced government to form a department of disaster preparedness. This comes handy when disasters, which are emergencies, strike. If there is need to appeal to foreign governments and donors, government does so as soon as possible to avoid loss of lives. Thankfully, foreign help has always come in abundance to help Malawi when disasters strike.
In addition to natural disasters, Malawi—from time to time—has been faced with some man-made problems, which require immediate action from government to correct the situation. These man-made problems do not need any appeal to foreign governments for help. Therefore, government should have no excuse, but take the bull by the horn.
The most recent examples of problems which can easily lead to disaster are the contamination of water with sewage at Area 18A in Lilongwe, and the strike by the Judiciary support staff. These might seem very local but, honestly speaking, if left unresolved, they can lead to full-blown disasters or problems. To start with, letting people use and consume sewage-contaminated water is a recipe for a break-out of water bone diseases such as cholera.
Surprisingly, it is over a month now, buy there seems to be no solution in sight. The government seems to simply watch the finger-pointing drama between Lilongwe City Council (LCC) and Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC). The situation at Area 18A is an emergency and if government thinks it is not, then what qualifies to be an emergency to the present government? In fact, the situation is a wake-up call that government needs to have regular inspections on such installations. This is important now because of corruption which is rampant in the construction industry. Imagine, the poor roads being constructed in towns and cities, and yet they are certified by some official as completed.
Meanwhile, the other issue being overlooked by government is the strike by the judiciary support, which is now over a month. The issue is about house allowance, and yet government seems to be burying its head in the sand, like an ostrich—assuming the problem will vanish on its own.
The ripple effect of the strike is that Malawians are being denied justice. This is undemocratic. Being a seasoned lawyer, President Peter Mutharika should know better that the strike has led to cases not being tried while prison cells are overflowing with suspects, some of whom might not be found guilty, and yet they are suffering.
With due respect, the President and his government have been in power for more than three years. However, it is surprising that they are yet to prove that they can be relied upon. Imagine, Chancellor College of the University of Malawi remained closed for six months. Any reputable government should be able to know what an emergency situation is. The government has a lot of learned people and technocrats who should be able to identify emergency situations and treat them as such. Government should refrain from finger-pointing in times of trouble. It should be mature enough to realise that it is an overseer for all the situations in the country. If the government continues to look the other way, in times of problems, then Malawians will not be wrong to conclude that government has failed them. To reverse the situation, President Mutharika and his government must listen to the voice of reason from Malawians they claim to serve. n
