We will all miss Bingu

I read with interest one interview that Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) boss John Kapito had in a weekend paper. Much of what he said was not news, including his observation that Bingu wa Mutharika was an angry man surrounded by liars, that the former president did not like John Kapito. I am not confirming that Kapito was working for the opposition; rather that Bingu believed that was the case. What makes me miss Bingu most is that I will not have the opportunity to learn whether Bingu’s spies saw Kapito and I at a hotel in Blantyre, just few weeks before he died.

Well, Bingu is reported to have told Kapito in the company of others that his every move was being observed. If Bingu was alive, I would have challenged him whether his spies were doing a good job spying on Kapito, because if they were worth their salt, they would have seen us together drinking tea at a hotel.

I have the following proverbs towards President Joyce Banda: “It is the tree with fruits that is thrown stones at”. This is an Arabic Proverb. The contemporary interpretation is that if you do good or you have things to show, people will throw stones at you. If you have nothing to show, people will leave you. Unfortunately for any president of this great republic, we do not have many targets to throw our stones at. The President is often the target of all ridicule and unfair criticisms. And for the next twenty-four or so months, that person is you, Madame President.

The second quotation comes from Ronald Reagan: “Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.” I encourage Your Excellency to guard against concentrating power in yourself or to a few individuals or to selected tribes. And the last one is: “But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret”. This quote again comes from Reagan. In contemporary terms, it reminds me of how not long time ago, an individual was arrested for taking pictures of Ndata and just a few months later, that house is just like any other big house with people taking pictures the way they want and no one gets arrested. Talking about Ndata reminds me of president Kamuzu Banda’s Nguru Ya Nabambe in Kasungu. What has become of that house since Kamuzu died?

Finally, let me finish by recognising that any country that does not have its own John Kapito is cursed. I have followed his commitment to changing society. I differ with Kapito in some ways but two things I respect him for: vitamin A fortification of foods; prevention of adolescent smoking and the Consumer Bill that we have on our statues. In the interview referred to above, Kapito is quoted as having told Bingu he (Kapito) was the only person who loved the country. I am not sure why he forgot about me! Make us two Mr Kapito.