Engage communities on way leave encroachment
As we continue travelling back and forth in the beautiful country, we see many things that are pleasant and many others which are not so pleasant.Last Friday, we received a visitor from Libreville (Freetown), Gabon, Chez Ali Bongo, Monsieur Kapokola-Mangelepa Dieudonné. He is lodged at 50-50 in the City of Lilongwe. For directions to the place, please do not call us. Use your gulugulu map.Dieudonné asked us some very discomforting questions yesterday as we travelled back from Balaka where we had gone to meet a friend of ours at Che Mbela. While at Che Mbela Dieudonné asked the chief what happened for his area to use an afro-francophone name. He argued that Che Mbela was in fact Chez M’Mbelwa. We laughed our lungs out. Our leader of delegation, the immaculate, impeccable, unimpeacheable and empowered Prof Dr Joyce Befu, MG 66 and MEGA, told Dieudonné to stop behaving like a cartoon before village chiefs.As we drove back he wondered why charcoal in Malawi is sold along the main highways in broad daylight and in plain sight of the president; the vice president; the minister of the flora and fauna; the minister of agriculture; the minister of rain, wind, and clouds; the director of lakes, rivers and boreholes; the climate change expert; the chief executive officer of the civil society coalition on the environment and climate change; and the chief protester Bonifacio Kanindo. Yet, Malawi’s policies say that no one is allowed to make, package and sell charcoal without a licence issued by the director of the trees and grass. Why, wondered our visitor, Dieudonné, le Gabonais, policies are not stuck to and perpetrators sanctioned. He proceeded to give us a boring but informative lesson on punishment as a negative motivation that changes people’s behaviours. “Pourquoi? Why?”“Peace, be still,” I said, “marketers talk about their 4 or 5 Ps. One of those Ps is Placement. Have you noted how and where the charcoal merchandise is located?”“Yes. Always, on the left side of the road in the direction of cities, et alors?”“Which side of the road do motorists use?”“Left?”“What does that meaning relation to the charcoal business?”“The buyers of charcoal are those who drive cars and take the charcoal for use in urban areas, in municipalities and cities?”“If the ministers, directors, protesters et cetera live in urban centres and are among the most regular charcoal clients. How do you expect them to enforce policies that will deprive them of charcoal energy?”“I understand, now. And, next question, why are people allowed to operate markets even in the middle of the roads?”“Malawi is a democratic country where leaders are renewed regularly, every five years through votes. Those who operate markets along and in the roads are voters. No politician is prepared to irk those who vote.”“I understand,” said Dieudonné, “and why are people allowed to build anywhere they like? I have seen people building, playing, farming under high tension electricity power lines; in road reserves; along river and lake water edges. Elsewhere encroaching into wayleaves for electricity power lines, roads, rivers and lakes is a serious crime.”“Even here it is a serious crime…. Well, in the statutes, it is a serious crime…”“And why journalists of this country educate people on the dangers of encroaching into wayleaves.”“You are right. But remember journalists are people. They need to triggered into action. Sensitise them to sensitise the communities. Not many know the laws and regulations relating to wayleaves. C’est clair?”“Oui, fort clair,” Dieudonné said.
