Hoping for the best this festive season

Dear judge Mbadwa,

Seasons’ greetings once again to the most credible and independent court in the land, the People’s Tribunal and to its family of trustworthy court users.

My lord, I have heard that the 44 percent devaluation is biting so hard that celebrating Christmas is not on the agenda of most citizens in Nyasaland.

True, the economic situation has dampened the spirits of most citizens, but that is no reason to stop the masses from expressing the hope of the seasons to others.

I commiserate with those workers, especially from public institutions, who are agitating for more than the pledged 10 percent increment because life out there is tough for the majority.

It will be interesting to see how those labour disputes will be resolved after accepting to implement conditionalities that come with an extended credit facility whose resumption the establishment gloated about like kids who have just been given new clothes on Christmas.  

My lord, farmers who have been at the receiving end of failures of the subsidised inputs programme are going to have a quiet Christmas because they are worried about the prospects of their crop in the fields.

Already, the dry spell precipitated by the El Nino phenomenon has affected many fields and they have not been left with no choice but to replant.

My lord, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom on all fronts. At least we can celebrate the resilience of the nation in trying times we faced in the year.

It is that positivity that should propel us to tell the nativity story, hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Courtesy for the reason of the season which is celebrating the birth of Christ, even the warring factions in People’s Demagogic Party will observe some ceasefire this Christmas.

As usual, the Tokha are Liars have been asking for patience from the populace, but what the masses want is action and this festive season should be the starting point.

My Lord, for making our Christmas one of the most miserable, I  would have asked your court to subject the bungling officers, and politicians to a week in a lightless dungeon at  Blantyre Prison.

But in the spirit of Christmas, I offer an olive branch to them as I suggest that the punishment meted out to them should be a public repentance session for their sins of omission and commission supervised by a pack of faith groups.

Having said that, I wish you, dear judge, and all court users, a Merry Christmas.

Regards,

John Citizen.