Hoping for the best this festive season

Dear judge Mbadwa,

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

The rains have already caused havoc, rendering most people homeless and damaging infrastructure here and there. Some lives have also been lost in the process, bringing gloom to the festive season.

Cholera this festive season has also ravaged Nyasaland with an unprecedented number of cases that continue to increase.

My Lord, I am worried that on Christmas, if you are a believer like me, the nativity story will only be told in darkness to most Nyasaland citizens courtesy of the wise and dynamic leadership of Mapuya, Egenco and Electricity Supply Corporation of Nyasaland (Escon)

Do I sound like a chief moaner, My Lord? No, It was not my idea that the government should go on an overdrive, raising hopes for Malawians when in actual fact behind the scenes it was doing little to bring improvement in people’s welfare, including provision of power.

My Lord, you just have to notice how Egenco and Escon like to contradict each other on electricity generation output like two scorned lovers, telling us that the public has been fed with lies all the time. By the way, it was not your court that came up with a deadline on completion of works at Kapicira Fodya Power station.

Unfortunately, nobody is going to come forward to offer their apologies for lying to us.

The mess that has characterised the Non-Affordable Inputs Programme, my Lord, will prevent the majority of the deserving farmers from celebrating Christmas because they have not yet accessed the cheap fertiliser despite planting in the fields a long time ago.

Meanwhile, productive days are being spent at distribution centres which do not have the commodity now.

How sad that instead of an angel of the Lord bringing good tidings of great joy to mankind for the promise of salvation through Christ, what we have is a baby called incompetence courtesy of politicians and technocrats that are ready to show us the manger of lies.

The Tokha are Liars have been asking for patience, but what we want is action and this festive season should be the starting point.

My Lord, for making our Christmas the most miserable one in decades, 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.

After prayers for God’s intervention last week, I am optimistic that things will change for the better as a result politicians in government and the opposition will start telling the truth and acting prudently.

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

Regards,

John Citizen.