We welcome to 2025 the State President Dr Lazarus Chakwera from us the Bottom Up delegation led by the greatest leader of all-time, the Genuine Professor Dr Joyce Befu, MG 66, and the Most Excellent Grand Achiever (MEGA-1).
We listened to your New Year’s speech and we have seen the list of your new Cabinet. You missed a lot of opportunity in word and deed. The road network is, indeed, great, especially in Lilongwe City. However, the key issues that need ad d re s s i ng ar e f uel , violence and maize prices. If you said something on these, we may have been disrupted.
But when we see the fuel queues, we are reminded of Bingu wa Mutharika’s failed second-term. He did very well in the first one. He even gave himself the enviable titles, the Most Excellent Grand Achiever (MEGA-1), (ka)Ngwazi, and such other lofty ones. What is the problem? The trains are working, which can carry fuel in bulk.
The deals you went to negotiate in the Middle East? And how prepared are we for electric motorised transportation in 2063? Address the fuel issues with concrete steps.
Then enter violence. Political violence is scaring. While leaders of political parties have condemned it, you remained stone-quiet. W here we come from, when a chief keeps quiet about an allegation, we conclude that he knows something that points at him. However, we take heart that you do not come from where we come from. Our only worr y is your enemies [not us], might think the violence is State-sponsored.
Our Eminent presidents Emeritis, Dr Bakili Muluzi, Dr Joyce Banda and Prof Peter Mutharika, whose eras were not perfect, did well come up with one voice that the violence was not welcome. But, we are just waiting for their joint condemnation of the DPP for its Ndirande incendiary speeches. Otherwise, we will be led to question their neutrality.
Then comes the issue of maize prices, which have gone out of hand at present. Prices depend on supply and demand, that is what we learnt in standard five. The scarcity and demand of maize have pushed up the prices— food inflation. Supply may be compounded by the problems of the expenses of the means of production [ask Karl Marx]; the inputs; the fer tilisers, none of which Malawi is in control of.
That is why leaders are paid, to find solutions. What solutions have been found? Mega Farms are being touted as a lasting solution. Nonetheless, the Mega Farms at Nkopola, Lweya, Kamwanjiwa, and Nthora-Ilola have failed to produce enough maize for Malawians’ consumption.
In a documentary aired by MBC recently, the leader of the Greenbelt Initiative said the maize they harvested has been sent to the National Food Reser ve Agency. Where is it? Or who is hoarding it and why? It just shows that the farms are performing at below par.
The sol u t ion i s to supplement local production with the importation of maize. To do that, we need money, real hard currency. At a time like this, when we need to live a frugal and minimalist lives, you have appointed a 31-member Cabinet that includes you and the Vice- President.
How such a large cabinet will address the issues the country is facing only Jah Rastafari knows. Surely, we do not need to please everyone. Ten members would be enough. After all, Kamuzu Banda proved it is possible.
