Light that came with Covid-19

The coming of Covid-19 has turned the world upside down, but for Malawi it has brought a very good light if we can only see it.

We can’t deny that the fact that the pandemic has changed so many aspects of our lives. In close to a year, we have bade goodbye to the handshake and the hug; the face mask has become part of the daily attire much that mouths have turned into private parts as well.

You can imagine that two decades ago Michael Jackson appearing in a mask was weird!

Working from home, sanitisation and physical distancing has become the norm.

The saddest part of the pandemic is the lives we are losing. Every day, we hear of the death of a relative, friend, colleague, someone we just hear about and those we don’t even know. The grim reaper has been riding hard.

But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought light on us on a number of things.

The most important thing is that politicians exaggerate their importance. You got it right, politicians give us an inflated view of their capabilities.

A citizens’ response to the pandemic raised over K200 million led by Stanley Onjezani Kenani, Dr Thandie Hara and others. In the most transparent manner, the citizens bought and distributed cylinders, flowmeters, essential drugs, oxygen, pressure regulators, pulse oximetres, drip stands and so much more. They only used K50 000 of that amount for fuel.

Even President Lazarus Chakwera had to doff a hat for the citizens. Now all that was happening while K6.2 billion for Covid-19 fight had grown wings as he watch.

Here the President is fumbling for a solution but whether he likes it or not, recovering that money is a tall order. We have seen it before. How much was recovered from the Cashgate, and how many of the 70 cases were concluded.

Chakwera dropped the presidential task force co-chair Dr. Charles Phuka. Yet his political crony and Health Minister Khumbize Chiponda was untouchable. Is that what they call political correctness?

The pandemic has brought us light that civil servants lord it over politicians. They call the shorts and are able to draw hefty allowances to deliver the minimum of affairs.

Civil servants can draw K50 million for a programme for the elderly or street children. But chances are very likely that K48 million of that amount will go to allowances and fuel while the beneficiaries get a paltry K2 million.

Remember the other time some agriculture ministry drew allowances for over 1 000 days in one year? The rot still exists.

All this happens under the watch of politicians. We are told Kondwani Nankhumwa as leader of opposition got a modest K3 million in fuel allowances. Yet, we are not told how much Cabinet ministers got in this loot.

One thing is that Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima have an uphill task that change is far more than rhetoric. n

With Kondwani Kamiyala

‘Here the President is fumbling for a solution but whether he likes it or not, recovering that money is a tall order. We have seen it before. How much was recovered from the Cashgate, and how many of the 70 cases were concluded?’

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