Population boom fuels corruption

Malawi is facing so many problems, including  rapid population growth and neglected corruption.

Most of our political leaders deliberately ignore increase in births or fertility rate as one of the biggest problem that require serious attention and urgent solutions.

When the human population exceeds the carrying capacity of the ecological setting, it compromises service delivery.

In an overpopulated environment, the people might outnumber available essential materials for survival such as shelter, food, security or social amenities.

Malawi could be facing the problem of overpopulation.

Its birth rate is rising at an alarming rate, yet the limited essential materials for survival are getting depleted and seldom meet the rising demand.

For example, essential drugs in public hospitals seldom match the demand and security personnel are outnumbered by the population who need it.

Similarly, classrooms that are supposed to sit 40 to 60 learners mostly take up to 100.

It is like two people are eating a cake and the hands in the scramble keep increasing as the cake gets smaller.

There is no replacement for the cake, yet the number of mouths increases each day.

Our fast-expanding population needs to be controlled as we struggle to increase the availability of essential materials.

A high number of children per household adversely affect numerous ecosystems worldwide and further increases the demand for limited resources.

The worsening scramble, in turn, can lead to more conflict.

For instance, as humans seek out more resources, they take over land that once played home to other living things. This results in biodiversity loss.

Currently, Malawi’s wildlife parks are encroached as a result of overcrowding.

More people means an increased demand for food, water, health care, housing, education and transportation.

As the population crisis worsens, corruption keeps eating into Malawi’s limited resources.

Corruption constitutes abuse of entrusted power for personal or private gain.

This erodes trust, hampers economic development and weakens democracy.

The country’s public revenue, which is already superseded by the fast-growing population, is reduced and public spending keeps increasing .

Due to corruption, the government and other institutions find it hard to run a sound fiscal policy.

Just like that, corruption increases financial inequalities as those in power and the well-positioned few hijack government’s activities at the cost of the bigger population.

Although overpopulation and corruption are different, they add fuel to major problems hitting Malawi.

Overpopulation causes unequal distribution of resources because the basic commodities are not  commonly found.

There is unjust distribution of opportunities among of the overpopulated society.

With time, the crowd begins to panic and the scramble for basics becomes survival of the fittest.

Beating the queue involves cutting corners as the end strangely justifies the means.

Where many people get essentials through dubious means, onlookers start coveting ill-gotten wealth and praising the corrupt.

Both overpopulation and corruption need a lot of attention from all citizens.

It is high time we introduced topics in our primary schools to address these problems.

Socialisation institutions such as families and religious groups have a big role to play in discussing such issues.

Our children need to fully know the negative effects of rapid population growth and corruption.

Once, China controlled its fertility rate using a one-child policy, now upgraded to two children.

Imagine what would have become of China, the second-most populated nation on Earth, had it ignored its population growth.

The Chinese policymakers foresaw that their birth-rate was going to bring problems, so they quickly introduced some birth control measures.

There is a lot we can learn from China.

Overpopulation and corruption are detrimental for national development.