Traffic officer, how is the road to Canaan?
President Lazarus Chakwera likens himself to a traffic officer whose job is to direct traffic but has no control over the vehicles on the road. He was trying to emphasise a point that as head of the Executive branch of government, he does not have all the powers because some of those powers rest with the Judiciary and the Legislative arms of government.
Chakwera’s analogy reminded me of the notoriety of many traffic officers who are a menace on our roads because of their penchant for demanding bribes and their crooked ways of meting out traffic offence charges. They sometimes find faults where there is none just to make the motorist pay them a “little something.”
What is even worse with most of our traffic officers is that they will happily wave at an unroadworthy vehicle just because the owner is their acquaintance.
This is where I want to differ from Chakwera’s traffic officer analogy. A good traffic officer, apart from directing traffic on the road, should be about to spot an unroadworthy from afar and stop it from going further after a thorough inspection. A good traffic officer should take control of the vehicles on the road by, among others, ensuring that only those certified to drive are driving by checking that the driver has a valid driving licence and the vehicle is fit for the road.
Again, a good traffic officer will not simply wave at the vehicles as they drive towards a collapsed bridge but, a good traffic officer will take charge and direct the vehicles to a safer alternative route.
On this famous journey to Canaan, which the Tonse government has taken Malawians on, as a traffic officer, Chakwera has the power to control the speed at which we go and the route we take to reach Canaan. He cannot say he will only direct us to Canaan, but he must provide the direction in the form of policies, qualified drivers and fit for the road vehicles to take us there.
One key issue he will have to tell Malawians is whether the road to Canaan is safe and if it is not, what is the alternative route which could be short or longer but one that takes us there safely.
Chakwera has the power to control and even not smilingly wave at it to pass because those involved are his cronies.
While it is true that he does have all the powers, he at least has powers within his authority to stop some of the challenges Malawians are facing.
