Why people do not feel the recovery: Reader’s turn

I thought I should indulge myself in a rare activity: Publishing a reader’s feedback to my views here. Among several responses I received on the subject of why the majority of Malawians do not share the People’s Party (PP) administration’s optimism that the national economy is on the mend, I have picked one reader who does not agree with me on this matter simply because I do not see why I should regurgitate thoughts that are similar to mine. Otherwise, how do you learn if you cannot be open-minded about other people’s points of view? Indeed, the essence of democracy is to be prepared to defend someone’s right to express himself or herself. One does not have to agree with anyone to respect the concerned person’s right to free speech. So, here we go.

Adada a Munthali, Politically, some people don’t feel the recovery, but soberly some do. Just yesterday, two people who sell ziboliboli within Blantyre’s central business district; told me that in 2011 and part of 2012, most of them were trading on the foreign exchange black market and the kwacha was selling at between K300 and K350 to a dollar when the official exchange rate in Authorised Dealer Banks (ADBs) was around K160. I personally managed to get $50 early last year at the rate of K320 per dollar.

What this means to some of us is that the rate has not changed if I may borrow your words—“using the most simplistic of calculations”. For the sake of politics, people are not being told the truth about the effects of donor aid withdrawal during the late Bingu wa Mutharika era; why there was need to go back to the donor community and what is exactly happening now. To the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the situation has worsened, yet they know deep down in their hearts the truth about effects of their policies when they were running government.

To PP, it is what Henry Chizimba wrote in The Nation of Friday, June 21 in the Business News section. The PP is celebrating because to them they have made a difference.

The economy was really in bad shape and President Joyce Banda had no option but to ask the donor community for assistance. Just to quote your words, government was “caught between a rock and hard a place” and also because of “her strong desire to recover the economy from a near recession”— again to quote your words— PP feels they have done better considering where they are coming from and the election period they are now facing. To me it should be optimism of cautiousness that the economy is awakening from the grave and not celebrations. To me this recovery is not dubious. The truth is what Chizimba has written about. Granted, we may experience the depreciation of the kwacha from September because tobacco sales will be lower but if donor aid continues to flow in, the currency situation will not be as bad. Your column is very important as we go towards elections.

Use this column to help many of us who read your paper and your articles to understand where we are coming from, where we are now and—as someone who once worked with Goodall Gondwe—help people make the right decision when voting for a president next year. I know you are working for a private media house with its own ethical approach, but you can do us your fellow Malawians a good service if we are given balanced information. If Goodall Gondwe was not professional, the donor community could not have urged him to assist President Banda who appointed him Minister of Economic Planning and Development. You know very well the move forced the President to drop Atupele Muluzi. Although Gondwe is facing charges, many people believe DPP was only using him; hence, the situation he is in now.

Your inquisitive reader.

Dear Inquisitive Reader, What can I say? That is the beauty of democracy. For this country to move forward, we need to have serious and healthy debate; a national conversation on various social and economic issues to help shape policy. Everyone has a stake in this country and, therefore, everyone must have an opinion on how things are and how we can improve them. Thank you and all those who provided feedback to last week’s entry.