Why we liked Goodall Gondwe
For the past two weeks or so, our impeccable, irreplaceable, indomitable, indestructible, incomparable, unshakable and unimpeachable leader of delegation, the Genuine Professor Dr Joyce Befu, MG 66 and MEGA-1, has been sad and in mourning. As her loyal minor colleagues, we get sad when she gets sad and we mourn when she mourns. That is what loyalty means.
We, that is our leader of delegation and us, still mourn Kaka Henry Chibowa. Those of us who knew Kaka Chibowa will remember him for his unflinching love for sport, especially for football, the game Americans distortedly call soccer. What American sports confusionists call football is played is with hands; not feet, most of the time. Their football is rugby of sorts.
Kaka Chibowa was a football administrator for a long time; he participated in unfettered democracy talk and drama alongside the likes of Frank Patani Mwase and Gaston Mwenelupembe for a long time; he managed education institutions for a long time, and, above all, he loved us, his friends and family for a long time.
Kaka, go ye in peace and into the comfort of God’s residence be ye received. When you get there, in the Kingdom beyond the Eagle Nebula, the Pillars of Creation, remember to extend our earthly greetings to Edward Henderson Chitsulo and his buddy Gray James Mang’anda. Then, greet George Nga Mtafu and Emmie Chanika, the unsung founding combatants of our democracy; this democracy we abuse and accuse.
Thereafter greet Raphael Tenthani, code-named, R10, the journalist par excellence. Even if you don’t see them, just shout, “Hi guys, art thee jocund? Feel ye irie?” One of them or all of them will welcome you heartily and smilingly. Tell them we are on our way, too. Kwatsala tchire n’kumene kumapita moto. Odatelo okulu okulu. Rest well, Kaka, thus mourns our leader of delegation.
The very week Kaka transitioned, we lost dada Goodall Gondwe, the economist and politician. Goodall Gondwe did not need politics to be happy and live in opulence but he was cajoled, recruited, forced into it and he stayed there. First, Muluzi picked him as his or the government’s economic advisor or something akin to that although it is doubtful that his economic advice ever influenced President Bakili Muluzi, oTcheya.
Then he joined Bingu wa Mutharika, his fellow Box 48 alumnus. Box 48 was the alias for Dedza Secondary school. Interestingly, Goodall, Bingu, and now we hear, Peter Arthur Mutharika (PAM), were at Dedza Secondary School at the same as John Zenus Ungampakemotani-Sungamuthe Tembo, their school prefect. It was interesting to see former schoolmates oppose each other so virulently and call each other unpalatable names. Politics is indeed an ass(et).
Many have already lauded Goodall for keeping the Malawi Kwacha steady during his term as Minister of Finance. But, you know politicians, the same performing Goodall, the same Goodall praised by APM and others, was fired by his president, Bingu, without notice or apology and replaced by a literatus. Trust a politician and build castles in the air.
To prove that he mattered in the DPP, Goodall’s endorsement of Peter Arthur Mutharika (PAM) as the only person who can unite the DPP and unseat Lazarus Chakwera was taken seriously and now PAM is the preferred or imposed candidate for the DPP presidency and 2025 presidential candidacy. Those who jockeyed to replace PAM wrote in water (wasted their time).
We are sure that when he and Bingu wa Mutharika, sorry, (ka) Ngwazi Bingu wa Mutharika, meet they will spend time reflecting on the Malawi they have left behind and why fixing the national currency matters, IMF, World Bank or not.
We liked both Bingu and Goodall because they understood the machinations of the so-called rich world to keep the poor nations poorer and therefore in a perpetual status of ‘beggation’ as Peter Tosh used to sing. Creating cyclical poverty makes the biggies of the world happy and their Washington Consensus lender institutions richer and stronger. That is why they don’t want rival international lender institutions.
Go well dada withu; gogowithu; ngwaziyithu. Rest in peace in Enukweni, Tumbukaland. And we pray that God, the merciful comforter, should receive your soul. Thus mourns our leader of delegation.
