Who will save Malawi?

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The most frightening thing about this country is that we, its people, do not want to be saved. We have become used to poverty and hardships. We have become used to suffering. For us, the opportunity, and even the happiness we have, is simply the chance to choose the person we want to oppress us and steal from us.

So today, even if you tell a Malawian that the person they elected is stealing from them, they will call you names. They become angry and begin to insult you instead. It is not that they do not know that the person is stealing, or that he is making people’s lives miserable. No. They simply say, “The one who is oppressing us is ours. Yours left. That foolish man. At least this one is good,” even when that goodness cannot actually be seen.

There are only a few people who have the wisdom to think independently. These are the ones who understand that our country needs certain things and that a leader must deliver those things. If a leader fails to do so, then he must leave, because he is bad, a thief, and a liar. And it should not matter which political party he belongs to.

But our problem as a nation is that about 95% of us are trapped in political parties. Because of this, we do not really care about Malawi itself. What we care about is our party. We become angry not because the country is being destroyed, but because people are insulting our party.

I also see some people who once made a lot of noise demanding political change, people who despised others and mocked other parties. Today, their voices have gone quiet. When they see wrongdoing, they do not want to speak. They are either ashamed or they do not want to appear as though they were wrong before.

But that is the problem: we place our faith in political parties and in people. And to speak honestly before God, everyone here should understand that there is no political party or leader who will save us as Malawians.

There is no party or individual with the deep wisdom necessary to know how to rescue this country. Malawi has reached a tragic and frightening point, a place of deep confusion, and there is no party or person who can save us.

Yet because we are full of anger, not anger that seeks the good of Malawi, but the anger of party loyalty, the anger of not being included in the benefits, or not sharing in the spoils, our eyes have become blind.

So the question remains:

Who will save us?

Img: ILRI

Written by

Shadreck Chikoti

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