WORD FROM THE CITIZEN

There was once Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda

To Malawi he is the ‘father’ and founder

Many considered his approaches capitalistic

But they were just realistic

He died at one hundred and one

Then came Dr. Bakili Muluzi

Who never expects in any election to lose

He championed multiparty democracy

Upon defeating the country’s long time autocracy

He’ll die a good orator

There’s now Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika

Who’s so proud being born in Africa

His actions are leaving many discussing

They’re really notes worth pondering

He’ll die a man of the many

Fellow Citizen (FC), I feel distraught we often painfully realize the decency or depravity of something or somebody when time has already elapsed. Sometimes we are too negatively curious at pointing out only weaknesses and failed attempts of our fellow nationals without mentioning any point when their successes rumbled. That won’t take us anywhere.

You know dear FC, reasoning together has never disappointed. Curiosity on its own is no crime. In fact, it’s divided into two. On one hand, there’s what I call naked curiosity. At some point, I am reminded, it was such naked curiosity that earned Monkey a bullet on the forehead. I am not saying it’ll also earn you a bullet on your darling forehead. No. Not exactly.

Just imagine if with such sterile curiosity there can ever be any progress realized on either you or the subject. My African community, particularly my Malawian society, believes when a mad man walks naked it is his kinsmen that feel the shame. On this when one’s hearty attempts become a failure we shouldn’t wide-open our mouths. We must sympathize with them.

You know beloved FC, whenever that happens, it’s only the work of some demons that gloat when one falls short of his intended goals. Period! In such times, all such perturbed souls need is love, true love; to show that we – their kinsmen – care for them. Consider Malawi, this beloved country, as a community, and every one of us as a responsible member of that community. This can see them standing every time they fall and dare again audaciously to achieve whatever goodies they visualized belong to them.

On the other, there is humane curiosity. This furthers paying attention to that kind of behaviour that is communally, ethically, and sensibly anomalous to our rich cultured society with an intention to help bring change for the better. Thereafter we can fruitfully admonish them to bury such deplorable habits. Don’t think I am uncivilized, dear FC. No. If you think this is one of the products of un-civilization then you are utterly wrong. We must learn to criticize and advise one another wherever necessary but constructively.

Some criticisms as other dear FCs make can force one to remember some irksome incident he’s for several times tried to forget. Mr. Nwege’s incident in Chinua Achebe’s novel ‘A Man of the People’ provides a good example.

The story has it that many years ago when Mr. Nwege was a pitiable nonentity, he had an old rickety bicycle that, unfortunately, had faulty brakes. One day when he was cascading down a steep slope that led towards a narrow bridge, he saw a lorry coming in the opposite direction – a phenomenon that was very unusual those days. It looked more like a head-on collision on the bridge.

Out of trepidation, Mr. Nwege started shouting to passing pedestrians: ‘In the name of God push me down’. Unfortunately nobody did. He then shouted again now with an inducement: ‘Push me down and my three pence is yours’. Since then it became the popular joke of his village Anata. The guy never smiled at anybody discussing anything close to ‘push me down and my three pence is yours’.

Therefore dear FC, be curious and when it comes to criticism do that constructively not to the extent of making one remember all his misfortunes.

During the Ngwazi era, as you remember dear FC, you couldn’t dare to criticize – constructively or not – as long as it was criticism. If it wouldn’t be Youth Leaguers then it would be the Area Chairman who could tell you straight in the face ‘to hell with your criticism’ besides taking you to the district party office for a slap or four. The regime then didn’t take pride in hearing anything ill or negative concerning government.

I wouldn’t finish, dear FC, without talking about the very important part of any society – family. I am particularly concerned with its current alarming rate in terms of dissolution and annulment in this Warm Heart of Africa. Many decades ago, family life was the backbone of our country’s life. Nowadays the song is no longer the same old one. There are a lot of divorces taking place in our midst.

This made me think of possible reasons behind all this. At last, I realized one thing. Dear FC, choose to understand please, at least for now. The reason is that lovers undervalue strange characters of their partners during courtship. Such characters, in fact, should not have been rated so low.

Most of them do this hoping their lovers will change after getting married. But I, as a responsible and caring FC, am afraid because we may ignore that ‘what belongs to dogs belongs to dogs’ at our own peril. I am not saying you must disband your relationships but it’s good to have limits especially on such conjugal-related issues. Marriage should always be held as a life-long relationship. Period!

I have other leading and very interesting issues to share with you dear FC. But I’m reminded I have three must-get-a-credit exams to sit for in four days. So I have to go please!