Saying that Kenneth Msonda is a loose Canon in political camouflage is not an exaggeration. Kenneth Msonda has said and done many incomprehensible things but Malawians and even leadership has ignored it by simply saying that its Ken being Ken.
However when he suggests Gays are like dogs or that they should be killed, Malawi political leadership needs to rise up and condemn such statements. Malawians are a peaceful people and saying one class of citizen should be killed whether said in jest or seriousness deserves condemnation from all of us. There should not be any room for hate speech in Malawi.
However the reaction from Social Media to such comments is very scary, many people seem to support and even encourage those statements.
Malawi which has suspended enforcement of its homosexuality laws is not alone. There is an estimated 80 countries where homosexuality is still illegal.
In the United States, anti-sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003, but they are still on the books in 13 states: Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Conservative state legislators refuse to repeal the laws and, in some cases, police still enforce them. In the past several years more than a dozen LGBT people were arrested for violating those laws, but the arrestees were freed because prosecutors won’t seek convictions based on defunct laws.
We are not Iran:
They say that the dead don’t talk. We could add that neither do they marry. And in this simple calculation is the answer to how the brutal government of Iran has solved its own gay marriage debate. If you kill gay men and women for simply coming out of the closet, there is little chance they will agitate for the right to marry.
Voices of Reason:
In this Lynch Mob Mentality now permeating in Malawi, there have been voices of reason like Steve Sharra and Jimmy Kainja. However what has been lacking are voices from our political leaders. In the heated environment that we now face on this issue, Malawians are looking for leaders to lead.
We can debate this issue without threatening violence. Panga wielding Kenneth Msonda cannot be allowed to take leadership in this debate. Our Social Media leaders like Steve Sharra should be given an even bigger platform to lead the debate in a reasonable direction.
Let’s take control of the issue before we destroy ourselves.
