From 2009 Malawians were enlightened to learn to depend on themselves, self reliance, other than waiting for other people, black or white, to give them bread and batter, therefore compelled to dance to the tune of the good Samaritans.
Until 2004, many Malawians literate or illiterate were hands open like beggars, waiting for politicians to drop a coin, and who ever they favored were all smiles and praises. It was a hand to mouth song all the way……
President Bakili Muluzi made sure that people had no headaches in contemplating of what they would eat, drink or wear on a particular day, even where to find a plate to use for launch.
Muluzi in his sense wanted to offload the burden and worries of what tomorrow would bring, what they would on a particular day as he made sure atleast everyone had a 50 kwacha from the then ruling United Democratic Front UDF.
Everything was being distributed for free; cash, t-shirts, rappers (Dzitenje), flour, wall clocks, plates, maize, caps, salt, sugar, shoes……..
People were all praises but the economy was being affected, Malawians were getting poorer and poorer, hunger was the order of the day, as wealth was only circulating in the hands of few people, many of them politicians their friends and relatives.
2004 general elections changed everything people were surprised by what their vote had brought them, new economic and development policies were introduced, and this was the dawn of ‘no food for a lazy man’ episode.
While some people clung on to the ‘help us poor people’ from the rich, white or black, they were introduced to policies that allowed them to rely on their own hard working and allow government to only support and provide guidance to how they can utilize their own God given resources and talents.
The one Bingu wa Mutharika taught people ‘Malawi is not poor, its peoples mindset which let them think they are poor’.
Accumulated were power and money in his second term, and we all know what money and power can sometimes do to a man, and the story of self enrichments, that lead to some difficulties, fuel and forex scarcity for late Bingu.
In April 2012, God allowed things to happen that way, and it was Muluzi episodes repeating themselves only that it wore a female face. Same policies of distributing free this, and free that.
But 20th May has reminded me that every good staff that gets into the ears through to the brain of a human being, educated or illiterate, gets digested and no matter how long it takes, it gets refreshed and put into action for their own good.
The elections whose results are so far proving to say ‘NO’ to hand outs, free distribution of this and that and ‘I will give you this, even though you don’t want it’ or ‘fold your hands and rest, government will do everything for you is far over.
For this and only this, we should thank late Bingu wa Mutharika, so whoever carries the day whether its Professor Peter Mutharika or Dr. Lazalus Chakwela, this and at least this should be a lesson from late Bingu. Kudos to late Bingu.
