POLICE ALCOHOL MESS

There is lots of fun, craziness as well as insanity associated with the use of alcohol. Some people drink and a lot more get drunk. Sadly, our society seems to be in an alcoholic ecstasy that is fast becoming an order of the day. This mess has gone down alarmingly without sparing the under aged.
From sachets, packets to bottles… a number of under aged youth have been drown into these.
The recent technical ‘ban’ on sachets is at least a welcome development but government can surely do better than just over taxing the sachets. The problem is not the ‘under’ pricing the product but enforcing the law that bars drinking alcohol to the under 18 masses.
This law has been there for as long as my memory takes me but its implementation is kind of absurd. Much as age is difficult to determine but the police can do a fair assessment to arrest culprits via storming bars, clubs, parties plus any other ‘alcoholicious’ avenues.
The youth need to be spared of the alcohol jazz! Government has to be duty bound by being instrumental in enforcing as well as upholding the law. Malawi cannot afford to have a society that is drunk to the roots.
The civil society is equally vital in this crusade to develop effective programs aimed at combating alcohol use among juveniles. 
Fellow youth; take it upon ourselves to sober up. We can have fun without alcohol just like some that have alcohol without fun. 
To the JB's administration; move to invest in young people. Most youth drink out of frustration than entertainment. They drop from school or leave formal education system without any hope to earn income.
Malawi; lets us collectively help reduce underage drinking/abuse by among other things monitoring activities of youth and decrease their access to alcohol.
Only if we had national identity cards!!! It could have been quite an easy exercise to accomplish.

SEC 65 SAGA: Who Is Fooling Who?

Seasons come, seasons go but at times the status of affairs is so resistant to change that change itself finds ridicule as drama of reality unfolds despite a belief that every season exists for a reason. 
Whenever the country’s national assembly convenes, its meetings are spiced and flavored by high class comedies and tragedies.
Whether this characterization is a work of some political architect or else a self dug pit of mixed fortunes, well your guess is as good or as bad as mine since the catapulted question undeniably generates a meander of answers.
Malawi is slowly but surely building its history on pillars of hardcore feud between pro-government and pro-opposition parliamentarians.
At least when some incidents occur more than once and that their occurrence replicates previous happenings, surety and assurance hatches to confirm there is history in the making in the offing.
Surely, both opposition and government parliamentarians have sober points and agendas as weighed by their national, political and individual school of thought.
Both parties are right –no need to be pro or against this conclusion because wrongs are often miscalculated rights.
A cloud of uncertainty continues to hover over Malawi’s political horizons and this atmosphere is unfortunately unsafe in determining political forecasts.
For engines of democracy to be propelled normally, opposition is a necessary component of the driving force of government –simply put, government needs opposition and vice versa.
Of course the two factions have parallel ideologies, visions and interests which hopefully are similar or congruent by the fact that they all target to satisfy national interests for the good of Malawi and Malawians.
It is as disgusting as ever to always witness the beef between government and opposition in the national assembly as the expense of the taxpayers’ money.
If government takes the opposition for granted then definitely parliament will be the only instrumental tool the opposition will engage to plot a sound revenge.
If the opposition takes government for a ride because of the muscle of its majority in parliament then obviously the risk triggered will see government chewing bits and pieces of the constitution as it grasps to catch a breath for survival.
Unless mended through proper procedures and channels, the constitution is not subject to be reduced to a document that falls short of what it stipulates and summons.
Our parliamentarians are a bunch of schooled individuals that obviously recognize that violence is a language that people drought of words engage.
Schooled as they are, of course with a variety of levels, parliamentarians are a caliber of leaders that cannot ‘capsize’ in parallel political bridges or indeed democratic potholes.
Life is full of mixed fortunes that some realities are hard to swallow but as a sound and sober society, it is high time Malawi accepts reality and quickly re-assembles itself to avoid repercussions and replications.
Behind every problem there is always a solution alongside prevention.
After bowing down honorably to pave way for the approval of the 2007/08 national budget last year, opposition MPs deemed that as a pre-requisite to the implementation of the highly touted, anticipated, debated and controversial Section 65 after being assured by government.
The budget was finally passed despite some ministries emerging as causalities of political beef resulting into cartooned allocations –some as low as K1.
If what is being witnessed in parliament today is anything to go by, then may be government merely paid a lip service to smuggle the national budget as evidenced by its reluctance and dilly-dallying in the implementation of Section 65.
One funny factor about law is that it does not work to satisfy one’s advantages but that it satisfies fundamental principles for the good of the nation.
As government strives day and night to win favours of some sentences scribed in the constitution, opposition parties are perusing the same pages in search of similar sentences that work to their advantage.
At the end of the day, the constitution remains the same undefiled, raped or abused document that reigns supreme beyond reasonable doubt.
However, the political cross fire between government and opposition MPs will only be beneficial to mother Malawi’s hardly won democracy if it is justified within the parameters of the law.
Otherwise going out of constitutional bounds whilst desperately seeking to resolve the current political impasse would only be a short term measure that might surely cost the nation lots if its implications back fire, may be tomorrow or the day after…not exactly but surely one day.
As bonafide Malawians keep their fingers crossed to witness what tomorrow brings in the political spheres, one dominant puzzle continues irritate upstairs: Who is fooling who?

BANKNOTES’ MODELLING

Malawi has pimped its bucs to a slimmer, slender and remarkably sexy size decorated with quite a variety of faces this time around, away from the traditional John Chilembwe Kodak moment.
Views, pro and against these new notes are understandably a mixed bag. But all in all, the only option left is to handle the change exactly the way it is.
However, are these bank notes a make up for the absence of a heroes acre? Quite a number of us would be tempted to think that way if the faces printed on the new bank notes are anything to go by. Surely, Malawi boasts of bundles of heroes, alive or otherwise, and these fellows cannot all be accommodated on banknotes or else the central bank has to make up for the other ‘deserving’ faces.
By the way, don’t we have youthful heroes recognized at national level to qualify for banknote modeling? Or does one have to graduate into grey hair to win favours for a possible feature on the notes?  Search me.
First things first, it is high time the country took pride in its heroes and developed a proper heroes acre or else the heroes ‘league’ will keep competing for space on banknotes.
The young generation should be equally recognized and this will as well instill an incredible amount of motivation, hope and patriotism amongst young people.
Much as all of us cannot qualify to be heroes at national level, let those that deserve it be accorded the right honour for the betterment of mother Malawi as well as preservation of our history which cannot, obviously, be just reduced to banknotes’ modeling.
Its our nation, let us recognize our people, their talent, achievements and together we can build the pride of Malawi and marry yesterday, today to tomorrow.                                

PROVE THE APPROVAL

So much talk has gone wide and wild, talking youth empowerment from all angles. Quite a sound welcome development and the rest rests on the youthful generation to prove the approvals. Talk without action is empty noise, better file-archived to gather dust and face the wrath of passive reality.
Fellow youth, it is time to fight our own war. It is time to stamp authority. It is time to stand on our toes and prove that it is us that are crucial in colouring dreams of this nation into real life.
Trust me, life will never be as pretty if we just sit phwiii, ndwiiii and watch things stumble drastically. The sweat we shed to chase our individual dreams is enough an ocean to move mountains hindering national development.
Indeed, it is time we collectively break the barriers and build this nation. It is no longer about ‘me’, the better or best thinking ought to be about ‘us’.  A great deal of the senior generation wickedly and purposely ruined our youthful identity so that they continue calling the shots, even if it means making lives the citizenry upside down. No ways, no time to look back for this is the time to build! This is the time to establish our youthful legendary trademark in the society.
We have seen so much tears, so much injustice, so much nepotism, so much corruption, so much abuse of public resources, so much bogus popcorn appointments, so much malnutrition in public service, so much diarrhoea in governance, so much accomplished executive arrogance, so much credible police brutality… It has been so much for mother Malawi… so much for this generation.
Fortunately, this ‘so much’ is the right experience needed to inject sanity into the whole system and erect a testament of change. Change that will make mother Malawi jive a prosperity dance for enough price has been paid.
Fellow youth, we cannot buy authority, we can’t even make it cause we can only be the authority…If isn’t in our spirit, then it is nowhere.

DEAR MADAM PRESIDENT

Congratulations have rained cats and dogs, back to back with condolences of course! Youth and reality follows suit.
Madam President, youth want to be recognised, youth want to be part and parcel of the decision makers, youth want to be instrumental in the success of social, economic and political development, youth want to deserve what they are worth.
Young people in the country are fed up with politics and appointments of appeasement, nepotism based on tribe, region, family etc. Youth have been oppressed and abused for way to long. The great potential of Malawi’s youth has been ridiculously undermined and wasted due to selfish and pocket based politics. Youth have witnessed sad realities. Youth have been coached and blindfolded with some handful kwachas by big kahunas to flash out machetes in broad daylight, ready to slaughter the hard earned teenage democracy. As if that was not enough, authorities that be, farted a bunch of orders that rendered junior police officers with no choice apart from pulling the trigger that mercilessly caused bloodshed… July 20 scores highly on this aspect.
Madam President, you are the mother of the land and it’s the hope and prayer of many that youth will flourish under your laps. Recognise the youth, establishing a national youth day would be a step as it would enable an open forum where young people across the country would be privileged to interact with leaders and commemorate their essence in this great peaceful republic.
It is the young that are flexible enough to uphold that politics is not business, but a channel of resolving national problems and pimping development for the betterment of the 14 million plus people in the country.
Youth have fresh and comprehensive incredible ideas. Young people are open to suggestions unlike the most of the elder generation currently dominating power.
Madam President, this is your chance to hatch a legacy with the youth. This is your time, all eyes on you mama.

FEAR FACTOR

Yesterday is gone, its hangover is the memories we cherish.  Today is painful, probably because of we swallowed a bitter pill. Tomorrow is surely coming. Let the hope for a better society and a better Malawi be overwhelmingly refreshed as often as the sun keeps rising in the east trailing all the way to the west.

Times have changed. Together we can mitigate the course of time by engaging both long and short term factors. Youngsters, we are a generation that calls on the government to fear the people if liberty and democratic principles are to be upheld because the opposite of this pattern (i.e. people fearing the government) only classifies those in authority as oppressors.

Government is our servant and not the master. Whatever government’s activities are, that is all bound to be accountable in the eyes of the 14 million plus people in this country since flow of information is the concrete currency for democracies.

The question arises: do we fear our government or the government fears us? Whatever the answer is, hold it close to the chest. Too much power corrupts and that equals bad government grows out of too much government.

Malawi is not the same. For better or for worse, that is up to every one of us to conclude. The fear factor is fast raping freedoms and rights in this country. Freedom is not supposed to be feared, freedom is to be respected. We must not be scared to exercise democratic rights, we need to be responsible.

Fellow youth, we cannot afford to lose Malawi to fear. Fear cannot build this nation, it can only destroy and devalue it. In this age, fear no longer functions to secure our survival and prosperity otherwise then we are a sad lot because it is in fear that terrible things happen.

HIGH SCHOOL POLITICS

The countdown to 2014 is constantly cruising. Not slowed down a bit by the persistent fuel drought, or even the stumble in forex malnutrition. Our leaders can tout about their verbal glittering successes and policies that have unfortunately led this country into deep graveyard reality where the citizenry is bulldozed into tinted royalty.  

Leadership is not a posh portfolio. Leadership is both a charisma and a challenge. The issue of nicknames for leaders makes most of us choke with laughter. I am not being sarcastic but am only undressing reality as it is.

I cannot poke at some big kahunas or moyas as these names are protectively condemned and embalmed by the high authority. I would not want to be in contempt. It reminds of secondary school politics, where captains or head boys/girls were untouchables. Branding them with any accord contrary to their taste would be enough a warrant to endless brutal punishments. Such punishments of intolerance would include digging a sizeable deep pit and burying the same… all this, just a showcase of authority to silence those with dissenting views but selfishly disguised as discipline installation measures.

The youth know that most heads and captains into the punitive authoritarian fashion of leadership ended up being accomplished miserable failures because they were so corrupt by power that they sacrificed focus on school or leadership to individual witch hunting just to show their might and power. Sad!

Youngsters, who is our leader? Are we tempted to undermine everything Malawi ever stood for in terms of multiparty democracy? From a distance, Malawi seems to be in even a greater destabilization spiced by a beleaguered economy. Is our silence demeaning the cause for which our freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for?

Verily I say unto you, Malawi under the most high God shall have a new birth of freedom and that fundamental principles of democracy shall not perish.