Micheal Jackson trial, burning markets and mysterious deaths!

Breaking now: Jim Jumani Johansson is now at Lilongwe Immigration office after officers collected him from his home. He holds a Swedish passport and he is said to be deported. Updates as they come.

Burning of markets and mysterious deaths

This morning as I dropped from public transport, a woman told me to be careful, "your job" is among the to risk jobs in town. I looked at this ordinary woman and thanked her for her concern. An old classmate of mine from London, wrote that she was praying for me all the time. Suddenly you start thinking of death, threats or any type of attack. For sure if ordinary people start expressing fears, we are living in dangerous times.

Yesterday, they buried a young man at HHI. At 25, Robert Chasowa had dreams and he had dreamnt of completing his five year journey. But he is now dead. How he died, is the question everyone is asking. His alleged suicide note, presented by the girlfreind, raises more questions than answers.

I learnt about one thing about Robert during my brief interaction with Poly students, he liked poetry. Something that tells me he was a thinker. Commenting on all other allegations and wild speculations would not solve most of the mysteries the death has created.

Police too, seems to have lost the public confidence. Anything that comes from them is viewed suspiciously. But with human blood, the truth will always be the truth, it comes out, no matter how long it might take.

Robert's death came at time the United States had just killed Troy Anthony Davies who had been on death row since 1991. He died still protesting his innocence years letter. Even a million signatures did not save him, not even from a fellow black President Barack Obama.

The outrage on Chasowa is understandable, Police were looking for him. To quote some people speaking to the press, he lived like a haunted man. But he was last seen alive by his girlfreind at 3.33am, alone getting out of the room. What happened between that time and when his body was discovered is very crucial to the whole story.

People mentioned in the alleged suicide note, can also explain what they know about the issues he raises, like Justice Kangulu, Lillian and Mtengo-wa Mbalame. What do these things mean.

I asked what agenda's are we all advancing now, Robert's death is painful, but some politicians decided to do their best, wore sheeps skin and pretended to care for the departed young man. They walked and where asked provided the best quotes to the media. If you asked them are they willing to hire an independent person to do a post moterm by giving cash, most of them could have surely gave one excuse after another.

The pain will remain with the family, just like July 20 victims, politicians and other groups will move on looking for another occassion and show their sympathy.

This is where this generation of Robert Chasowa needs to rise up and reclaim their positions in society. If the truth is to come out, it will come out from persistence not some politician or interest group advancing their causes. Youth can develop a petition and collect signatures across the country demanding a full inquest into the death of Robert.

Let those with theories and evidence bring forward. The Mwanza Fours truth came out even after 17 years.

This comes to the question of Micheal Jackson, whose doctor is on trial starting today in LA. What happened between our favourate super star and the doctor, only the two can tell, but I believe it is a wake up call to those that claim to be professionals in emotive fields, remain honest and value human life first.

Yesterday, I thought I will be writing about the new Zambian President Micheal Sata who decided to give a cold shoulder to my President and preferred an opposition party representative. He reminded me of Mwai Kibaki and his colleagues including Raila Odinga when they had just won elections and his deputy Micheal Wa Malwa died, they were busy recognising Zimbabwe's opposition MDC other than the legitimate Government of Robert Mugabe.

President Mutharika might have made huge mistake by deporting Sata, but for the new generation of our political leaders, voters want them to leave the past and bring the promised new land. Youth voting for such people its because they have been told that there will be wealth sharing and all equally. Unfortunately more often than note, they have ended up to be election fantansies than the truth.

Our political leaders should always account to the people.

Finally, back to our now very common story, fires everywhere or thugs attacking human rights defenders or those percieved as Government critics. I wrote way back that the biggest casualty of all this remains His Excellency the Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika- all accolades observed.

The Presidents image since July 20, is not only tattered locally but also internationally. I am well informed that even the death of Robert Chasowa had some International bodies paying extra attention.

The challenge is that when the President speak, his word is the same as the word Barack Obama, David Cameron or Angel Merkel would be asked to clarify. He is the head of state, equal to any who answers the same.

That is why any misunderstanding of what he says needs to be clarified soberly and professional, not by emotive spokespersons that sorround him. The coming in of Patricia Kaliati should have changed the tones, but to a larger extent people have already closed their ears for the next period she is in office.

Propaganda means convincing people to tow to your line, our Government propaganda seems to be doing the opposite. When you reach the state of people not believing you, your radio and the whole machinery, something is very wrong.

The President needs a new face, otherwise the current one is becoming more of a liability. Check how many Ministers turned up for the Comesa summit in Lilongwe. All indicators are that it will be the poorly attended, mainly due to political uncertainity that these languages of demonstraions, vigils, smoke out, war or whatever are bringing.

As I said about President Bakili Muluzi, his greatest achievements including Presidents Al Bashir of Sudan and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Joseph Kabila of DRC together, were the greatest on the continent. Unfortunately, his attempts for third terms, reports of violence by young democrats, propaganda on radio forgetting we have a lot of foreigners and even the 2009 attempt to run again against the constitution erased all the good areas and he is viewed as a power hungry African leader.

President Mutharika still has the right time to correct his image, prove critics wrong, hire the right people to project his real image and deliver his messages that will need one to clarify. The President will need to sacrifice some of his strong views to regain the respect of the International and local communities which hailed him at his finest hour which has now faded like a June sunshine.

The opposition too need to wake up and not just dance to Sata's win. Sata was a string character, went into shops and spoke like a poor Zambian. There is too much respect people like John Tembo want their followers and supporters to shower them. They want them to sign how great they have preserved the party that collects Parliamentary funding since 1994 does not even have a single vehicle, paid up full running secretariat. This is a party with properties all over.

Joyce Banda is a grassroot campaigner, but who esle can attract masses in her party when campaign really starts everyday. Then we have a litany of problems in UDF, the factions in Aford, the messy PDM, come on, if everybody becomes a candidate we will have many losers and DPP candidate Professor Peter Mutharika will earn the title His Excellency much easier than many think. Greed is the perfect word about our politicians!