Teargas, arrests and Public Affairs committee- it may not be 60 days!

There is a lot of sense for Government to wait and do proper research before responding to the Public Affairs Committee ultimatum to President Bingu wa Mutharika, to fix the situation especially on governance and relations or leave State House in the next 57 days.
The hope and prayer for every Malawian is that it will not be arrogance and self justification, but a response that will calm Malawians to know they have a leadership that cares.Unfortunately there are people trying to make any response to be given look like a useless piece of Public Relations.
After July 20, one would have expected a tactful approach of Government in dealing with the general public.
The truth for everyone to see things on the ground are bad, taxes are high, prices are souring everyday despite how much someone in Government might shout that someone is sabotaging the economy.
The deficit we have on our import bill is now huge, in 2009 it was 770 million dollars as we managed to raise only 945 million locally of the 1.6 billion required. The challenge is that we should not have chased the British at all costs, neither should we stay out of the IMF programme any longer.
The IMF programme also gives confidence to lenders that we are on track and increases our credit worthiness, our arrogance to be part of the IMF will see us continue borrow at a short term and a higher interest only to finance recurrent expenditures.
The loss of value of kwacha is real in peoples homes with or without IMF suggested devaluation.
I hate devaluation, but I hate to say we have limited options but go for the bitter pills, sort out our governance madness now impinging on absurd intelligence that trivialises coup talk.
Back to this weeks defining moments, the arrests of John Kapito, Chairperson of the Malawi Human Rights Commission and Police teargasing Atupele Muluzi's rally in Lilongwe.
Those two decisions are not strategic response to the current situation where tensions are very high, and very high than at any moment.
Vendors and thugs are looking for an opportunity to venge their anger, opposition parties would want anything that brings down Government and Malawians in general are angry and tired of low pay, challenges of high cost of living and the arrogance towards their plight.
Yes President Mutharika did some magic to the economy and infrastructure, but Government cannot dwell on the past, Muluzi tried it when he wanted third term. People are living now and their immediate demands are of now and tommorrow.
Someone tell Government it is time for it to start acting now on the challenges than employ a lot of useless strategies that do not change anything tomorrow.
Atupele Muluzi is riding a populist agenda, how one handles this "political baby" is very crucial as his constituency is as dangerous as their over-sensitiveness is always. They will be happy to toch down Police station and start riots all over again without anybody telling them so.
Tempers are high up, Government should be the last to frare up the temperatures higher than now, otherwise one day someone will wake up and realise it was not 60 days at all that mattered. An angry Nation is very dangerous.
A poor man has nothing to lose.
The call by PAC will always haunt those in Leadership positions even if they pass 60 days, it is a challenge that requires mature and sober approach and not militancy which can escalate the unimaginable.
This season of lent might be like the 1992 one, the beginning of something for our future history books, only Government holds the key to pacifying the angry and poor Malawian. Ask MCP and arrogance!


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