BY IDRISS ALI NASSAH
I do quite like the epiphany of those who were drunk on power the last six years who are now coming to appreciate the simple fact that we did not criticise the excesses of the Peter Mutharika government and its key players because―as they often accused us―of HATE.
Rather, our criticism was for the purpose of holding government and government leaders to account so that they become better and that they stop making avoidable mistakes.None of us want Malawi to fail, because if Malawi fails, we all fail with it.
For most people, Malawi is all they have and it has to be protected from any decisions that harm its well-being. I hope that they will always remember that it is the job of the opposition to put the government of the day in as difficult a position as possible. It is imperative that they demand answers for decisions made on behalf of the people. That, again, is not HATE but a very important and necessary function of a democratic society.
Government has to be held accountable and often, its feet has to be held to the fire. A responsible government doesn’t declare its critics “enemies of the people” and schemes ways of doing them physical harm. Rather, it welcomes the scrutiny and criticism and works to improve, provide answers and it listens to what the people are saying because the voice of the people, is a voice that must be heard.
The criticisms on the composition and quality of the cabinet are not a nuisance but they are necessary. The people must be heard, and responded to.
