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(NYASATIMES) Open letter to President Mutharika: Fuel crisis is not a joke

Open letter to President Mutharika: Fuel crisis is not a joke
By Nyasa Times
Published: December 4, 2009

On the World AIDS Day, December 1, it is alleged that His Excellency the State President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr Bingu wa Mutharika, attempted to crack a joke at the ongoing fuel crisis when addressing a gathering at Mponela, Dowa. “”Ndamva kuti kuli vuto la mafuta,” he is said to have remarked, “koma mwabwerabe mu unyinji wanu. Ndikuganiza kuti tsopano yafika nthawi yoti tonse tiyambe kukwera malichero.”

(I have heard that there is a fuel crisis but that did not prevent you from turning up in large numbers. I think the time has come for us to start riding flying saucers).Sorry to say, but I do not find anything funny with the fuel crisis. In fact, I was scandalized by the whole idea to so much as joke about it. To begin with, the President did not say “I know there is a fuel shortage.” He said, “I have heard . . .”

It beats me that at the peak of this crisis, the President does not know, he only hears about it. Does he share our suffering? Is he concerned about it? Does he know that somewhere, an emergency medical case could not be rushed to hospital because there was no fuel in the car? Does he know that in some hospitals, diesel-driven generators could not start because there was no fuel? In the wake of intermittent power supply from the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM), haven’t lives been lost in such hospitals – especially when the power failed during an operation in the theatres?

Haven’t people failed to carry the dead from one corner of the country for burial in their home villages in other corners of the country?No, we will not laugh with you Mr President, because we do not find the joke funny at all. Never in living memory have we seen queues this long here. Maybe the President does not know that we have been forfeiting sleep to be at the filling stations all night long. After waiting for seven hours, the fuel has had to run out when it is just about our turn. In frustration, we have waited some more. Tired. Sleepy. And we did not find that funny.In some instances, it has been getting nasty.

The police – those that arrested Harry Mkandawire for saying the truth – were also called in to quell discontent at some filling stations. People are getting frustrated, Mr President.What we expect from the man of your stature are not jokes at present. We expect explanations. We expect assurances that this is a temporary problem that will soon be over. We want to know why the problem started. We want to know whether there are efforts to prevent a similar thing from happening in future. But jokes? Not now. Later, maybe.

In case you are not aware, Mr President, folks still refer to your political party – the mighty DPP – only that to them, the meaning has changed. It no longer means the Democratic Progressive Party. It means Diesel, Petrol Palibe. The scarcity of diesel and petrol has displaced the democracy and the progressiveness in the acronym of the party you founded. Isn’t it a monumental shame and a colossal disgrace?On the World AIDS Day, December 1, it is alleged that His Excellency the State President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr Bingu wa Mutharika, attempted to crack a joke at the ongoing fuel crisis when addressing a gathering at Mponela, Dowa.

“Ndamva kuti kuli vuto la mafuta,” he is said to have remarked, “koma mwabwerabe mu unyinji wanu. Ndikuganiza kuti tsopano yafika nthawi yoti tonse tiyambe kukwera malicherok.” (I have heard that there is a fuel crisis but that did not prevent you from turning up in large numbers. I think the time has come for us to start riding flying saucers).

Sorry to say, but I do not find anything funny with the fuel crisis. In fact, I was scandalized by the whole idea to so much as joke about it. To begin with, the President did not say “I know there is a fuel shortage.” He said, “I have heard . . .”

It beats me that at the peak of this crisis, the President does not know, he only hears about it. Does he share our suffering? Is he concerned about it? Does he know that somewhere, an emergency medical case could not be rushed to hospital because there was no fuel in the car? Does he know that in some hospitals, diesel-driven generators could not start because there was no fuel?

In the wake of intermittent power supply from the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM), haven’t lives been lost in such hospitals – especially when the power failed during an operation in the theatres? Haven’t people failed to carry the dead from one corner of the country for burial in their home villages in other corners of the country?

No, we will not laugh with you Mr President, because we do not find the joke funny at all. Never in living memory have we seen queues this long here. Maybe the President does not know that we have been forfeiting sleep to be at the filling stations all night long. After waiting for seven hours, the fuel has had to run out when it is just about our turn. In frustration, we have waited some more. Tired. Sleepy. And we did not find that funny.

In some instances, it has been getting nasty. The police – those that arrested Harry Mkandawire for saying the truth – were also called in to quell discontent at some filling stations. People are getting frustrated, Mr President.

What we expect from the man of your stature are not jokes at present. We expect explanations. We expect assurances that this is a temporary problem that will soon be over. We want to know why the problem started. We want to know whether there are efforts to prevent a similar thing from happening in future. But jokes? Not now. Later, maybe.

In case you are not aware, Mr President, folks still refer to your political party – the mighty DPP – only that to them, the meaning has changed. It no longer means the Democratic Progressive Party. It means Diesel, Petrol Palibe (DPP).

The scarcity of diesel and petrol has displaced the democracy and the progressiveness in the acronym of the party you founded. Isn’t it a monumental shame and a colossal disgrace?

Labels: FUEL, FUEL CRISIS, MALAWI

posted by MrK @ 5:18 PM