As the political tide rises

Dear Diary,

Greetings again from Munda wa Chitedze Farm, where I have relocated from the hustle and bustle of your city.

Life is treating us fine down here. Spending time on the farm has shown me that farming isn’t as easy as it was last year.

It is clear that things are tough for us farmers. But, no matter what challenges we face, we know that one day we will reap the fruits of our sweat.

Only a few days ago, someone was questioning the logic in growing chitedze, with all the itching risks involved. It is quite absurd that such a question should arise.

Look, people keep bees for their enjoyment and satisfaction and no one asks questions. The higher the risk, the better the returns.

So, I was at the fish ponds on the Munda wa Chitedze Farm when I got the call from one friend from your city.

Apparently, he was making the call having been caught in a traffic jam created by a presidential convoy.

His main worry was that the President was still addressing a press conference in Lilongwe before flying over to Blantyre for another function.

“You see, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Why should we have whole police officers on the road whenever the President is travelling. Isn’t this business-as-usual?” he said.

His logic was not totally wrong, since during the campaign period we were told such wastefulness would come to an end.

“So you see, being held in such traffic jams has led me to a new pastime. Since the president is travelling more than normally, I have resolved to count the motor vehicles on the convoy. It’s a great way to kill the boredom when you are held. Indeed, I also count the motocycles. Mainly all this is to calculate the tax that goes down the drain with these guzzlers,” he said.

The chilanguni fish we are raising on the farm is doing well. Soon, we will be on the market to supply your protein needs. Who knows, we may come up with a recipe that will go with ground chitedze seeds!

Dear Diary, it is that season again when politicians in your town reposition themselves to promise us the moon, again.

President Lazarus Chakwera has hinted, again, that his face will be on the ballot paper come September next year. For that matter, Lilongwe Mapuyu South parliamentarian Cecilia Kathumba hinted at the fact that they would rather have Chakwera as president for life.

It is funny that such words should come at a time memories are still fresh over the third- term and open-term bills. And to think that a parliamentarian can have thoughts that a life presidency is attainable in Malawi in this time and age is very unfathomable.

As we speak, you see politicians trying hard to position themselves and maintain their relevance.

The other day, one of the workers on the farm was talking with his father. I eavesdropped.

“Dad, who is a person who leaves one party and joins ours?” asked the son.

“A convert my boy, a convert,” answered the father.

“What about the one who leaves our party for another party?”

“A traitor. That one is a traitor and must be hanged,” responded the father.

It appears we have gone into that season where converts and traitors are the in thing. The political tide is rising.