Katsonga’s suspension, good riddance: that wasn’t even Malawian wear

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Davis Katsonga

Of all the news that came from Parliament this week, the most pleasing was that the Deputy Speaker had finally moved that Davies Katsonga ex-Chipani Cha Pfuko President be suspended from the house. I would have loved if that suspension were for the rest of this sitting. With that suspension, as well, he should have been getting zero penny in terms of allowance.

Davis Katsonga
Katsonga

However, since our system is twisted, Katsonga will still smile all the way to the bank at the end of the day while the people who voted him into office lack representation at that crucial stage all because their parliamentarian opted to be petty just for fame. Shame!

I have listened to Katsonga supporters, the kind of people who are deluded to think that everything western is wrong, and my conclusion has been that: they are just lost people with anger management issues who are just unhappy with their lives. In return, they vent all their frustrations on westernisation although they exist comfortably because of western inventions.

These people now have found Katsonga as the perfect prophet because, like them, he equally has anger management issues and definitely unhappy with his life. One can easily sympathise with him, it is not easy to have served as a Speaker, a Minister, a President’s beloved boy, an actual President (even if it is of a briefcase party) and just to end as a backbencher in Parliament.

These people, used to the limelight, once they are starved of that limelight they pull dramatic yet useless stunts just to have the light cast on them. In brief, they are like Katsonga and that self-kidnapper Kamlepo.

When you look at the excuse by Katsonga that he is an Impi and therefore should dress as an Impi in Parliament, you get to understand why Katsonga is just a sad man spoiling for useless fights. Anyone who knows that society runs well on order and not chaos understands that Katsonga is just attempting to be vain.

By the way, when did Katsonga become an Impi?

Anyway even if he has become an Impi just last weekend, why should that bother the whole nation?

Before I am accused of jealousy or infringing on Katsonga’s rights to express himself whatsoever, I need to highlight here that all the rights have limitations and where your rights end, the other person’s rights start. It is on that understanding that we have laws and guidelines so that each one of us enjoys our rights peacefully. It is this understanding which Katsonga and his supporters are missing. But that is not even the point.

The point is that if Parliament were to allow each of the members exercise their tribal affiliations through dress, we would end up with a house in anarchy.

It is for a reason that there are orders on how members should dress. Yes, those regulations might be an aftershave cream if we are to consider colonialism as the actual shave but they have still helped to maintain sanity in this land where tribes vary and the dressing is as different as it might end up shocking.

Imagine a parliament in which Patricia Kaliati comes bare-breasted simply because Lhomwe ladies do that, or maybe a Parliament in which, on the opening day, Vice President Chilima walks in with no shirt and trousers but just an animal cloth covering the loins and some headgear simply because he is an Impi as well. What a chaotic scene that would be?

It is for the avoidance of such chaos that Parliament prescribes a code. It is not just Parliament that has a code.

When Katsonga is busy performing his Impi duties, there is also a code which he is expected to dress by. How come Katsonga does not violate that code, dress like a former President of a failed party or a member of Parliament unsure of his returning to Parliament next time when he goes to attend Ngoni events? Why are the Ngoni events important than national business?

Personally, I respect Katsonga and would protect to death his right to tribal affiliation but when he wants to disturb the order of things and make his tribe supreme over national business then I am under no obligation to celebrate his cheap attempts at popularity.

Katsonga once served as a Speaker and it is really a shame that for a gentleman of his calibre, he would stoop so low to bring Parliament into disrepute with a simple headgear he could remove, conduct Parliamentary business and then put it back on after that business?

I know some people will come to say I am glorifying westernisation. But it is not as if Katsonga himself is a complete challenge of westernisation. Here is a guy dressed in a whole western suit, conducting business in English, most likely enjoys his phone, car and television which are all not African inventions yet he wants to abuse Parliament under the guise of tradition; as if the Church where he worships a white Jesus is his tradition?

No, Katsonga is not an African traditional man as he wants us to have. He is just a man unhappy with his life who is finding his popularity waning and now he wants to court controversy so we remember him. Just like Kamlepo. Spent forces in our politics.

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78 Comments

  1. he expressed himself properly through that cultural attire,its for all races to be recognised in one way or the other ,in ministerial and other public offices they are not recognised.

  2. Nyumba ya malamulo simalola munthu kubvala zamtundu wake ndipo lamulolo iyeyo akulidziwa,ndipo atangolola kutero ndiye kuti mukhala zisawawatu muzibwera zobvala zachilendo,popanga lamuloli chilipo chomwe anaona kuipa kwake kotero ndiye analakwitsa kubvala nthawi yobvala zimenezo simunyumbamo ayi koma akatuluka

  3. Masiku ano si akale ovala nyanda mavalidwe awa ndi a anthu amutchire akuluwa apa anaganiza moperewera ndipo anthu oterewa zatheka bwanji kukapezeka mu paliament awa ndi amthengo za ku paliament ndi zachitawon

  4. Malawi wa lero kale akuluakulu anali okwima mzeru ana anali ochepekedwa lero akulu akulu akulu mbuli zokha zokha ana ndi amene akuganiza mwakuya akulu akulu alero zomvesa chisoni ndithu

  5. Buy Malawian …..nawo achewa mawa abwere atawedza…atonga amenye so white white malipenga attire ….paja Lucious anamubweza atavala colour yolakwika despite kuti inali suit

  6. so now anthu akavala zachikhalidwe chayo the end result is chaos like really now. paliyamenti ikanalephelera to do business of the day just because there is an MP in Impi regaria. MAlwi at 50 ameneyo.

  7. I read and have digested the whole story. Here are my remarks, putting a head gear traditionary called impi in Malawian parliament is not a serious breach of parliamentaly dress code. The way the journalist has narrated the story here, it does nt really corespond with the act of just wearing an impi on the head and seat in the august house. Remember Lucious Banda once put a reather black jacket in the same house as if he was on stage, what the speaker said was just to ask him to go out and put an executive jacket and it ended there period. Another thing I needed to crash out from the article is the irrelavant example used of a lhomwe woman walking into the august house with their naked upperbody, breast out as if she is dancing that heavy atractive gule called sopa. This is totally impossible for a lhomwe to do like that. I would rather if you could use an example of a moslem lady putting a hijahb on her head in parlament that is it proper? if it is even not allowed at all. Yea, so that reporter must know that wearing suit in parliament is not a Malawian tradition its just a resemblance of a British. I have no ample time to write much but easy u journalist may be you wanted to remind yourself the way you were writing short stories.

  8. I think with such an issue at hand its high tym a raster man wins a paliamentary seat as well as their children allowed in public schools! Uzivala zmenezo but dont recieve my hardly found income as ur salary,am ur boss and am saying stop it now!

  9. U PPLE WY SAYING WE SHOULD BE USING OUR CULTURAL DRESSING CODE WHILE IN THE SAME PARLIAMENT WE R TALKING ENGLISH INSTEAD OF USING OUR VENECULAR LANGUAGES?LETS NOT BRING NYAU IN THE HOUSE,INGOMA DRESSING NO MEN.

  10. Ngati zili chomwecho ife achewa tikuyenera kuvala nyau popita ku pariament ndiye yankho ikhoza kupezeka coz zachikhalidwe timasiya kumudzi tikamapita ku nchito tikuyenera kumvala za kunchito not zachikhalidwe

  11. The main issue its about order and dressing code of the parliament,so whether we defend our curture or western,where ever u go u follow orders,code of a particular sertion,a right to dress in ur culture,end with u personaly,be wise

  12. Mmmmm paja ndale zanu ndizongokumbana mitundu nthawi zonse, kugwila ntchito goooooo kma kupanga milomo. Chakomela mbuzi kugunda galu,kma galu akaluma mbuzi ati iyai iphani ameneyo wayamba chiwewe. Tisamangokhalira kutukwana mitundu, munthu aliyense ali ndi mphatso zake. Akadakhala enawa bwenzi mwangoti zii, kma poti lero ndi ngoni wavala zikopa choncho zaipa eti?.

  13. Suits are not Malawian wear, Katsonga was right to put on his Malawian outfit in his country.In Swaziland we have seen kings and ministers dressing like that & in South Africa we have seen overaals in Augusta house!

  14. It was possible to advance ur argument without having to use degrading imagery of the persons of high profile individuals such as the veep. This is a bullshit post.

  15. Yes he did wrong. imeneyo ndi Parliament mumakumana anthu amitundu yosiyanasiyana kod aliyense atati azivala zachikhalidwe chawo ziyenda? pali zikhalidwe zina akadz amaonetsa mchombo ndye azikaonetsa ku parliament mapeto ake amuna ena akalephera kuyankhulatu and Katsonga if he wnt to wear that zimenezo azivala m’misonkhano ya kwawo komko kumangoni komweko osat ku parliament. Tisamangot tili ndi ufulu wakavalidwe koma tikufuna kusokoneza zinthu

    1. hahahaha brother Malema amavala zachikhalidwe zawo kapena worksult ya chipani chake? brother unaonapo ma Xhosa mmene ndi Mazulu mmeme amavalira zachikhalidwe ndye zimene zija azivale ku parliament ziyenda? Ndipo za Malema ukunenazo zilingat ma Mp onse a UDF kumavala zofanana palibe cholakwikayi. kod aliyense atati azivala zachikhalidwe chawo Ayao zigoba kumaso, Achewa ndye ukudziwa kale kod ukuona ngat ku parliament kukhala mwambo wamagule kapena kokambira za mdziko? Ndipo ndikukuuza uzisiyanitsa zovala Malema ndi chikhalidwe cfk Malema savala zachikhalidwe koma zachipani chake

  16. komatu paliponse pali malamulo,ngakhale mnyumba yako munthu mumakhala malamulo. Katsonga was warned kuti asavalenso mawa akubweranso chomcho. Utipeza chaka chamawa chino kudzatikopa.

    1. ukunama mphwanga bwela kuno ku south africa udzawone mabwana aku kwazulu natal momwe amabvalira chikhalidwe ndi ndalama ndi zosiyana nanga ukatelo ndiye kuti achewa pomadzola matope aja mkusowaso chomvala?

  17. Post colonial slavery where we still take the whiteman as superior in everything includin dress….those who have gone on field trips with azungu akumbukire tht time when anali mu landcruiser atabaya jacket thukuta kamukamu while the mzungu worn a short and short sleeved shirt with open neck buttons…who looked the fool

  18. Who told u that lomwe womens culture allows women to walk bare breasted? thus awrong impression, ushould never do that again thus an insult!, if uhv nothing to write come here we should teach u hw to dig mice

    1. inu ndiachitsiru kwambiri akulu munapita madera onse amalawi komwe kumakhala alhomwe ndukapeza atavula maber pamtunda kapena wangoganiza kuyankhula mopusako chenjera mayankhuludwe ndipo zimenezo udziyankhulila kwanu komweko osaolokanazo tsidya lina uzaona mbwaza one day

  19. Chabwino ngati mukuti aliyese ali niwufulu uvala vovala vachikhalidwe chake mumpalamentimo. Nafeso ochewa tivala vathu. Osathawetu Ku palamentiko nafeso tikayamba uvala vachikhalidwe chathu ndipo wosalowa tiwagwira mekoko. Mwavishosho Mokha, muviwona!

    1. Zikhale chomcho basi. Aliyese atchukitse vovala nichikhalidwe chake Ku palamentiko. Ife ndife ondani ochewa kuti tikhalire popeza chilankhulo chachikulu mdzikoli nichathu?Dziko nilathu! Nafeso FREEDOM OF WEARING BASI!!!

    2. Kkkkk Owonadi Mewa, Maria(ojin Kalirani)alikonko,ombunde(olazalasi Chatsika)olikonko.Ngola/nyikwi Nde Mzosayamba Me Mpaliamentimo.

  20. Ngati malamulo amupaliament akukana kuti asavale zovala zina monga zachingoni culture akuyenela kuvomeleza basi.azatengele zamalema malema mutu wake wire m,modzi anasongonekelamo

  21. Yes,go ahead. This is not Manchester or Liverpool where DB suits should be of paramount importance. This western style of dressing is meant for their weather which extremely drops( snowy weather). Ife koma tidziwala ziwaya. Kuvala Suit kukutentha umawoneka ngati ndiwe wanyanga(mfiti).

    1. Hv you read the story well? Do you hv any reference that any Lhomwe parliamentarian did this and was left to attend parliamentary deliberations?

  22. character not conduct is what makes a man,you can not walk around in house that represents Malawians as a people in dead animals skins,probably a Skunk,a true Ngoni is but known with his characters.he may try to dress up like to his church and see how will bumbler bubbles like a band of baboons.anyway,it was bacolic of him to dress up like in a parliment because in Malawi,every occasion has its attires,you might not want the Chewas to go deeper right?!

  23. Sindikuvesesani anthu zomwe mukupanga comment coz mkati mokha malamulo salola kutero iye amadziwaso .Zoona kuti aliyese azipanga zomwe akugina nthawi yake likhala dziko lotani bwanji osadzudzula boma pomwe amaletsa ana achi Raster kupita ku school? palibe chomwe mukunena lamulo lili ndi malo ake

  24. Malawi adakalibe mu ulamuliro wa asamunda………h is respecting his culture which is very important to him to preserve nothing is wrong here…….stop politicize everything

    1. Mmmmm awa abodza man alibe chilankhulo, debele, Tswana, Swazi,shangani,Xhosa onsewa Ali mgulu lachingoni (Nguni) koma Ali ndizilankhulo zao.ndipo musandiuze kuti isuzulu ndichilankhulo chanu pamene anguni anachoka Ku Swaziland ndi south Africa. @Hambayedwa Nqumayo inuyo mukulankhula broken isuZulu chifukwa muli Ku south Africa Ku Malawi kulibe amene amayankhula zimenezo ndipo musatinamize ngati kuntcheu, Ku Mzimba komanso Dowa ndi madera ambiri sitidapitako.

  25. He is just an lazy man. U can’t know him exactly. I don’t like him. We taken missed the target. Voted for a robot leaving the real human being. Shame on u voters

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