Volleyball Association of Malawi members recently marched in Mzuzu and residents kept asking if the march was the much-awaited demonstration against the rising cost of goods and services in the country.
The march by the volleyball community on 11 November was aimed at marking the commencement of activities for this year’s Raiply National Volleyball Championship
Right from where the parade started from at the old PTC Shop at Old Town in the city, scores of people could be seen and be heard asking if the parade was a demonstration aimed at expressing discontent with how the Tonse Government is mismanaging the country’s economy.
A lot of people could be heard shouting on top of their voices blaming the organizers of the parade for bringing such a sports related display in town when the people were eagerly waiting for real demonstrations to express their anger in relation to a number of economic factors affecting their daily living.
“Why bringing a demonstration just to do with sports (volleyball) at this time when in fact we are all eagerly waiting for real demonstrations to express our discontent on how government is being run these days, the cost of living has gone up, we are really suffering so you energetic youths are busy doing sports when all what we are expecting are demos to tell President Lazarus Chakwera that things have really gone bad under his leadership,” a man believed to be in his early 40s of age only identified as Marko Chirwa said.
Another group of youths also came closer to the parade when it was passing through the Shoprite Roundabout and shouted as to why the marching started from the Old Town instead of the usual Katoto Secondary School ground where most of the demonstrations start from.
“If this parade started from this side (Katoto Secondary School ground) the way it is usually then am sure we could just join and take advantage to tell Chakwera and Vice President Saulos Chilima openly how frustrated we are with the way they are governing this country,” shouted one, Gertrude Mwase who sales airtime near the Mzuzu Shoprite gate.
One of the civil rights activists in the city, Mervin Nxhumayo, said the people’s outbursts out there are a clear indication that people in the Northern region just like all other regions are indeed waiting for a day when they will express their frustration, anger and discontent with how the governance system is being messed up.
Apart from escalating prices of goods and services in the country, people are also angry with how some recruitment of senior public officers are being conducted like that of: the Directors of MBC and MACRA and most recently, Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) Chief Executive Officer given to academically unqualified Henry Kachaje.
Don’t sit idle and wait for demonstration rather be initiative in coming up with ideas that would alleviate the poverty of yourself and the community at large and avail yourself to the international news channels on economic issues such that you may be very interested in working to provide the basics