Lilongwe City vendors took everyone—except, perhaps, themselves— by surprise earlier in the week when they marched to Parliament Building to present their grievances to lawmakers and Cabinet ministers.
Their action had all the marks of proper preparations, in terms of people mobilisation, although it can be said that the vendors also overlooked some procedures. For instance, the vendors did not “waste” time with procedures such as informing the Malawi Police Service, let alone the District Commissioner’s office, about their intention to march to Parliament Building.
Anyway, a multitude of them took to the streets, where they sang songs and held placards to pass their message across. Slowly, but surely, they made their way to Parliament Building, where opposition members of Parliament and those from the governing side rushed to meet them.
Of course, someone— especially those in the opposition ranks—wanted to score some political “goals”. Someone wanted to appear
Lilongwe City vendors took everyone—except, perhaps, themselves— by surprise earlier in the week when they marched to Parliament Building to present their grievances to lawmakers and Cabinet ministers.
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Their action had all the marks of proper preparations, in terms of people mobilisation, although it can be said that the vendors also overlooked some procedures. For instance, the vendors did not “waste” time with procedures such as informing the Malawi Police Service, let alone the District Commissioner’s office, about their intention to march to Parliament Building.
Anyway, a multitude of them took to the streets, where they sang songs and held placards to pass their message across. Slowly, but surely, they made their way to Parliament Building, where opposition members of Parliament and those from the governing side rushed to meet them.
Of course, someone— especially those in the opposition ranks—wanted to score some political “goals”. Someone wanted to appear sympathetic to the vendors’ cause—as if things would have been different had they been in charge of national affairs.
It is also true that those on the governing party side—notably Cabinet ministers—wanted to score political points. That is why they were quick to promise the moon in front of the vendors, even though it was clear, at least to me, that some of the pledges made were impractical.
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How, for example, can the government be giving second-hand clothes sellers forex at a time the country needs the forex to import fuel, which has been one of the thorns in the current administration’s flesh as supply has been erratic.
Indeed, the same forex is needed for the importation of fertiliser, which has become an integral part of the agriculture industry’s survival as Malawi relies on foreign countries to meet its inorganic fertiliser needs.
Then, there are industry players—who are waiting for the same forex. It is a shame that Malawi does not even produce toothpicks, let alone straws, despite the proliferation of bamboos. In short, local industry players depend on suppliers in foreign countries to meet their raw materials’ needs.
At the same time, second-hand car dealers want forex so that they can import ramshackle vehicles from Japan and other countries.
There are countless players who want forex in this country, such that sparing the scarce forex for people who import second-hand underwear could be a joke of the century.
Anyway, Lilongwe City vendors marched to Parliament Building then went back home, where they slept like children at night. They can be lauded for being largely peaceful.
This was not the case with some vendors in Limbe, Blantyre City, yesterday. While some of them had good intentions, there were others who were hell bent at destroying property.
For instance, some of the hoodlums— masquerading as vendors— broke into a flour shop, where they went away with countless bags of maize—which is now selling at K100,000 per 50 kilogramme bag.
Some of the hoodlums even broke into a shoe sales shop, where they went away with a number of shoes—all in the name of expressing themselves on things they feel have gone wrong in this country.
However, the shoe shop owners are not foolish; they never put a pair of shoes of the same size and make on the same shelf. They put a shoe for one leg on display and keep the other one in the warehouse. As such, some foolish hoodlums who broke into the shop went away with shoes for one foot each. Like headless chickens, the hoodlums misplaced their artificial anger by venting it on shoes that had nothing to do with their ill-timed and poorly organised protest.
In their foolishness, the hoodlums brought life to a stand-still in Limbe.
Surely, no one can tell me that the enjoyment of human rights includes breaking into people’s and firm’s shops and stealing property therein. The proper name for that is foolishness.
It is, therefore, foolhardy to blame Malawi Police Service officers when they arrest such people. Such shameless hoodlums are a shame to the society and have no business mingling with those in the civilised world.
Shame on the Limbe hoodlums who broke into people’s and firm’s shops. One day, they will be made to answer for their reckless behaviour.
