Maybe there is a misunderstanding between us, plebeians, and those we elected to represent us in Parliament.
I mean, of late, some lawmakers have been spewing gibberish.
I mean, a whole legislator, who goes back home with pockets loaded with cash, craving for more— in terms of benefits— at the expense of the hopeless, starving Malawian out there.
It is clear that, as far as money is concerned, some members of Parliament (MPs) do not care about timing.
That could explain why, as some Malawians— and these are constituents of the same MPs— are facing hunger, all some lawmakers can think about is making money, money, money and more money.
How sad, considering that 4.4 million people are at risk of facing hunger in this country.
The figure has been arrived at following an annual food security assessment conducted in the month of June and mid- July this year.
In focus were the number of people who are likely to be food insecure during the 2023- 24 consumption year and the period the assistance would be required. Results of the assessment indicate that 4.4 million people will likely not be able to meet their annual food requirement, a figure representing about 22 percent of country’s total projected population of 19.6 million.
To make matters worse, the findings indicate that there is a 15 percent increase of those requiring food as compared to the number in 2022, which was at 3.9 million.
To make matters worse, even cities are not safe, as evidenced by the fact that out of the food insecure people, 470,000 are from the four cities of Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Blantyre and Zomba.
Let us remember that this land-of-the-lake has four cities, which simply means there are pockets of hunger in the cities.
As for rural areas, where the majority of people in this country are, the number of people facing hunger in the eye is 3.9 million.
It is, clearly, a precarious situation, more so because the number of the affected population in rural areas has increased by 23 percent from 3.1 million in the 2022-23 consumption year.
Of course, urban areas have registered a decline by 25 percent from 627,571 people during the corresponding period. But, then, hunger is hunger.
I mean, this year seems to be the year of hunger, considering that it is not only Malawians who are living on the knife’s edge. Refugees, too, have been affected.
Come to think of it; the World Food Programme (WFP) has cut provisions of food rations to refugees at Dzaleka Camp to 50 percent from 75 percent with effect from August 1 2023.
Not surprisingly, the Ministry of Homeland Security has described the development as worrisome, saying the government does not have enough resources to help the refugees.
In fact, Homeland Security Minister Ken Zikhale Ng’oma said the government’s capacity to help the refugees will end by December 31 2023, such that, with the cut, the government has to dig deeper into its pockets for it to feed the refugees.
Well, there are many problems in this country. For instance, non-verbal people still find no one to serve them in hospitals, more so because the government does not employ social workers.
Most buildings, be it government or private sector-owned, are not disability-friendly. For instance, most of them have no ramps.
So, in all fairness, these are the issues MPs can prioritise.
Unfortunately, these issues do not matter to these people. That is why, instead of discussing these issues, some MPs have been busy thinking about how to be a burden on the taxpayer for life.
Others have even been thinking of bypassing queues on filling stations simply because people elected them to Parliament.
It is about them, them, them and them, with no space for the ordinary Malawian in their hearts. That is why I say Malawian politics is an art of the belly.
