Let 2018 be point of positive change
Phew! The year 2017, which will forever be remembered for all the bad things, is past us.
Not surprisingly, everyone is excited. We do not know why a new year always stirs the greatest excitement in us, but we are sure that this is, in part, because people are always eager to turn the corner and move on with their lives.
In the same vein, we would like to ask us— you and us, that is— to turn the page as we look forward to embracing different opportunities and challenges.
We know that 2017 had its positives, among them the peace that continued to prevail in the country. It has not escaped our attention that the country managed to hold peaceful by-elections on October 17. Malawi also continued to have cordial relations with her neighbours. There are a number of things we can point at as positives.
On the other hand, Malawians will not forget the issue of man-made hunger, which culminated in the rush for maize in Zambia. Some people are in court in relation to the same issue.
Corruption cases continued to progress at a snail’s pace while service delivery— we have the examples of the public education sector and justice delivery system— continued to be affected through industrial action.
But, worst of all, 2017 will be remembered as the year Malawians experienced the worst blackouts in history, sometimes going four days on end without power supply.
We can go on and on but, at this point, we want to only be optimistic about the future we have started today.
We are hopeful that 2018 will be a positive year through and through. We do not expect to experience the incessant blackouts of 2017, poor service delivery and other ills that have been taking us aback for the past 53 years of independence.
As they say, only someone who is mentally ill commits the same mistakes while waiting for a different outcome.
May the good times roll and, in the same breath, may you have a Happy New Year.
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