By Wesley Macheso
In 1994, Malawians fought for freedom and it was granted when we got rid of the draconian one-party system. We were coming from a dark place where even the mere freedom of speech was not guaranteed. It is not surprising, then, that it took more than three decades for people to trust the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) again with power.
When people voted for this party in 2020, they did not anticipate that it could take us back in time towards the dark place we had left. But recently, something is not right and we are noticing it. Just last week, the chief of police was grilled by Members of Parliament to give answers regarding visible lawlessness in the country.
There has been a trend where thugs are hacking anyone who seems to be in opposition to the government and the police are doing nothing about it. We first saw this when Democratic Progressive Party supporters were brutally attacked by unknown thugs in Lilongwe, with the police doing nothing about it. Then others went to demonstrate on the streets of the same city, only to be dispersed by more thugs with machetes.
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A few weeks ago, some teachers went on the streets to protest low wages, only to be hacked again. This is unacceptable in any democracy. What is even more disheartening is that, apart from blocking street protests, this government is taking more measures to silence any form of dissent at all levels. The teachers who were hacked by unknown thugs for voicing their discontent have apparently been dealt more punitive blows by their employer, the government.
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Reports indicate that some of them have been transferred to new locations on short notice. This is also the case with some health workers who spoke out against the leadership of the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives.
One can easily read between the lines and tell that this is not mere coincidence. There is somebody somewhere who is slowly trying to eat into people’s rights and freedoms. We must also not forget that this government’s silencing of the voice of workers did not begin yesterday.
When they came into power, one of the first things they did was rob workers of the freedom to strike. They restricted industrial action to two days a year, literally telling us that we cannot protest or put our tools down when we feel we are being treated unfairly.
As such, what has happened with the teachers and nurses should not be too surprising. It is just now that, if there were any doubts, they have been cleared and we know that we may not be heading in the right direction. As Malawians, we should not let our guard down at any moment, such that politicians take advantage of us. We fought for this freedom we have today and we should not let it go so easily.
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Those in power must understand that they are there to serve and protect the vulnerable and as such, they must not be the primary source of vulnerability. We have witnessed how workers are mistreated in this country, and we need to unite and fight for the rights of workers.
Instead, it seems that the harder the times become, the more hopeless the situation. We are in an economy that is crumbling and the least a worker can do is express their discontent through protest. If workers lose that right, then there is nothing else left for them.
We understand that the government is there to serve the people, but we want them to demonstrate that they truly care about the rights of the masses. Those thugs who have been hacking people on the streets in broad daylight must be stopped and brought to justice.
If nothing happens, people begin to suspect that responsible offices are compliant, which may not be the case. If workers or any other citizens speak out about what they think is wrong, they must not be silenced through punishment. We live in a democracy and we expect that the rights and freedoms that were fought for in ushering in that system will be respected and protected at all costs. Malawians do not want to sink into a reign of terror.
