We are not in safe hands

Tom Sangala October 7, 2017

386 1 minute read

The shocking events that are unfolding at the country’s sole electricity provider, Escom are fast eroding the little trust that Malawians had left for the entity and those entrusted to steer its affairs.

It is well known fact that the company is one of the most extravagant, and lately, this has been demonstrated by a lack of oversight by its management when it comes to handling procurement deals.

One cannot help but wonder as to whether the authorities have their eyes on the ball, if the reports about flouting tender procedures and possible fraud in the handing out of contracts are anything to go by. Exactly how did firms that did not originally get shortlisted find their way on the list of endorsed suppliers by the company?

This just goes to show that the government does not have the welfare of the ordinary citizen at heart. If it were the case, then somebody should have by now been jumping and quaking in their boots, for the mess they have created at Escom.

The powers that be at Capital Hill and House Number one cannot just be enjoying tea in the comfort of their offices, while Malawians are being plunged into prolonged power outages, day in day out.

Now is the perfect time for them to at least show some seriousness by following up on this procurement mess, and not just clutching at straws but following the money if any abuse might have occurred, as the public cannot just trust the claims that the deal was initially cancelled.

It does not take rocket science for one to realise that we needed those back-up generators as in yesterday, since people’s lives in hospitals are stake and industry productivity has taken a huge knock due to the unreliable power supply.

People are now connecting the dots, and this probably also explains why the company has been deliberately dragging its feet in signing agreements with Independent Power Producers.

But this is not surprising. It probably best explains why there is stalled progress in the country when neighbouring countries, including others that were ravaged by war and conflict, are making headway in as far as socioeconomic development is concerned.

At the end of the day, it is the small players in the economy such as barbers, welders, hair salon operators that are made to bear the brunt for this mess as they cannot carry out their trade since they rely on Escom to supply them uninterrupted power supply.

We all have a reason to be very scared, as our welfare is clearly not in safe hands.