A blind man was accustomed to distinguishing different animals by touching them with his hands.

The whelp of a wolf was brought to him, with a request that he would feel it, and say what it was.

He felt it, and being in doubt, said:  “I do not quite know whether it is the cub of a fox or the whelp of a wolf, but this I know full well.  It would not be safe to admit it to the sheepfold.”

Surely, evil tendencies are shown in early life.

It was thought the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has hit upon a right spokesperson in Jappie Mhango–Information, Tourism and Civic Education Minister.

Mhango, for example, sensibly responded to Livingstonia Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian’s pastoral letter on the current socio-economic and political development.

He even “acknowledged the balanced and sober approach the synod has taken to highlight the issues such as giving credit where it is due”.

But some remarks he has spewed thereafter reveal that, as early as it is, Mhango is just another worthless (but expensive) furniture addition to the new Cabinet.

Recently, Malawi Congress Party officials listed a litany of issues which the DPP government has lost control of, among them, taking a large delegation to the United Nations General Assembly at a time the country is facing a food deficit and has appealed for humanitarian assistance.

This is a weighty matter affecting the natural and political rights of bona fide Malawians.

Perhaps the government spokesperson knows that the citizenry have a right to know how government officials, including the First Citizen, handle matters on behalf of the taxpayers.

This forms the underpinning and an important element of fiscal transparency and good governance in a democratic set-up.

So Mhango’s conceited dismissal of MCP officials claims, saying: “They [MCP] still believe they were robbed of the [May 20 2014 Tripartite] elections and they need to wake up from their slumber because DPP is ruling until until until …” merely casts him into a whelp of a wolf recognised so early of its wolfish.

This is what one reader thinks about the September 6 2015 Weekly Agenda entry.

Dear Mr. Chafulumira

I liked reading your piece about Escom’s insensitivity in buying power transmission poles from Zimbabwe. 

I feel that people who are blaming Escom are being emotive on the issue without looking at the underlying cause of the decision. I am yet to be convinced that there are enough stocks of poles that can be supplied at the right time for Escom to carry out its work.

I guess people should have been asking as to what happened to our plantations that could have supplied these poles. We have degraded our natural forests and plantations to the extent that we cannot derive ecosystem goods and services from them.

As a nation, we are not forward-looking and strategic in what we do and are not bold enough to put in place policies and actions that result in tangible benefits from ecosystems.

It is not about poles only; we are importing farmed tilapia from Zimbabwe and Zambia and potatoes from South Africa, and deforestation is rapidly depleting water towers and water supply.

These are the issues which we should be reflecting on to address the problem in the medium term.

Meanwhile, commercial and economic decisions cannot wait for us to go around the country to source poles which are already available outside the country at a cheaper landed cost.

For the medium and long term, let us act now and invest in ecologies that will make good economics.

Regards,

Daniel Jamu.