It’s us who are stupid!

Our leaders are always failing Malawi. That is the impression you get whenever you get close to public political discourse.

Kamuzu Banda’s leadership failed here. Bakili Muluzi’s regime failed there. Bingu wa Mutharika’s seven years failed that. Joyce Banda’s two year failed this. And so on!

In fact, even those in the opposition are failing Malawi as well. John Tembo is this, Peter Mutharika and Atupele Muluzi is that…all being defined in tones of failure.

But is it true that it is only leaders that are failing Malawi? What about us, the people? Are our ways and choices and decisions perfect?

Of course, I am not trying to defend these leaders who are failures. After all, if they were achievers—like post-independence Brazilian and Chinese leaders—Malawi could by now have developed.

But I think the ‘let’s bash politicians’ tradition is not a complete story behind Malawi continued retrogress.

I will tell you a story. I was travelling from Lilongwe on Thursday last week. It was the day Joyce Banda was returning from her global errands. From Bunda turn-off to as far as Linthipe in Dedza, all I saw beside the road, as early as 6 am, were men and women, both young and old, wearing orange colours waiting to be shipped to Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) to welcome the President.

The plane touched down at around 12:30 pm.

I asked myself: Instead of attending to matters of self-development, how much time did these people waste in being shipped to welcome a rich President who doesn’t even take time to grant interviews to the media?

I am concerned because these people only present a case of the larger picture of the uncritical mass we have in the country. The uncritical mass that does not listen to what they say, they don’t question their decisions, they live a day at a time and they just go by the wind. Tragically, this is the ‘uncritical mass’ that votes the most.

Most politicians, hence, take advantage of this mass and use it to their selfish ends. That is why every political party in the country bloats their rallies with people shipped from different corners. That is why we have a government that pursues failed policies such as fertiliser subsidies because such policies award uncritical mass, the main voters.

But how can we stop this? I have a suggestion, though it can’t work in a day.

You see, we have always wanted to change our continued political madness by trying to civilise political leaders—the culprits that capitalise on people’s stupidity. Why? Because we think political leaders sit at the heart of political change in the country. We think our politics can change if we change our politicians’ behaviour. I disagree.

It’s people, the voters, that sit at the heart of political change in the country. If we want to have political change in the country, our focus should not be on bashing politicians who history shows can’t change. Rather, we should focus on bashing the people, like those waiting to be shipped to KIA, for being uncritical with their decisions.

We need to make these people critical of their decisions. How? I think us in the media and also those in the civil society are largely to blame.

We, in the media, always produce critical columns and news stories that condemn politicians for shipping people to their rallies. CSOs have also, untirelessly, produced long and wordy statements on the same. But we have all missed one thing: There isn’t a political party in the country that, like the old days of MCP, whips people into submission. These people are not forced to get into a lorry and get shipped to political rallies. They decide on their own.

As such, it is high time the media began to question the people, not politicians, because they can’t change. CSOs should tailor their projects not on the usual handouts, rather on creating a critical mass.

It is when we have a society that can tell politicians off right in the village, or in a township, that we can begin to have political change in Malawi.

Otherwise, it just can’t be that our leaders should always be failing when it’s the people who choose and support their power.

Are we saying the ways and choices of us, the people, are always perfect?

I think our quest to always want to pump sense in our leaders has led to a situation where we are failing to pump sense in ourselves. Politicians, craftily, are surviving on this gap.