To speak or not to speak

Most of us will never know why some of the 2014 presidential candidates failed to show up at the first public debate scheduled for them.

As for Professor Peter Mutharika, his people said that the invitation came in late at which point he had already scheduled other plans.

These other plans, so we should conclude, were so important that they could not be rescheduled in preference to appearing at the debate.

The second and you could even say the first or most important candidate, State President Joyce Banda, was also a no-show.

President Banda’s team said they did not see why she should have attended. Two reasons were given. First it was that this was campaign time and time was a scarce commodity that needed to be spent sparingly.

The other reason given was that the President was already answering the questions that could ever be asked.

She was already giving the poor houses, cows and other “developments” such that we needed to prioritise actions over words.

The debate was more to do with promises that may or may not end up being fulfilled. The President on the other hand was fulfilling the promises right in our sight.

Speaking in public is not an easy thing. Many of us who write these newspaper articles can easily falter if asked to say the same thing we write, put now not on paper, but in the public hearing.

I have heard people being so confused at funerals that instead of saying ino ndinthawi yoti tilengeze chipepeso, they have gone on to say “nthawi yino ndiyoti tilengeze mphotho.”

I have also heard master of ceremonies at (wedding) engagements who have introduced the bride as “ino ndinthawi yoti tiwone nkhope.”

What should be said at a funeral is said at the wedding. I would not be surprised to hear that some of the people who ran away from the debate did so to escape from public scrutiny.

This is why I do not agree with people who are ready to accuse the escapees. If you were clear that participating in the debate will make you look like a clown, why should you show up?

If you believed that the little respect that people had for you diminish when you appear at the debate, why bother?

Let me move over to a different but related story: the Malawi Police Service. Like many things, the Police Service is one other card up for throws in the current political football.

“I am concerned that many policemen and women end up in service for long periods without ever getting promoted. It is not fair that they live in shameful housing and yet they are critical for the security of the country. I do understand that the pay that the police get cannot get to the end of the month. Something must be done.”

Yes, something must be done and which is to stop these lies that are said every election year, but do not go.

Finally, I would want to hear what agreements Mwana wa Amayi and Amayi struck. Is it one term or two terms?