Too early to judge JB’s performance 2

Continued from Friday

Malawi is not a strategic country in the inter-play of geopolitics. People should not think that whenever there are food and fuel shortages, then donors will rush to support us. Malawians should learn to cope in difficult times which come and go.

The article in question also says due to the austerity measures which were being taken within the European Union (EU) and the high unemployment that the measures have engendered, the demand for imports in the EU is bound to fall.

We cannot, therefore, assume that even if we produce more tea, rice and legumes and other crops, then we will be able to sell them all at remunerative prices.

People who comment on the economic and social situation in Malawi should keep themselves abreast of what is going on in the EU, China, United States, Japan and in other countries where we expect to sell our commodities.

Some people have been affronted by what they see as the arrogance of President Joyce Banda. Because the President is a woman, they expected her to be an orders taker like the proverbial housewife.

Democracy gives the right to anyone to respond to criticism. Some people make criticism on matters they are ill-informed about.

Some are angry that despite the criticism they made concerning the President’s journey to the United States, JB has gone to Brussels, headquarters of the EU.

If you are a hunter, you go to the forest to look for the quarry and not wait for it to stray into your village. With conditions so tough within the EU it is likely other African leaders have converged in Brussels each pleading a special case for his or her country.

Is JB arrogant? Perhaps she is, but do not forget that proud people hate pride in other people. When proud people criticise someone the only good answer they expect is mea culpa. Any other response is arrogant.

Presidents are leaders of their countries. Leaders are not followers or decision takers.

Leaders make decisions and give orders. While all citizens are welcome to express their views on what the President says or does, the final decision on what to do rests with JB. It is arrogant for anyone to insist that whatever he or she thinks is right, the President must accept it. If so, who is in charge of this country?

Your may reply: the people. But who is an embodiment of the people—he or she that has been elected by the people or someone who has been appointed by someone to speak.

A good deal of the antipathy against the PP government and the President is due to the incompetence of the public relations department.

The Ministry of Information and Civic Education is nothing but a fire-fighting unit. They wait for someone to say something against the President or the government and then respond to that.

In a good public relations system, officials prepare in advance documents on matters that are likely to arouse suspicion or controversy.

For example, before devaluation took place, pamphlets should have been prepared explaining why devaluation was found necessary, what improvements it will bring and what the government would do to soften the impact?

Take another example, the dispute with Tanzania over Lake Malawi. Through a pamphlet, people must be informed of Malawi’s stand. This should be done to prepare people’s minds for the unforeseen end of this problem.

 Whenever officials are short of what to say on the matter they should remember what Samuel Johnson said: “Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information about it.”

In other words whenever officials are concerned with providing information they do not have they should consult experts in the private sector.

Not all the knowledge in the country is confined in the public sector.

If the Ministry of Information does not do much to educate the masses, those not sympathetic to government will fill people’s minds with hostility propaganda. Democracy thrives on salesmanship and public relations.