In June this year, the Tonse Alliance-led government will clock two years in power. In human life, two years is an important development milestone.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists a number of important milestones that a baby ought to do by the age of two years. There are social and emotional milestones such as the ability to notice when others are hurt and learns how to react to the new situation. In terms of language and communication, a baby should be able to at least point at things and say at least two words together such as “more milk.” It is also at this age that the baby’s movement picks up and should be to walk up a few stairs with or without help and be able to run.
The Tonse Alliance government at this stage has no plausible excuse for failing to do certain things that they, themselves, promised to do once in power. Unfortunately, this government has an excuse for everything and likes to apportion blame to everything else but themselves. If it is not blaming the Covid-19 pandemic, it is blaming the Ukraine war.
No sane person would dispute the fact that Covid 19 has had a huge global impact on the economy, especially in developing countries whose economies were already on the death bed before Covid-19 hit them. Again, almost everyone understands the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on commodities such as fuel, bread, and others, and how the rising global prices of these commodities are affecting Malawi.
However, despite all these challenges, Malawians still expect Tonse government to deliver its campaign promises. Out of the many promises they made, high on the agenda was development in all sectors and fighting corruption. Well, we all know how the fight against corruption is going on. It is a total failure.
As for the development they promised, the only development we have heard them talk about now are development rallies which are nothing but party campaign rallies.
A government that is serious about developing the country has no time for development rallies. Tonse government should know better that development rallies, popularized by the previous regimes, bring nothing other than wasting government money as the president hops from one place to the other.
The ailing economy, which has seen basic commodities’ prices skyrocketing, cannot be improved at the development rally where overzealous party leaders endorse the torchbearer for 2025.
At two years old, Tonse government cannot point at any meaningful development. It is a government that seems not willing to sympathize with the pain that Malawians are feeling. Tonse government at times comes across as patronizing. It is a government that is unwilling to listen to wise counsel.
Like a two-year-old baby is able to point at a few things, I, for one, expected that by now, Malawians should be able to point at some major development projects. Time for politicking will come, but this is not the time.
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