Which DD Phiri?

Desmond Dudwa Phiri, known more among Malawians as DD Phiri, is an interesting and controversial man. He is interesting and controversial because he claims to be an expert in too many areas. One day he says he is a historian and speaks like one; another day he is an economist and contributes like one; yet another day he claims to be a political analyst, educationist, journalist and only last week he was quoted by the Weekend Nation in his new self-appointed role as a diplomat and British government apologist.

Why we fail to understand Dr. DD Phiri is because as a historian he should have been the first to tell the world that all crimes against humanity are punishable by law. This is why Charles Taylor is rotting in jail. This is why disgraced former Ivorian first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo is serving a long jail term. This is why Saddam Hussein was hanged. This is why the perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide are being pursued to date. This is why the British government was made to pay for its deliberate massacre of people in Kenya prior to that country’s independence.

We fail to understand DD Phiri because he has written elsewhere that the British government, through its Rhodesia and Nyasaland forces, massacred unarmed Malawians whose only cry 1959 was for this cashgate country to be left alone to determine its own future. Nothing more. Written evidence is available that on March 3, 1959, pregnant women were killed, young people were killed, and old men were killed.  We fail to understand why today Dr DD Phiri says it is immoral to diplomatically, as the Malawi government prefers, or in default, legally, as MP Ralph Mhone wants, ask the British government to compensate the families of the people it murdered. Dr Phiri’s equivocal stand smells immoral.

“Don’t you think he has been bribed?” Abiti Joyce Befu, MG 66, our leader of delegation and expedition, asked as she peered through the list of names of people who were massacred in the cold blood at Nkhata Bay on 3rd March in 1959.

“Bribed by whom?” Sheikh Jean-Philippe LePoisson wondered.

“The British Government, of course. For a piece of Kopala, Dr Phiri wants Malawians to ignore a very important dark part of their past whose perpetrators are known. Typical Judas Iscariot,” MG 66 responded.

“No. No. No. Withdraw that statement. It is too strong,” I asked.

“Fine, statement withdrawn. But, tell me why is he worried by a straightforward case like the 1959 massacres. The Devlin Report says the British Government directly and through their proxies massacred the people of Nyasaland as Malawi was then called. Like the Malawi government, the British Government has details of the people it killed and where they were buried en masse,” Abiti explained.

“I don’t think DD Phiri has been bribed. He was just expressing his feelings about how the issue ought to be handled and whether this is the right time to be talking about compensation,” I said.

“The problem is that when a prominent person like DD Phiri makes a statement like that, the world listens and wrongdoers feel good to get such support,” Native Authority Mandela said.

“His worry is that the British may, again, withdraw their aid money from Malawi,” I explained.

“Why have the some British not withdrawn aid from Kenya?” Abiti persisted, adding, “Edward Chitsulo used to say nothing is free, not even a greeting, a handshake, a joke, a smile, a bribe, and, of course, aid.”

“Did you ever meet him?” I mocked.

“Of course, you told us that that’s what he liked to say,” Abiti said, smiling like Mozambican girl from Angonia.

“Then learn to make appropriate acknowledgements,” I said

“Stop cartooning yourself; this is not academics but serious legalism and politics,” MG 66 challenged.

“The Malawi Government says it does not have proper records of the issue. Otherwise, it would have diplomatically engaged the British government,” I said, going back to the core issue.

“The Malawi government has never been interested in the 1959 martyrs issue! The current government would be the last to support the move because it is worried about its own days of death and darkness when Chasowa was murdered and the infamous July 21 2011 massacres,” I declared.

“By the way, why should martyrs families be compensated?” Sheikh Jean-Philippe LePoisson asked, “I thought martyrdom is self-sacrifice.”

“On whose side are you? Have you also been bribed?”Abiti fumed.