Why APM does not frequent Mpoto
In the past two or three weeks, a lot of explaining has been proffered about why our beloved interim or caretaker state president, Professor Dr. Arthur Peter Mutharika, JSD, has not been to Mpoto, the northern region of Malawi, our beloved country.
The DPP apparatchik, headed by its Mpoto regional governor, Rev. Christopher Mzomera Ngwira, has argued that our beloved caretaker president has not visited Mpoto since his now discredited reelection in May 2019 because of the volatile security situation in Mpoto. Governor Ngwira intimates that the caretaker president’s life is in danger in Mpoto because the Mbwenumbwenus, as Mpotoans are derisively described by the Kodikodis, are naturally violent, hurtful, hateful, unthankful and just don’t like our interim president.
Many have dismissed Governor Ngwira’s explanation as politically nonsensical, absurd and puerile arguing that the caretaker president has one of the scariest, most kitted and armed security systems in the world, probably much more sophisticated than that of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, considering that the cream of the feared and infamous MYP and Youth League complements his security arsenal.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Malawi is the only country in the world where the president is accompanied to rallies, to dinner, to state house and to development inspection duties by a heavily armed military police force and a military bomb squad replete with tanks to scare Malawians, armed only with songs and shouts.
Such a caretaker leader has no reason to fear anything, not even a combined force of a pride of one million lions; a herd of 10 million buffaloes and a battalion of 80 million rhinos. Such a heavily armed caretaker leader is fully insulated, except, maybe from disease, death, jealousy and speculation.
Some very stupid speculators have invented stories boiling down to our interim president being too ill to undertake long and grueling trips to Mpoto.
Yet some political ‘analysts’ and commentators have proffered different explanations. One of the explanations is that APM does not visit Mpoto because he is haunted by his failure to implement his own Mpoto election promises. The much touted Mombera University has progressed in name, in annual budgetary allocations, and on paper only. In Some Mpoto districts, not even one APM flagship community college has been erected and equipped.
The Njakwa –Livingstonia highway has virtually been abandoned. The worst nightmare for the interim president is probably the neglected M5 road, particularly from Nkhota Kota to Dwangwa.
In July 2019, the Malawi government announced that it would spend K120 billion to rehabilitate the said M5 or Great Kamuzu Lakeshore Road. However, the earthworks machinery that used to work on the M5 road rehabilitation, particularly from Nkhota Kota headquarters to Buwa River have all parked and workers have packed up.
The bailey bridges constructed over two rivers by the Muluzi government around Benga to temporarily allow traffic to pass have not been replaced by the governments of Bingu wa Mutharika, Joyce Banda and Arthur Mutharika. The foot planks are eaten away. Surely, this is an eyesore and reality no caretaker president is ready to confront.
The interim president can go to Mpoto through the M1 if he so desires but no president can take pride in driving along that road, either. Driving from Mponela through Kasungu to Chisemphere you quickly realize and agree with the World Bank, IMF and the UNDP that Malawi is indeed the poorest country in world.
Our interim leader can decide to go to Mpoto by air but Mpoto has no airport at which any president can proudly land and allow the media cover him for his people to appreciate what he is doing for them.
Mzuzu International Airport? KKKKKiest.
