It was like a long time when we started saying that the time for people will come. After a period of being tossed and manipulated, the power has once again transferred and bounced back to the people. Time to take stock of what has been achieved in the last five years by the people we ourselves put in power.
Yes, I am speaking on behalf of the voters if you ask me what power I have to speak on the power of the people. We were the same people that voted for multiparty politics in the country and it pleased the first leader of the country Dr Kamuzu Banda to call for a referendum in 1992 for the people to throw in a decider.
In 1994 also, the power was given to us by the same first president to elect our leader in a typical Joshua and the Israel people encounter ‘choose for yourself who you shall follow but for me and my family we shall follow God’. Yes, we woke up early in the morning, at dawn to be precise with our voting cards in our hands to cue ready to cast our vote. Others were at church centers, others at primary and secondary schools, others on bare football grounds. We the people elected and choose our leaders.
We elected Bakili Muluzi. By that time he was not a Doctor. We elected members of parliament for different constituencies. We trusted them and gave them the mantle. No one had to force us to go and vote. We did it willingly and for the love of our nation.
Under the powers that we gave the president, he had the prerogative of choosing his own ministers to help him administer the government, I guess it was us acting in the background. We never said anything, argued, protested because we had already exercised our power and demonstrated it on the ballot.
1999, the same happened, people came to us begging and almost kneeling for our votes, some of us ate money for our vote, some of us received unsolicited and anonymous gift, we ate. All for our vote. The voting day came and came in a rush, we left our dear blankets and cued again to cast our votes, multitudes of people wanted to exercise their rights. No one could blame us. The winner was declared and life went on, another cabinet was elected.
Yes, under our vote the president was immune, under our vote the president saw different countries, under our vote, the president never paid tax, under our vote, the president appointed ambassadors, under our vote, maybe you have forgotten, investors came into the country to make business. We made the decision.
Years later, five years down the line, or should I say in 2004? We had the mantle again, campaign time was launched and the obvious happened. In May we made the decision and elected. We chose Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika our current president to be our leader. We chose aphungu (members of parliament). I am saying this was our power that was given to us and guaranteed by my lovely constitution.
The rest you know but I should not leave others guessing, it was under our vote that he chose his own cabinet, it was under our vote that he is now moving in a convoy, under our vote indeed he is staying at the new state house, under our vote officially opening development projects on our behalf. Under our vote he has the title ‘Ngwazi’
By then we were saying that we are doing it for the next generation, we were saying it comes once after every five years. In my raw and primitive thinking, I thought we were doing it just for fun. But the decision time has come again, too much noise around, people and aspirants hitting my head like never before begging for my vote. Now, should I go and vote? It’s a tough decision for me but I have to in the name of trust that after the elections I will see a better Malawi, a Malawi singing development and out of bondage and poverty, I can not lie, Malawi people are poor, or should I say we are poor. Or should I say I am poor.
I cant stay back but go and exercise my given rights, I have the power now and it just takes me the effort of sitting down and thinking so deeply for who I will vote for, now I cant cheat the nation,
I don’t know who I will vote but one thing I know is that I have the power, the power to elect my next leader, for the sake of. Yes for the sake of my grand children and for the sake of the next generation. Whether Christ will come today or tomorrow but I have made up my mind to choose wisely and not to be fooled. No one will fool me and when these people are making their promises I am their listening, you will know after May 19 if I voted for you or not. You will know when you win or lose.
Yes, I am speaking on behalf of the voters if you ask me what power I have to speak on the power of the people. We were the same people that voted for multiparty politics in the country and it pleased the first leader of the country Dr Kamuzu Banda to call for a referendum in 1992 for the people to throw in a decider.
In 1994 also, the power was given to us by the same first president to elect our leader in a typical Joshua and the Israel people encounter ‘choose for yourself who you shall follow but for me and my family we shall follow God’. Yes, we woke up early in the morning, at dawn to be precise with our voting cards in our hands to cue ready to cast our vote. Others were at church centers, others at primary and secondary schools, others on bare football grounds. We the people elected and choose our leaders.
We elected Bakili Muluzi. By that time he was not a Doctor. We elected members of parliament for different constituencies. We trusted them and gave them the mantle. No one had to force us to go and vote. We did it willingly and for the love of our nation.
Under the powers that we gave the president, he had the prerogative of choosing his own ministers to help him administer the government, I guess it was us acting in the background. We never said anything, argued, protested because we had already exercised our power and demonstrated it on the ballot.
1999, the same happened, people came to us begging and almost kneeling for our votes, some of us ate money for our vote, some of us received unsolicited and anonymous gift, we ate. All for our vote. The voting day came and came in a rush, we left our dear blankets and cued again to cast our votes, multitudes of people wanted to exercise their rights. No one could blame us. The winner was declared and life went on, another cabinet was elected.
Yes, under our vote the president was immune, under our vote the president saw different countries, under our vote, the president never paid tax, under our vote, the president appointed ambassadors, under our vote, maybe you have forgotten, investors came into the country to make business. We made the decision.
Years later, five years down the line, or should I say in 2004? We had the mantle again, campaign time was launched and the obvious happened. In May we made the decision and elected. We chose Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika our current president to be our leader. We chose aphungu (members of parliament). I am saying this was our power that was given to us and guaranteed by my lovely constitution.
The rest you know but I should not leave others guessing, it was under our vote that he chose his own cabinet, it was under our vote that he is now moving in a convoy, under our vote indeed he is staying at the new state house, under our vote officially opening development projects on our behalf. Under our vote he has the title ‘Ngwazi’
By then we were saying that we are doing it for the next generation, we were saying it comes once after every five years. In my raw and primitive thinking, I thought we were doing it just for fun. But the decision time has come again, too much noise around, people and aspirants hitting my head like never before begging for my vote. Now, should I go and vote? It’s a tough decision for me but I have to in the name of trust that after the elections I will see a better Malawi, a Malawi singing development and out of bondage and poverty, I can not lie, Malawi people are poor, or should I say we are poor. Or should I say I am poor.
I cant stay back but go and exercise my given rights, I have the power now and it just takes me the effort of sitting down and thinking so deeply for who I will vote for, now I cant cheat the nation,
I don’t know who I will vote but one thing I know is that I have the power, the power to elect my next leader, for the sake of. Yes for the sake of my grand children and for the sake of the next generation. Whether Christ will come today or tomorrow but I have made up my mind to choose wisely and not to be fooled. No one will fool me and when these people are making their promises I am their listening, you will know after May 19 if I voted for you or not. You will know when you win or lose.
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