By Sylvester Chibwana
Malawians are yet to come to terms with the devastation Cyclone Freddy has caused in the Southern Region and other parts of the country.
To ease the suffering and save more lives, on Monday President Lazarus McCathy Chakwera instructed Dodma and other government agencies to go to the affected areas to with several interventions besides ordering the Malawi Defense Forces to be deployed in the area and further declaring a State of Disaster in the disaster areas.
But looking at the scale of the damages and suffering the Cyclone has caused in those areas, the government realises that it needs more helping hand, this is why it sounded an SOS to international and local organisations plus other well meaning Malawians to help the affected people.
While some individuals, religious organisations and other bodies have responded to President Chakwera’s call, there has been no word from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) despite the party enjoying most of its support in the affected areas.
But that is the party stance. The surprising thing though is that although the party (DPP) has not said anything let alone done anything to the affected people, Malawians expected at least some individuals in the party especially frontrunners for the July [DPP] convention to come out to assist the people they claim to be their followers.
Instead, one of those aspiring to become the President of to DPP, Bright Msaka decided come out blaming President Chakwera whose government has done everything it could and continues to do more that it has done nothing because he was not in the country when the disaster happened.
Clad in an expensive gray suit in a comfort of his sprawling Lilongwe residence, Msaka said President Chakwera should not have been away when the disaster was happening.
Surprisingly, Msaka is the DPP Vice President of Eastern region an area part of which has been hit by the disaster but he has not been bothered to go and visit despite being a Member of Parliament who has been excempted by Speaker of Parliament to go and be with their people during this trying time.
President Chakwera who Msaka was critical of has been in touch with the affairs of the country everyday. President Chakwera Chakwera arrives in the country today (Tuesday) from Qatar where he attended the 5th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
What Msaka has done only demonstrates bad traits of leadership. Here is someone who wants to become a leader of a party but he has no regard for people he is supposed to lead. Are the victims of the Cyclone not the same people who are expected to vote for him at the convention? Isn’t this insulting their intelligence?
