Uncle Harvest writes on President Chakwera's remarks: "DON'T MAKE ME A DICTATOR!"

President Lazarus MCCARTHY Chakwera lamented at the Memorial Service of late Dr H. Kamuzu Banda on 14th May 2021 in Lilongwe, “Don't make me a dictator", in reaction to some people's expectations that he must apply dictatorial tactics in order for any progress to be seen.

Yes, Mr President in June 1983 Malawians rejected dictatorship because they believed it was not necessary for development.

In June 2020 Malawians voted expressing their desire for progress, transformation and development.

The process of transformation calls for the wearing of heavy duty gloves because of the heavy lifting and sometimes heavy punching it will need to take when those who are trusted with public offices and duty are not meeting the expectations.

When budgets, timelines and standards of performance have been set, they must be met at all costs by those charged with responsibility to implement without compromise.

When you follow through on these and demand accountability, you are not a dictator Mr President.

Mind you, you inherited broken systems , managed by people who broke them and are unwilling to rectify them. Getting people to do their jobs right calls for tough love.

When a loving father sees his child crawl towards the road he uses a firm hand to pull away and lift that child out of danger, that father would not seek to negotiate that child out of danger.

The father's grip would be fast and tight, shocking the child with pain in the process.

The child will cry out loud but the Father will hold on tightly until the child is out of danger.

Malawi's development trajectory is headed towards danger, and a deep cliff is ahead.

To rescue Malawi needs a swift and hard grip if we are to survive.

I need not remind you Mr President in the light of your previous occupation, even Jesus had to use a whip in the Temple at one time in order to bring about fundamental transformation.

People have a tendency to settle in their Comfort Zones, unless the pain of remaining the same is more than the pain of shifting to the new paradigm, no fundamental transformation takes place.

When you introduce pain management you are not being a dictator.

If people are still as comfortable as they were before reforms were introduced what is the use of changing.

The old paradigm must be made as uncomfortable as it can for them to change.

May I ask you to reflect on two or three issues:

*You and your deputy officially and publicly launched a clean up exercise, going all out to demonstrate to Malawians the urgency of our need of cleaning up our environment and avoid being polluters. If seven months later after that launch a Chief Executive of a city fails to collect garbage and put in place a waste management system, when you demand for accountability that does not make you a dictator Mr President.

/At a function at the construction site of the National Sports Complex you emphasized that you wanted the project to be complete within both the budget and timeline. A few weeks later construction works come to a stop for lack of funding. Delays will result in unmet targets. When you demand accountability from those who are supposed to fund the project you are not being a dictator.

In the past in this country you could visit a school on the foot of Dzalanyama and Misuku hills at 07:30 am and find classes in session and yet today a school on the periphery of Capital Hill does not start until 0800am.

When you demand for performance you will not be a dictator, Mr President.

In several of the project sites that the Vice President visited recently, he was either the first to arrive or arrived together with government officials,they no longer care who is visiting, most projects have been delayed in completion because of the same problem of delayed funding.

One project at the Area 10 Capital Hill gate has been standing incomplete for over 10 years,presumably because of funding, yet daily, Ministers Principal Secretaries drive past this eyesore of a project six times a day.

Talking of Capital Hill Government working hours no longer apply.

Mr President when you demand for change in performance it will not occur until this bull is held by its horns.

When you so do you will not be a dictator.

There is a certain level of laxity the system that if not dealt with,the dream of transforming Malawi will remain a dream.

It is time we demand excellence and high performance from ourselves. Demand high performance, you won't be a dictator,

Mr President.