Veteran Politician Robson Chirwa has decried Martyrs Day’s loss of significance due to lack of political will by democratic governments that do not accord the day the dignity it deserves.
Chirwa said on Monday that opposed to the days of the one party state, the day has been diluted and it is no longer treated as a day of mourning, reflection and remembrance of the fallen heroes who were killed in cold blood in quest for the country’s independence.
“Well Kamuzu was a disciplinarian and he knew what this day meant to the Malawi nation that’s why in those days you would hardly see people having fun and playing entertainment music on air because he could easily relate unlike modern politicians who just read about the day from the books,” Chirwa explained.
He decried the development saying the March 3, 1959 massacres marked the genesis of the country’s freedom and undermining the day is a big mistake.
Chirwa’s sentiments were also echoed by survivor of the 1959 killings Benga Chiumia of Nkhata Bay who said the importance of the day has overtime been overshadowed.
“During the one party era, this day was dignified, magnified and raised awareness of the day but the dawn of multiparty in 1994 has messed everything up. People do go to work, to drink and do all sorts of things.
“My plea is that this day should be declared as a national day of mourning as it was the case. It cannot be the same but we would like to see some commitment from our political leaders,” Chiumia explained.
Chirwa said he was concerned with lack of proper care for the Memorial Tower in Nkhata Bay Jetty and Kakumbi graveyard site. He blamed government through the antiquities department for failing its responsibility of looking after historical monuments.
Commenting on the matter, General Secretary of the Livingstonia Synod in the Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP) Reverend Levi Nyondo concurred with Chirwa and Chiumia saying the day signifies both spiritual and physical triumph to the country’s independence.
“We also remember the heroes who died in Nkhata Bay and others in the country fighting for our freedom. Very few can do that in the current political word. However, we are not happy with the current leadership and the past governments for diluting the day which Kamuzu Banda taught us to observe in discipline and respect. We ask the current leadership to bring back the actual martyrs’ not the current one,” he said.
But government spokesperson Jappie Mhango said in a telephone interview on Wednesday that government recognises the significance of the day that’s why it is always represented at the commemoration events in Nkhata Bay each year.
“The head of state cannot be there all the time. He does delegate and that’s what being head of state is all about. And to say there is no political will to dignify the day is simply misleading the public,” said Mhango.
“Need I remind you that mere maintenance of the holiday on 3rd March is true indication that we hold the day in high regard, therefore the history of the day cannot be eroded.”
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