Should we celebrate, sob or cry loudly?
\n\u201cIt is shameful to think that we have entered the new year without changing. We are still the Malawi and Malawians we know, full of jealousy, disease-infested and very hungry in soul and spirit,\u201d says our new member in the Crew, this brownish in complexion scribe nick-named \u2018Abdul\u2019.
\nHe joins the Crew at a time we have one vacancy, and he, having qualified as one scandalous fella, was readily available to fill the shoes.
\n\u2018Abdul\u2019 is worse than our own Joe, being Joe. He should be a lieutenant of \u2018Atsogoleri\u2019 Rob M.
\nFor him to be accepted into the fold, we heard of his Mangochi reputation, where he forgot his-one-self; we also heard about what he did in Lilongwe, during some sort of fellowshipping of the likes of him.
\nAnd, crowning it all, \u2018Abdul\u2019 is very intelligent, befitting the IQ of the bulk of the Crew members. Indeed, now, he is just proving that in his debut debate in the Crew.
\n\u201cI am ashamed of being part and parcel of a nation that is \u2018proudly\u2019 celebrating whatever this animal people call 2018\u2014 coming some years after our country celebrated its Golden Jubilee. How do we celebrate as such, without any elements of golden opportunities or achievements being registered by the country\u2019s citizenry\u2026 zachamba basi [crazy school of thinking]!\u201d exclaims Abdul, ordering three bottles for each of us.
\nEveryone is surprised at his extravagance, considering our knowledge that most local scribes are as financially dry as a cursed treasurer.
\nAt first, I and fellow Crew members could not really understand what our new-found colleague was trying to prove.
\n\u201cMy brothers, I come into the Crew with ideas, I come with cash and I come with all sorts of scandal packages \u2013 raw and cooked \u2013 including software. I am a full member of the Crew, and I will not hide my thoughts or suppress my mind, no. I am, of course, dangerous when it comes to chasing the usual things most men chase,\u201d he says.
\nBut Joe seems scared of his own reputation being dwarfed. He halts the conversation to push across his own sentiments.
\n\u201cWait a moment, \u2018Abdul\u2019. Do you know that talk of the Crew is regulated and no one is supposed to manipulate it? Yes, it may be your maiden speech, your maiden talk, but rules of the game must apply,\u201d he says.
\nBut \u2018Abdul\u2019 looks set to impress and not to be conquered: \u201cYou think I am mad or drunk? Some of you are even thinking I am on my way to the famous Zomba hospital that treats lunatics? No way, I am going to tell you facts; and that I am here to stay, take it or leave it,\u201d he says.
\nBut the bulk of the Crew quashes Joe and has a soft spot for the new catch. They encourage \u2018Abdul\u2019 to talk more and more; provided he buys the bulk of the drinks.
\n\u2018Atsogoleri\u2019 Rob M comes in: \u201cThe guy is saying the truth, he is actually intelligent. Why should we be busy celebrating the \u2018Jubilee\u2019 when, for instance, the public toilet right in Lilongwe Bus Depot continues to stink and operate without running water; why should we smile when we are spending almost 48 hours in darkness called blackouts, courtesy of Escom? And, why should we celebrate entering the new year when our farmers cannot afford to buy fertiliser just because they are selling a bag of maize as low as K3, 000 while a bag of fertiliser costs over K23, 000?
\n\u201cKho, kho, kho! Mwalasa odala, n\u2019zoona odala [that is very true, you have raised a pertinent point]!\u201d chips in Happison, instantly asking the Braii Master to bring 10 snack plates \u2013 two for each one present.
\n\u201cUnfortunately, come 2019, life will be the same; no change. Even those on the opposite ranks don\u2019t look set for the peoples\u2019 agenda!\u201d winds up \u2018Abdul\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Should we celebrate, sob or cry loudly? \u201cIt is shameful to think that we have entered the new year without changing. We are still the Malawi and Malawians we know, full of jealousy, disease-infested and very hungry in soul and spirit,\u201d says our new member in the Crew, this brownish in complexion scribe nick-named \u2018Abdul\u2019. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58567"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58571,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58567\/revisions\/58571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}