OF BLACKMARKET PRESIDENT PHOTOS & FUEL VENDING

With blackouts, forex shortage, persistent problems, lies, l-ii-eeeesssss…… being the common order and a daily dose of course under the so called wise and dynamic leadership of errr…… yes thee man, coupled with the erratic supplies of fuel I reached for the famed Biwi black market with the hope of buying just maybe a 10l which would suffice for the remaining time left on the completion of my multi-million mansion project since it has become the common blue fantasy. As usual such dealings are often conducted with utmost care and conscious considering that you never know who you are dealing with but one thing that for sure cannot be detested is that fuel black market missions are no longer illegal with experiences and the travels I have embarked in search for this ripen virgin. I managed to source my 10l gallon and yet there was a stringent of cars in this garage turned economic rendezvous for the clever ones, most of these cars were bearing government registrations to personal socials number plates all in search for this commodity, so when I had heard earlier on in one of the radio networks that the Law enforcers had arrested a few nincompoops who were selling the commodity and had 40l or so in stock, I just laughed my skinny ass…and murmured a few sentiments little did I know that my murmuring was loud enough to attract some laughter from some close folks. It is laughable if police are to arrest fuel black market mafias because if they cannot arrest big kahunas sending boys to queue and buy gallons and gallons of fuel which is later being sold at twice the price and yet they too don’t have vending licences. Just yesterday I saw a government vehicle bearing a government registration buying a few 5ls of fuel with nothing to worry about and the scenes are just synonymous almost everywhere in Lilongwe. Within the M1 road you often times find men that usually seat by the road side or close to bus stages like they are awaiting for transport and yet the story is different, since they already did some good advertisement with drivers that often ply on these roads who in turn alert other drivers of such hot spots it becomes easy for their business and most of the law enforcers know of such places not to say of the places within our locations. It was then that we listened to the news that some 16yr old lad in Zomba has been arrested for possessing a photo bearing the face of the president however nicely dressed in a dreadlock just like rastaman in a chant Babylon mood and according to one PR officer the boy was arrested and will be soon be charged…..i don’t know the charge based on the offense if at all if falls within the constitution. In South Africa, a big photo of the then president Nelson Mandela was once designed and decorated with a dreadlock at the time he was in power, satirical cartoons have extensively published some works which are sometimes questioned even Obama himself during his first days in office had photos circulating with him portrayed in different hair cuts but all these NEVER arrested or detained any being this is why am surprised that its only in Malawi where such things happen, remember no president has ever ditched the party that sponsored him/her to power soon after the election, no public university has been closed for 9months the mediocre is just an endless litany but here in Malawi its happening. The Police must know that with the latest innovation in technology and design it’s very easy to design and redesign people whether arrogant or ignorant, rich or poor to fit their need. With these days of design programs amongst them Photoshop one can easily transform or maybe lets say distort a ‘normal ‘photo to a form of their liking…….its just creativity and application of the knowledge gained and learnt. I am however yet to know what charge has been laid on this boy. But one thing for sure is that these photos depicting the president or whatever individual are in full circulation and almost a lot many have seen many of such, for example Nyasatimes runs satirical columns which are sometimes escorted with photos of the so called top guys however after redesigned to suit a particular story and what would stop an inquisitive mind from not downloading the photo after perhaps having read the satire with the hope os sharing it to friends and maybe crack one or two jokes at how such individuals are portrayed in Photoshop era . This reminds me of some clip which buzzed most gadgets some months ago where another creative soul recorded and portrayed himself as the big man with so much humor addressing so many issues…it too was a good 8minute laughable clip which could warrant an arrest but has their been one…? Your guess is as good as mine, these are issues that sometimes leave a lot to be desired because of the double standard altitudes but also due to some overzealous enforcers with the hunger for promotion as we mostly forced to believe. All in all, it’s only in Malawi where illegal trends tend to slide legal with the taste of time and circumstances; however one sad issue still lies with our police which can sometimes be a nuisance and thorn in a budding fresh because of how they react to incidences. With this intimidation and silence slowly taking root we shouldn’t be surprised when one day under the wise and dynamic leadership the police will start searching through phones and laptops anywhere and at any point in time. Otherwise as I write I know Gaddafi is freely resting with his dead friends the likes of Savimbi, Osama, Kabila…..and so many that thought arrogance is the order of a perfect and successful ruling. Just another thought!

A DEVIL CALLED ICT REGULATORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (The spy machine)

Recently the Malawi technological boom has been cocooned in a web of an innovation that is supposed to improve the monitoring and improving quality but also regulate phone services as well as the internet services. This is one of those things worth commending considering that we are the first within the SADC region to have such a system….yes Malawi it is. It must be noted that this regulatory management once implemented wont spare anyone not even the president himself, I rather don’t subscribe to assertions made the other day by one official from Macra who in an interview with the local media claimed that the tool does not have any output port or connected device. For any working system its essential that there is input, some form of processing and then an output in whatever desired form and such systems usually have input and output points therefore it’s a none starter for this official to feed the nation with such crap. I for one am not against the introduction and implementation of such a system to our technological buzz neither do I detest that there are some rotten immoral motives behind this system. I just like many that keep expressing their minds do believe that this system will likely infringe on the privacy of subscribers connected to the different networks and systems as conversations (phone calls) and messages (e-mails, text messages) are likely to be eavesdropped. It must be noted that not all those trained and with the technical know how to operate this system are operate in good faith. Just as the regulatory body is vehemently working for the implementation of this system other people are also working on a list of who to and not to keep a close eye on……you know a taste of their own medicine. I foresee a lot of persecution, sedition all under the pretext of regulation. But this technology too has got its other side that if not careful can be detrimental, let me remind you of a few trends gone by. Do you remember that leaked clip some years back in which the current sitting president was in conversation with Gustav Kaliwo the then ACB chief telling him to shake them up… (who ever they were I don’t know)? Do you remember the leaked pornographic material implicating one Mr. Nkungula and the wife of one renowned lawyer? Just recently, the Prof. peter Mutharika one which apparently cost some journalist his job The list is just endless of some of the se leaked conversation that most people have which if can be leaked would seriously land one in Maula. No one not even the government can run away from the fact there is a lot of leaked conversations, messages and if this was apparent when there was no the so called CIRSM devil, what would happen if it gets implemented? But wait a minute….. Why is it that most of the unpopular things in Malawi are vehemently backed up? Why does government cling to issues that are not wanted and welcome by their very citizens? Just like the flag change, rabid policies in parliament (injunction, police bill), executive arrogance, this too (the regulatory system) will be pushed and pushed though its viewed to be a thorn in our technological flesh for many, remember the case of some famous news paper in the UK facing serious allegations for tapping through peoples conversations and later on publishing such…..could it be a similar case here in Malawi when we will one day wake reading peoples tapped conversations in some of these dubious newspapers flocking our streets? This CRSM is a mercenary that needs to be dealt with forthwith, nobody would fleely send mails, texts and make phone calls for fear of the so called monitoring and regulation, but these officials must know that there are one or two cunning and inquisitive boys who would want to know what their own boss right there at Macra are up to even these big fish within high ranking offices maybe even the president so long they subscribe to the local networks…..I cant wait for such leaks under the wise and dynamic leadership of the most high. Much as we are living in a global village where technology is the order of the day we must also be weary of some of the benefits and implications of introducing such systems but also looking at the timing. Just another boiling thought!