COMMENTARY | The Forum

Do we ever get anything right in this country?

Rights groups and others have been up in arms over the Mayor of Blantyre, Jomo Osman, after a video showed him slapping a suspected thief. Osman has since apologised for conduct unbecoming of his office. That should matter. And perhaps, at least in this instance, it should also be enough.

Because sometimes it feels as though our society shows more urgency in defending perpetrators than in confronting the conditions that create victims in the first place.

Here is what we should not expect: decisive action from the government. Not because it shouldn’t happen, but because experience tells us otherwise. Across administrations in multiparty Malawi, the bigger failure has been economic. Jobs are scarce. Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high. And for some, like those seen in that video, crime becomes less a choice than a last resort in a system that offers little else.

Meanwhile, politics appears to be the one sector that still “works.” A study released ahead of last year’s elections found that half of Malawians aged 18 to 35 would leave the country given a chance.

It should also be noted that many believe those who enter politics do so not to solve problems but because it offers a fast track to wealth. The perks are obvious: easier access to loans, tax advantages on imports, and lifestyles that most professionals can only imagine.

Aspiring politicians are not naïve. They see the incentives clearly. And too often, those who make it into office seem ill-equipped for the realities their constituents face. Problem-solving takes a back seat. Delivery falls short.

Then, as terms expire, the cycle resets. The same promises. The same excuses. The same appeal for “one more chance.” It is tempting to blame voters for electing charlatans, but that is a conversation for another day.

There is something else we should stop expecting: consistency from civil society. Some groups have become fair-weather activists. They are loud when it suits them, quiet when it doesn’t. Funding realities may shape their priorities, but that does not make the selectiveness any less damaging.

If civil society is to matter, it must focus on the structural issues that define people’s lives: jobs, governance, accountability. Not every incident needs to become a cause célèbre, especially when wrongdoing has been acknowledged and addressed.

Osman has apologised. That chapter, for now, is closed and should remain closed. The real question is where the energy goes next.

Because Malawi does not lack problems. It lacks focus on the ones that matter most.