EXPEDITION OF A FIGHTER

By Pacharo Felix Munthali
The eve of November 21, less than 5 hours before seeing the light to celebrate his birthday, the man who had seen the birth of the Federation amalgamating with Nyasaland, the break up of the marriage in which Malawi then Nyasaland found itself in, - somewhere in the US - breathed last.
"My uncle died…after complaining about depression for a long time," his nephew Gilly Nkhwazi had told The Nation.
In the days of Kamuzu, the man who at the time of his death was few hours before turning 78, who labeled "enemy number one" by Dr H. Kamuzu Banda for his openness and frankness.
The Lamp in the mid 2002 called him "the last dreamer." He was a dreamer. He kept on dreaming that even when the shadow of hopelessness was cast over him, he always had hope for tomorrow, a better one in fact.
At a time when he came back to Malawi from exile of 30 years in Tanzania in 1994 for fear of Kamuzu, he was awe-stricken with new Malawi. "The new Malawi I found, I could not understand," he was quoted in press, but he kept on hoping for better, despite fairing badly in 1994 general elections. He vowed to play a role in country's development.
The story dug out of democracy was different; perhaps it is still different from what he left when he ran away to the exile in 1964. "Politicians see politics as a vocation," one analyst once said.
Once they go to the Parliament, they can raise their salaries as much as they hearts dictate. They go to the workshop, they demand money before workshop starts, its money before work. "Who are they representing? Their pockets or ordinary Malawians," question lingers.
During one particular interview with The Lamp, he had said, "a member of parliament must not go to the parliament and ask for money for himself or more allowances and so on." The ordinary people who are the masters should be a priority.
For Kanyama Chiume, he had his own vision for Malawi, but the more he tried, the more the storm forcefully swayed him away. He himself had said, "there is a time when you become a veteran. You sit down and wonder why did I waste my youth? But God has a way of helping anybody. I have still not given up." He was a fight. He never say never, possibly till its over.
Even though the political landscape was not tilting to his advantage, he still had faith for a better tomorrow. He looked at the youths as a single hope that Malawi as a nation is having.
"There is still hope for the young boys and girls at the University and the youth," he had said. However, the question is, what kind of hope?
Abbreviated to a mere horde of juvenile thugs, snatching people's properties, or beating them up even in the day light, the youths in the name of democracy caused torment as they terrorized lives of many.
At the University level, especially University of Malawi politicians have been accusing each other for using the University students in various ways to achieve their various political agenda.
Mid this year President Bingu Wa mutharika said youths "should not take part in politics" They are the future leaders. When is their future coming? The kanyamas, the Alekes and others started it when very young.
Chiume in his twenties he was already against the imposition of the Federation of Rhodesia by including Nyasaland in the whole set up. He was instrumental in bringing back Dr Banda on 28 June, six years before independence.
Banana Grove Sandy Beach, a once upon a time, splendid place that was but a pollen for meetings in the country of a man who together with his friends confronted Kamuzu is submerging into cocoons of scaffolding.
They criticized Kamuzu.
On this particular occasion on August 26 in his book, Kanyama Chiume says, when they met Kamuzu, they said whatever was in their hearts.
"We voiced our protests against the way he treated us with contempt both in private and public; against corruption in the government and party…; and against nepotism in the civil service" writes Kanyama. The meeting that had started thirty minutes after nine in the morning lasted for seven hours.
Dr Banda, according to Kanyama, saw that people had lost confidence in him and the only honorable course was to resign. They asked him to reconsider his decision, after persuasion he agreed. They had, perhaps thought the man would change. They had thought his traits of despotism would be short-lived.
However, on September I, as 1964 was tickling towards the end, Dr Banda rubbished all their demanded. Dr Banda had talked and convinced the other members of Parliament, the group of Kanyama was labeled "rebel."
"We decided to break with Kamuzu," he writes.
How many Cabinet ministers today, even when they know the president's decision is detrimental can gather courage to confront him? The only time the entire nation hear the president's other side, is when they have been left out of the cabinet reshuffle. Some ministers vehemently defend the president's decision even when they do not agree with it.
Born a month before December at Usisya, 50 km from Nkhatabay with his mother dying ten years after his birth, he was the last-born and the only boy in the family of four.
In Tanzania under protection of Nyerere Kanyama lived as if it was his home.
Upon sniffing the winds of change blowing in the country the man came back home. He was part of the Nyasaland African Congress.
When Dr Banda chose the cabinet, Kanyama served as Minister of Education and Foreign Affairs in 1960s. The man was labeled the leader of the crisis and an enemy of Banda with a speech he presented in Cairo during a conference of OAU.
He was a pan-Africanist. Kamuzu was not. That was enough to have the enmity brew between the two. The MCP subsequently gave him a kick.
Before his death, Kanyama was complaining of depression, it might be difficult to tell the kind of depression, but Malawi as a nation is also hosting a number of depressing issues. Politically there is a catalogue of outstanding issues such as section 65, Local government elections, death of Munyenyembe shows a kind of depressing parliament the country is having, the list is long.
He might have possessed some grey areas, but he was a rider, a fighter in the long journey. The journey he started in 1964 possibly opened a door that if some in 1964 challenged him, why not us.
Few since 1994 ever talked of him, now more talk will be part of the skies. The man deserves the state funeral, some are saying. He was one of the few surviving fighters without being honoured, yet bit is possible some foreign leaders being honoured by naming at least two roads or places in their name. Does Kanyama deserve such an honour because he is dead, a man who when he was alive nobody dared to mention his name?