He used his mysterious powers to disrupt a feast that the pope was having at the Vatican; he would travel around the world within seconds; and he would do many other trivial things which were not worth the seriousness of the pact he had made.
He had initially planned to use his mysterious powers to unite the whole world both politically and geographically, yet now it was out of the question. He had forgotten that even the devil would not give him absolute power for there was someone above him who controlled the whole universe. That is why he found himself abusing the power that he had. He had made a pact for power. He had asked the devil to give him absolute power in exchange of his life which the devil would claim after 21 years.
Such is the folly of human wisdom. Dr. Faustus exchanged his precious life for 21 years of power; a period of time that would never last interminably. And as the 21st year drew nigh he become filled with untold fear; fear for his life and fear of facing the wrath of God.
The good angel which was a symbol of his good conscience kept persuading him to repent, saying God was always ready to forgive, but the bad angel who symbolized his wicked conscience told him that he was beyond redemption. And it was the bad angel who won.
Finally, the devil came back to claim Dr. Faustus’ life. The pact had been sealed and it could not be broken now. The poor doctor could not see anything that he had achieved in life other than ruining it while in search of absolute power. Such is the corrupting influence of power. When power corrupts, men forget moments come when power vanishes. No power lasts forever.
This is a Greek myth which to a certain extent explores the theme of the corrupting influence of power. Power really corrupts and in search of more power nobody finds enough power. Dr. Faustus had accomplished quite a lot in life. He had exhausted medicine, law, astronomy and divinity and here he was, in search of magic which he thought would give him absolute power. That is where he ended up making such a dangerous pact with the devil.
In Malawi, particularly in politics, only few things happen and attract so much public furor as has done many conspicuous scandals committed by Mulanje West legislator and Minister of Gender and Child development Hon. Patricia Kaliati. The lady minister continues enjoying preferential treatment from the powers that be.
Arguably, Kaliati has a worse record of blunders than many of her colleagues in the political field who have been convicted. She has been implicated in corruption cases that would earn her custodial sentences but she continues walking tall while people like Yusuf Mwawa got convicted for misappropriating only around K170 000. What an irony in curbing corruption! Kaliati could not even be interdicted to pave way for investigations.
Many individuals who did anything that incurred the wrath of the president got fired and some were sent to jail altogether. Yet there appears to be one untouchable politician; one politician who has stunned many Malawians who are concerned about the fight against corruption. She is implicated in a corruption case today and tomorrow she is somewhere carrying her duties as though nothing happened at all. Why this is the case, nobody knows. And the question keeps looming large: Why not Kaliati?
Now she had grown wings. She has the courage to tread where angels fear to go. The reason might be that she feels that if she did not incur the displeasure of the president after being implicated in corruption scandals when many others like Bob Khamisa got a dosage of the president’s ‘interdicting’ power for similar offences, then there shall never be a time when she will face that. To her it might be gone; gone for good.
Kaliati has committed offences involving moral turpitude which would cost her seat. But she remains confident. On her and her alone, the laws that convicted Joseph Njovuyalema for assault, are reluctant. Hence, she continues receiving preferential treatment even from the police and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Perhaps now, even if she finally faces the long arm of the law, she will heave a sigh of relief and say: “ndinalimbana nako kulimbana kwabwino” (I put up a good fight).
While individuals like former director of the ACB Tumalisye Ndovi was told to step down so as to pave way for investigations on allegations that he was pocketing two salaries, Kaliati enjoyed executing her duties even when the ACB was investigating her for her alleged corrupt practices in the awarding of a concession to a Dubai firm to run the Nyika and Vwaza Game Research Eco-tourism.
Recently she has been accused of influencing the admission of 77 pupils into various secondary schools in the Shire Highlands Education Division. And the funny thing is that she never refuted the allegations but only said that some former ministers knew it and that she was not the only one involved in the malpractices. Yet we may continue seeing her walking out of the scam scot-free.
Perhaps her belief in the maxim “honesty is the best policy” is her saving grace. She barely refutes allegations leveled against her; all she says is that there is an appointing authority that has all the powers over her appointment. And the appointing authority always gives her a second chance.
At one point, when she was asked to step down because of corruption allegations, she said she never appointed herself (and could not therefore step down voluntarily). By implication, she meant that the one who had appointed her should be the one to fire her. But nothing happened; and people continued asking themselves: Why not Kaliati?
Sometimes files containing Kaliati’s cases go missing at the hands of the police while those of Sam mpasu, Sam safuli, Humphrey Mvula, Yusuf Mwawa and many others never went missing. Why? Because the police find it wise that she should continue enjoying preferential treatment. And the same question dominates: What is so special with Kaliati that her and only her files should go missing when others’ never go through the same experience?
In Politics “power can be said to be exercised when A gets B to do something which B would not otherwise have done.” Just as Dr. Faustus, with the powers that had been bestowed on him, got others doing something that they would not have otherwise done, so does Kaliati. Without her influence, the Shire Highlands Education Division would not have admitted the 77 students.
Kaliati may not end up the Dr. Faustus way. But one thing remains that the powers that influence her actions will come to an end one day for her to finally face the music. And whatever the case, there always is that day of reckoning in man’s life. It may not come today, tomorrow, or next year. But it will come anyway.
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