Anatomy of frustration, the case of Ntata!

Straight to the point, each time Commando Z Allan Ntata, Esq writes an article, some Malawians mostly DPP bootlickers consistently assassinate his character but fail to impeach his arguments. In other words, they attack the messenger and not the message.

So far, these praise singers and bootlickers have been advancing the argument that Commando Z Allan Ntata is frustrated.

They say that he is disgruntled because Ntata wanted a position in the current government, but Peter Mutharika did not give him a job. The proponents of this argument do not realise that in advancing that argument, they are agreeing with some of us who testify that Ntata did a commendable job in pushing the DPP from opposition benches where they suddenly found themselves in back to state house.

To them, Ntata’s articles criticizing this administration are because this administration used him like a condom, loved him when they were desperate and hopeless, but discarded him when they got into power. They claim that his not having a government job is evidence that he is indeed a frustrated man.

Folks, this argument is fallacious. Let me quickly dissect it and demonstrate its weakness.

On Times Tv’s exclusive programme which featured the Commando himself, a programme I hope most of you dear readers watched—well, if you didn’t and you are interested to, go to Z Allan Ntata’s facebook page and you will have a feel of it—one of Malawi’s top notch journalists Brian Banda, the host of the programme, put to corner Ntata on this same argument.

He said something like this: “People are saying you are doing what you are doing because you are frustrated; the Peter Mutharika administration has not offered you any position. What is your comment on this, Mr Ntata?

Ntata’s clear and categorical response was that he is not frustrated  because he is actually happily employed elsewhere. In the process he oozed some patriotic sentiments saying that ‘there are things that are good for Malawi and the DPP is not doing them is my motivation’.

The Commando scattered another pearl of wisdom saying ‘when your house is burning, you don’t check who is saying; friend or enemy, you check if the allegation is true’ emphasizing to the people of Malawi who comprehend logical arguments that we need to learn the habit of checking the message and disregard the messenger.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is now the thrust of my argument.

Ntata revealed that when Mutharika won that ‘chaotic’ election; he came here in Malawi to congratulate him. He said that he even attended Mutharika’s inauguration ceremony at Kamuzu Stadium.

He declared that Ben Phiri—the slim short man he seems to have subsequently dubbed “Prime Minister/Puppet Master”—offered him the position of Director of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to which he (Ntata), at that time, declined. For the sake clarity, to decline means to say No to something being offered.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ntata said this on Times TV and by the way, Times TV is a national TV station and is watched by all well meaning Malawians.

My questions as extracted from the above narrative are as follows:

1. How can any sensible person claim that Ntata is frustrated because he has no government position when the man is working and in fact declined the very government post that is claimed he wants?
2. Let’s be objective, people; was he not offered the job as ACB Director and he said NO to that?

I know in Malawi that bootlickers of political parties use speculation to make an argument but in Ntata’s case they need to do better. Here we have information coming from the horse’s mouth. Commando Ntata has clearly stated that he was offered a job by Mutharika’s bull dog  Ben Phiri but he said No to such a senior government position  because he had/has other better things to do perhaps rather than to stoop so low and to take up that puppet job of being ACB director, if you allow me to borrow Ntata’s phrase.

Now tell me you guys who are very lazy in terms of thinking advancing the flawed argument that Ntata is frustrated; where is Ntata’s frustration coming from? Is it from what you say that he was not offered a job?

Let me remind the nation that we are now close to two months since Commando Ntata fed this nation information that the prime minister offered him the job as ACB director and he said NO to it. Have we heard Ben Phiri distancing himself from Ntata’s sentiments? Let me perhaps put it this way; has the allegedly powerful man at state house, Ben Phiri, trashed Ntata’s statement as a blue lie?

Now if I may ask again, what is your basis that Ntata is a frustrated and a disgruntled man?

Please revisit your first year college notes on logic and come up with a better argument for this one has been tested and found desperately lacking any merit whatsoever to be a valid argument.

Every sound Malawian must by now appreciate that this Ntata frustrated argument is made out of presumption.

The point is that those people making this argument would themselves be frustrated if they were in Ntata’s position. But that is probably because they are not barristers at law in possession of doctorates in political governance and their options are limited.

Having listened to Ntata, I see a man at the top of his profession concerned about the direction his beloved party is taking- a patriot concerned, but not frustrated at all.

Ladies and gentlemen, let truth be told here; A man with options like Ntata who seems happy to live and work in Malawi or to live and work wherever in the world he seems to have the fancy to go- Australia, United Kingdom, USA, can hardly be said to be frustrated.

In conclusion; I Chiipira Wachaje, has sad news for those who advance this argument without basis that Ntata is a frustrated man. When you consistently make such flawed arguments, you simply help to confirm as true, the hypothesis that Malawi is an intellectually bankrupt country. Pay attention. There is much to learn and debate regarding the direction of this country in Ntata’s writings. Aluta Continua!

• Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are mine and do not necessarily represent the views of this publication, whosoever.

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