Vice President Justice Jane Ansah’s relentless movement across Malawi’s disaster-stricken communities is being wrongly framed as wasteful, when in reality it reflects the core duties entrusted to her by President Peter Mutharika.
Her role places her directly at the head of the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), making her the country’s first responder-in-chief whenever hunger, storms, or displacement strike ordinary families.
Disaster management demands action, presence, and empathy, not paperwork, which is why she must witness the suffering on the ground before designing or approving any response.
To expect her to remain in Lilongwe while children go to bed hungry, crops are washed away, and families stand helpless after storms would be to expect her to ignore the very people she was appointed to serve.
Her visits are not just ceremonial; they allow her to see broken infrastructure, hear the cries of desperate households, and make faster decisions that directly affect the survival of vulnerable communities.
People trust relief efforts more when they can see leadership walking beside them, listening to them, and prioritizing their hardships over political comfort.
Those arguing that her travel clashes with austerity measures fail to understand that emergencies cannot wait for perfect economic conditions or theoretical cost-cutting frameworks.
Austerity was never meant to shutter essential services or limit the government’s ability to protect citizens facing immediate danger.
If she were to cut back on travel for the sake of optics, the nation’s emergency coordination would weaken, and communities would suffer the consequences of delayed action.
In fact, refusing to go into the field would contradict the very responsibility she accepted from the President and would invite justified criticism for abandoning families in need.
Her presence in these communities shows urgency, compassion, and responsibility — qualities that are indispensable when the nation is battling widespread hunger and unpredictable weather patterns.
This work is not political showcasing; it is the raw, demanding side of leadership that requires boots on the ground and a heart willing to stand with people in their pain.
VP Jane Ansah’s efforts demonstrate that true service means showing up, especially when the country is hurting, and that Malawi’s disaster response is stronger because she chooses to lead from the frontline rather than from behind a desk.