Mfuti—Njira ya Imfa

“IWO ali nchinyengo ichi,” anatero ofisala wapolisi wina, “chakuti adzalozera mfuti wina ndipo amakhala opanda mantha ndipo pamene sizigwira ntchito mwanjirayo, iwo amazengereza, monga mmene maofisala apolisi ambiri amazengerezera kwakamphindi, ndipo amalipa miyoyo yawo kaamba ka zimenezo.” Palinso ndemanga iyi yochokera kwa nduna yotchuka ya chisungiko chapoyera ya U.S.: “Anthu ambiri samazindikira nsonga yakuti kukhala ndi mfuti yakumanja kumatanthauza kukhala wokonzekera kuchita ndi zotulukapo za kupha munthu wina. Ngati kwenikweni sulasa ndipo mpandu akulasa iwe, kukhala ndi chida kumakhala kowopsya kwambiri koposa ndi kusakhala nacho konse.”

Chomalizira, pali ichi: “Ngakhale kulingalira kochepa kuyenera kutidziŵitsa kuti kulinganiza kwa zida konseku kudzatsogolera ku vuto lalikulu, osati lochepa,” analemba tero mtolankhani wamkazi—chiŵalo cha banja la wapolisi ndipo yemwe alinso katswiri wolasa mfuti. “Kodi akazi amene amagula mfuti ‘zokongola’ amakuwona kukongolako ubongo utathudzulidwa? Chotulukapo sichokongola ayi. Kodi munawonapo mwamuna wong’ambidwa nkhope ndi mfuti?” Iye akufunsa kuti, kapena, “kodi mungatetekere kulasa mtima?”

Kodi mungathamangire mfuti yanu yobisidwa mofulumira chotani ngati munadzidzimutsidwa ndi woukira? Lingalirani chokumana nacho cha mkaziyu: “Pamene ndinawukiridwa—ndi womwerekera ali ndi mpeni wophera nyama—chitsulocho chinali kale pakhosi panga ndisanamumve kapena kumuwona woukirayo. Ndikadakhala ndi mfuti pamenepa, kodi ndani akadapambana mkanganowo?” Kenaka iye akuwonjezera kuti: “Sindingalote za kusunga mfuti yodzitetezera. Iyi sinkhani ya makhalidwe; ili nkhani ya chochitika chenicheni.”

Tsopano lalingalirani zochitika zina zodabwitsa. Mu “zochitika zakamodzikamodzi za kulizirana mfuti kwa eninyumba ndi mbala, mbala ndiyo imatsimikizira kukhala katswiri kwenikweni pa kuteteka mfuti yake ndipo mwininyumbayo amangothera m’motchale,” anasimba tero magazine a Time a pa February 6, 1989. Chitetezo chirichonse chimene mfuti ingapereke pochinjiriza upandu, kaŵirikaŵiri chimadodometsedwa ndi zochititsa zina zosakaza. Mwachitsanzo, lingalirani kudzipha. Mu United States mokha, m’nyengo ya miyezi 12, anthu oposa 18,000 anadzipha okha ndi mfuti.

Kuti ndi angati a ameneŵa omwe anakhalitsidwa minkhole ndi zochitika za pakanthaŵiko omwe sakadatero akadapanda kukhala ndi mfuti m’chikwama kapena mu drowa yazovala sitingadziŵe. Komabe, mowonadi, kukhala pafupi kwa mfuti kunaletsa minkhole ina kukhala ndi nthaŵi yokwanira yakulingalira zochitika ndipo mwinamwake kunawapulumutsa. Pa chiŵerengero chapadziko chakudzipha wonjezanipo chiŵerengero cha kudzipha ndi mfuti cha mu U.S. ndipo mosakaikira chiwonkhetso chidzakhala chodabwitsa.

Magazine a Time a pa July 17, 1989, anasimba kuti mumlungu woyamba wa May 1989, anthu 464 anaphedwa ndi mfuti mu United States mokha. “Chaka chino ena oposa 30,000 adzafanso mwanjira yofananayo,” inatero Time. Magazinewo anasimba kuti “anthu a ku Amereka ambiri amafa ndi mabala amfuti m’zaka ziŵiri zirizonse kuposa amene afa ndi AIDS kufikira lerolino. Mofananamo, mfuti zimapha anthu ambiri a ku Amereka m’zaka ziŵiri kuposa ndi mmene inachitira Nkhondo yonse ya Viet Nam.”

Makolo okhala ndi mfuti ayenera kukhala ndi liŵongo la ana awo amene amazigwiritsira ntchito kudzipha okha kapena kupha anzawo. “Kuwonjezeka kwa kudzipha kwa achichepere mu 1988,” inasimba tero nyuzipepala ina, “kungagwirizanitsidwe mwapang’ono ndi kufikira mfuti kosavuta pamene eninyumba owonjezereka akuwunjika zida zochinjirizira nyumba zawo, anatero apolisi. . . . Ngati muli ndi chida m’nyumba, pali mpata wakuti tsiku lina mwana adzaitenga.” “Chaka chatha [1988], ana oposa 3,000 anawombera ana ena,” inasimba tero nkhani yowulutsidwa pawailesi yakanema ya U.S. m’June 1989.

Makolo, kodi mukudziŵa kumene mfuti zanu ziri? Kholo lina linadziŵa, koma mwana wake wamwamuna wa zaka khumi zakubadwa anadziŵanso. “Iye analonga zipolopolo m’mfuti yosakira nyama yamphamvu kwambiri ya atate wake,” inasimba tero New York Times ya August 26, 1989, “ndi kupha msungwana yemwe ananyada kuti anamposa m’maseŵera a video.” Kodi mumadziŵa zimene zimakhala m’bokosi la zakudya za mwana wanu pambali pa mkate ndi mabisiketi pamene mumtumiza ku sukulu? Kodi mungakhulupirire kuti ingakhale mfuti yanu? Kodi nchiyani chimene makolo a mwana wakunasale wa zaka zisanu zakubadwa anaganiza pamene akuluakulu a sukulu anawadziŵitsa kuti analanda mwana wawo kamfuti ka mluli wa m’bowo wa mlingo wa .25 mu kafiteliya yodzaza pha ndi anthu, pamene mazana ambiri a ophunzira ankadya mkate wawo, mkaka, ndi mabisiketi?

Pambuyo pake mu 1989, wa zaka zisanu ndi chimodzi zakubadwa wophunzira m’giledi yoyamba anagwidwa akukhumbiza kamfuti kodzala ndi zipolopolo. Mwezi umodzimodziwo wa zaka 12 zakubadwa anamangidwa kaamba konyamula kamfuti kodzala ndi zipolopolo kusukulu. Zonsezi zinachitika pasukulu ya m’boma limodzimodzili. Mu Florida, mwana wasukulu sanakhale ndi mpata wakupulumuka mfuti yodzala ndi zipolopolo yokhala m’manja mwa mwana wina. Analasidwa kumsana pamene msungwana wa zaka 11 zakubadwa mwangozi anawombera mfuti imene anabwera nayo kusukulu kudzasonyeza anzake.

“Ana athu azaka zisanu ndi chimodzi zakubadwa amapita kunyumba ndipo pafupifupi onse amadziŵa kuti m’nyumbamu muli mfuti,” anatero mphunzitsi wamkulu wina wapasukulu. “Ambiri a iwo awona chotulukapo cha mfuti,” anatero mphunzitsi wina wakalasi lachitatu. “Mwinamwake tate, malume kapena mbale anafa m’nyumbamo nchotulukapo cha mfuti,” iye anatero. Madongosolo ena asukulu awonadi kufunika kwa kuika zipangizo zofufuza zitsulo kuvumbula mfuti zobweretsedwa ndi achichepere kwambiri, osapatulapo ophunzira achikulire! Kodi makolo sayenera kukhala ndi liŵongo la machitidwe a ana awo, makamaka makolo amene amakuwona koyenera kukhala ndi mfuti m’nyumba zawo pamene ana angazipeze?

Makolo angadzitonthoze kuti mfuti zawo zabisidwa kumene ana awo kapena ena sangazipeze. Komabe, mwatsoka, ana akufa atsimikizira makolo awo kukhala olakwa. Ndiponso, lingalirani zenizeni. “Eya, simungapambane m’mbali zonse ziŵiri,” anatero mkulu wapolisi wina. “Ngati mumabisadi mfuti yanu kotero kuti anthu opanda liŵongo am’nyumba mwanu, ana anu kapena alendo kapena wina aliyense, asavulazidwe nayo, pamenepo [inuyo] simudzakhoza kuifikira mfutiyo ngozi imene [inu] munaigulira itabuka.”

Apolisi akuyerekezera kuti ngati mfuti yam’nyumba imagwiritsiridwa ntchito mobwerezabwereza, “iyo njothekera nthaŵi zisanu ndi imodzi kuwomberedwa pa chiŵalo cha banja kapena bwenzi kuposa ndi kwa woloŵerera,” anachitira ndemanga tero magazine a Time. “Mkazi kapena mayi ataganiza kuti wamva mbala nkuthamangira kuliza mfuti amalasa mwamuna kapena mwana wobwera kunyumba mochedwa,” inatero nduna ina yoyang’anira chisungiko cha anthu. ‘Nangano, ndimotani mmene anthu angatetezerere nyumba zawo?’ iye anafunsidwa tero. “Mwinamwake njira yabwino koposa kudzitetezera inumwini ndiyo kuika pachiswe katundu wanu m’malo mwa moyo wanu. Akuba ambiri ndi mbala amafuna kuba, sikupha ayi. Imfa zambiri za zida m’nyumba zimachitidwa ndi mfuti ya mwininyumba. Mulimonse mmene zingakhalire, nzika za m’matauni ziyenera kuyesera kuwonjezera chitetezo mwakupanga magulu ‘oyang’anira’ochinjiriza upandu.” Ndipo, chomalizira, eni mfuti ayenera kudzifunsa ngati ali ofunitsitsa kupha munthu wina kotero kuti atetezere zamkati mwa chikwama kapena chola kapena katundu woŵerengeka m’nyumbamo.

Ngati ndinu wanzeru, simudzalimbana ndi yemwe aika paupandu moyo wanu kaamba ka katundu wanu. Moyo wanu ngwamtengo kwenikweni kuposa izi.