"It's shameful that the UDF party wants to take us back to the dark days,"

Mr Gwanda Chakuamba (2003)

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Monday, November 28, 2005

News

Church to work in partnership with government
by Amos Gumulira, 28 November 2005 - 07:13:10


Visiting world leader of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Dr. Jan Paulsen, has said that the church in Malawi will continue to work in partnership with government to promote social development of the people.
Paulsen was speaking on Wednesday after meeting President Bingu wa Mutharika at the New State House in Lilongwe.
He said the church was not only concerned with the spiritual well-being of its members but also with the social development of the whole nation especially in the areas of education and health.
The leader, whose church has a following of 25 million faithful globally, said his visit to the State House was to assure President Mutharika of his church’s commitment to making Malawi a better country to live in.
“We have a deep commitment to people’s everyday life and the quality of life that they live,” said Paulsen adding: “We want to create a better Malawi for the future. We want the children to have a better tomorrow.”
The spiritual leader noted that the church has another important role of being a voice for good things in society. He journalists that he had a good occasion with President Mutharika with whom he shared thoughts about the church’s relationship with government for the betterment the nation.
“We wanted the president to hear from us that the church will continue to be a reliable partner for Malawi,” he said.
Paulsen further said as the SDA’s global leader, he came to see how the church works in Malawi and was happy that it was growing.
Paulsen has visited the church’s national headquarters at Malamulo, Makwasa, in Thyolo and was expected to lead the church’s faithful in Big Sabbath prayers at Silver Stadium in Lilongwe on Saturday.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

IMF team happy with Government's implementation of Malawi’s Poverty Reduction Growth Facility

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said it is satisfied with the way government has implemented the Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) programme during the first quarter of the financial year.
The team, led by Calvin Mac Donald, said despite short term delays in the disbursement of budget support, government has satisfactorily met all quantitative targets.
Resident Representative of the IMF Thomas Baunsgaard advised government during a press briefing at the Ministry of Finance in Lilongwe Monday to regard the current food shortage as a paramount challenge.
“The government has already taken substantial actions with the support of donors, however given the constraining level of foreign reserves, donor support will remain critical to finance any additional food imports,” said Baunsgaard
The IMF board has so far approved a disbursement of $7 million as the second disbursement in addition to the $4.7 million released in August this year.
When the team was arriving two weeks ago, Acting Secretary to the Treasury Patrick Kabambe indicated that one of the notable issues the team came to discuss with government is the newly introduced contributory pension scheme.
Mac Donald said during Monday’s briefing the IMF has advised government to introduce a database where pensioner’s records will be recorded for future reference.
“Our expert who has already left, provided advice on how to go about the pension reform programme by introducing a database for pensioners. We will be making a follow up on that. We understand this will be the biggest challenge for government but IMF is ready to provide extra funding if needed,” said Mac Donald
The team also held discussions with the donor community, non governmental organisations as well as representatives of the private sector.
“We wanted to get what their views are on the way government is implementing its programmes. In the private sector we met with the Stanbic Bank and National Bank and discussed with them the fundamental economic issues,” said MacDonald
He said the NGOs raised concerns over the way the IMF was handling the issue of food security, while members of the private sector, especially from the commercial banks, complained about difficulties in foreign exchange demand from its customers.
In his response, Kabambe said government is yet to consider the IMF’s advice of introducing a pension database after having a meeting with other stakeholders.
The PRGF is the IMF’s special consideration facility for low-income countries which carries an annual interest rate of 0.5 percent, and is repayable over 10 years with a five-and–half-year grace period on principal payments.
The PRGF is the IMF’s initiative with an equivalent sum of K6.8 billion, which was introduced immediately after the resumption of aid in July this year.

-story by The Nation

This is what it has come to politics of fanatism and hooliganism thanks to the unvisionary 10 year leadership of Mr Bakili Muluzi

Gunya should condemn vengeful politics at religious functions
Something must be terribly wrong when a whole General Secretary of the Synod of Blantyre Reverend Daniel Gunya says he sees nothing wrong with party functionaries literally hijacking a religious function into a platform for embarrassing political opponents. Admittedly, the church has for a long time been used to fight social injustice, but one wonders if the manner in which the UDF functionaries who graced the function behaved can draw sympathy well-meaning worshippers.
What is more worrying is that some people who added fuel to the blazing flames are local leaders whom people look up to for guidance and direction and who are supposed to be unifying figures. A local leader is reporterd to have told the faithful and other people in attendance at the function that UDF had taken over the celebrations. Still nothing wrong for Gunya? Chiefs should desist from being used as pawns in political battles, lest they be caught in the crossfire.
The local leaders for Bamba CCAP church in Machinga showed that they were apolitical by inviting their MP Jaffalie Mussa, who is also Minister of Sports Youth and Culture, to their centenary celebrations.
But it was wrong for UDF functionaries who came to the function—apparently following their chairman Bakili Muluzi—to boo and stop Mussa from addressing the congregation when he was asked to, simply because he is a cabinet minister in President Bingu wa Mutharika’s government. If Gunya could not have stopped the booing and heckling, at least he should have condemned the behaviour later. We are, therefore, very surprised that he is saying he saw nothing wrong with it and is not ashamed. Gunya should have taken great exception to it.
We also hope this is Gunya’s personal stand and not that of the synod on the matter. And if it is his stand alone, we hope the Church will apologise to the minister for the embarrassment caused to him, or else they should not have invited him to the function in the first place.
In fact, one wonders what the synod is doing about its general secretary over his many controversial statements the synod has been forced to disown over the past few months. Sometimes there is no telling whether the synod understands its GS, or if it fears him? What is clear is that he always does things his way.
The behaviour of the UDF functionaries at the Machinga function is the kind of retrogressive thinking the nation condemned at the funeral of the late Speaker Rodwell Munyenyembe when a former Democratic Progressive Party senior official tried to incite local people against Muluzi and other UDF officials at the funeral.
Would Gunya not be embarrassed if Vice President Cassim Chilumpha was invited by his church to a similar function and was barred from speaking just because DPP was more popular in that area?
We also hope UDF will condemn their supportors for hijacking the religious function to achieve their partisan agenda.

-

Monday, November 21, 2005

News


REPORT REVEALS MALAWI LOST K5 BILLION TO HIGH LEVEL CORRUPTION IN BAKILI MULUZI ADMINISTRATION IN LAST FIVE YEARS

The Malawi government has lost close to a whopping K5 billion in the last five years due to high-level corrupt practices that involved top government and party officials, The Chronicle has learnt.

According to a document which details summary cases of persons and amounts, saved or lost, status, and remarks of 21 high level corruption cases, obtained by The Chronicle, the government lost close to K5 billion due to high degree corrupt practices since 1999.

Ironically, the document also implicates some cabinet ministers in the President Bingu wa Mutharika administration, and officials in his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who have been dubbed by their critics as political refugees running from the long arm of the law.

The civil society has since bemoaned the revelation, saying it is a mockery to the current situation when the country is going begging for food relief to save its 5 million citizens whose lives are at stake due to the hovering hunger.

The document alleges that the government has not yet recovered K13 million in a case where DPP Secretary General Joyce Banda is said to have been awarded a K26 million contract to construct Limbe Transit Depot by ADMARC in 2002 when she was its Board Member.

The document further reveals that Banda, in case number LIL/102/02, allegedly pocketed K13 million in advances before commencement of the work. "Investigations have so far established that Kambe Building Contractors, a company belonging to Mrs Joyce Banda was awarded a contract to construct a fence at Limbe Transit Depot. However, the circumstances surrounding the contract award are yet to be established," says the document on the status of the case.

When contacted for comment, Banda, while confirming that indeed Kambe contractors belongs to her, she has never won a tender of K26 million. "Yes, Kambe belongs to me but I have never won a K26 million tender in my life. Tell me again the Case Number I should phone Mr Kaliwo (Gustav Kaliwo, the ACB Director)," Banda said.

In case number LIL/53/2004, DPP Second Deputy Vice President Khumbo Kachali and some National Roads Authority (NRA) Board members are implicated in a K11, 500, 000 scam where they are alleged to have bought a Toyota Prado VX from a Mr Muhammad, then Board member, at an inflated figure of K11, 500,000 despite being an old vehicle. "The deal was facilitated by Mr Khumbo Kachali, then Board Chairman, who was using the vehicle. There are allegations that NRA usually awards contracts to G&C and Matete Civil Contractors because they belong to some NRA Board members," the document summarises the case.

It further says investigations are currently underway and that documents have been so far collected from NRA and are being analysed.

People's Progressive Movement (PPM) President Aleke Kadonaphani Banda (AKB), then Agriculture Minister, is implicated in a K127, 210,770 scam, case number LIL/469/98 on alleged corrupt practices involving fertilizer transactions with Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund of Malawi (SFFRFM) Starter Pack Program.

On the status of the case, the document says investigations were concluded in June 2003. "Report submitted to government with recommendations to take administrative action against Hon. Aleke Banda and also prosecution under the penal code against Farmers World for obtaining goods by false pretences," reads the document.

However, when contacted Aleke Banda said he was not aware of the case. "I have never heard of it," he said on the phone on Wednesday.

Former Head of State, Bakili Muluzi is named in a closed case BT/293/2002 in the purchase of Linden House at Linden Estate in South Africa from Air Malawi at K2 million.

In the saved column, the document showed government saved K4 million hence the closing of the Linden Estate case.

Currently, the graft busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has also instituted a preliminary investigation into allegations that former President Bakili Muluzi received K100 million to pardon a corruption convict Shabir Suleman, who was convicted for bribing a Malawi High Court Judge.

In the case number LIL/148/04, Muluzi is alleged to have received a K100 million bribe from a Malawian of Indian origin Shabir Suleman, who was at Zomba Prison for his pardon.

The document says investigations are still underway as the "Bureau" continues to get more details.

Apart from the K187 million scam involving Vice President (VP) Cassim Chilumpha and other officials, the document - in case number LIL/667/99 - also implicates the VP in $ 4 million (K500 million) corrupt practices when he was Finance Minister in the award of the Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) contract to Inter-tek, a contract that was eventually cancelled by former President Muluzi.

According to the document, investigations on the case concluded in 2000 and a report was submitted to Muluzi under Section 10 (1) (C) of the Corrupt Practices Act for action against Chilumpha but no action was taken.

The document also reveals that government lost K2.9 billion in a case in which ADMARC management and some UDF officials Friday Jumbe, Leonard Mangulama, and Weston Kanjira are alleged to have mismanaged and plundered the Strategic Grain Reserves (SGR).

Through former Army Commander, Retired General Chimbayo government is said to have lost K98, 456,383 on allegation that he procured Army Uniforms from Songdoh Company Limited belonging to Mrs S.Y. Kim of Lilongwe in 2003 without following proper tender procedures.

The document says investigations have just started on the matter. "Documents have been served on the Secretary for Defence to produce relevant documents," reads the document.

Some of the cases involve other government officials in parastatal, and other government institutions.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Ishmael Wadi could not be reached for comment on the ACB cases.

At a time of going to press the ACB had not yet responded our questionnaire on the issues prompting a personal visit to the ACB offices in Lilogwe.

When The Chronicle visited ACB's Director, Gustav Kaliwo to verify the authenticity of the document and its contents, he then demanded that The Chronicle reveals the source of the document, which The Chronicle vehemently refused to do.

He said he was unable to make any comment on the document "I am in an awkward position to comment on the issue because you are also refusing to disclose your source". He also added that because some of the cases relate to the time before he became Director, it was also difficult to make any comment. "Then I don't know if we can co-operate. We are keeping this document here. We didn't ask you to bring it here," Kaliwo said before finally deciding to photocopy and return the produced document.

A recent Transparency International (TI) report says Malawi has slipped seven steps lower on the Transparency International 2005 (TI) index.

-Story by the Chronicle

Saturday, November 19, 2005

News

Malawi Opposition continues advancing personal agendas over national issues

Opposition parties and government have clashed on when Parliament should reconvene to continue business from the last sitting with opposition calling for the House to meet immediately while government insists it will be a waste of resources.
Speaker Louis Chimango is expected to rule whether MPs who dumped their parties and joined government crossed the floor under Section 65 of the Constitution.
The Speaker failed to make a ruling on the matter during the last sitting of Parliament which adjourned temporarily on October 31 after government obtained an injunction restraining him from passing a verdict.
The court dissolved the injunction last week giving the Speaker powers to call for Parliament to continue with the sitting’s business and make his verdict on the concerned MPs because the House agreed to do so once the matter has been settled.
But Government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati said on Tuesday from Tunisia government will not allow Parliament to meet just to discuss Section 65 because she said it will just be a waste of resources.
She claimed when the Speaker wanted to make a ruling on the matter, the House was about to adjourn sine die.
“If we are going to meet and just to talk nonsense then it’s not on and it’s better not to meet,” she said.
Kaliati accused Speaker of bringing confusion in the House “because of his bias, lack of leadership skills and failure to control Parliament” saying he needs special training outside the country to learn how his counterparts handle Parliamentary business.
“He is shooting himself down. He is failing to control Parliament. He is biased and he lacks leadership skills. He is the one who is bringing problems in the House,” she said.
But Leader of Opposition John Tembo said what Kaliati said clearly shows that government does not understand the importance of Parliament and described the situation as a constitutional crisis where the Legislature and the Executive are at loggerheads.
“That’s the nature of our government. They don’t fully understand the importance of Parliament. I don’t think it’s wise. This is a constitutional crisis,” said Tembo.
UDF Chief Whip Leonard Mangulama said the continuation of the last sitting of Parliament does not need government approval, saying it is up to the Speaker in consultation with the Business Committee to decide on the sitting.
“Government has no right and no powers whatsoever on the meeting of Parliament,” said Mangulama.
He said the House should reconvene soon to continue with the last sitting of Parliament and to give room to the beginning of the new session before the end of the year when traditionally the President opens with a State of the Nation address.
Mangulama said the Business Committee will decide both the date, the length and the business of the sitting and not government.
“On our part we have the [National Governing Council] Bill. If the Speaker is ready with his ruling on Section 65, he will deliver it and if government feel they have some urgent business they can bring it,” he said.
Chimango was reported to be out of the country.
But Acting Secretary to the Treasury, Patrick Kabambe said funds are available for the continuation of the last sitting of Parliament, but he said he has not yet received any request so far.
Hopes of ridding Malawi of corruption about to hit wall as 13 government mps risk losing seats

Thirteen cabinet ministers risk losing their parliamentary seats should Speaker Louis Chimango pass the verdict in favour of the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) demand, a development analysts said would further weaken President Bingu wa Mutharika’s already fragile government.
The Speaker’s ruling, temporarily halted by the court after government obtained an injunction seeking an interpretation of Section 65, will affect Agriculture Minister Uladi Mussa, who is also vice president of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Justice Minister and Blantyre Rural East MP Henry Phoya and Information Minister and Mulanje west MP Patricia Kaliati.
Others facing the chop are Chiradzulu East MP Henry Mussa who is also Vocational Training minister, Phalombe East MP Ken Lipenga, Youth Minister and MP for Machinga East Jafali Mussa, Mines Minister and MP for Nkhotakota North Chimunthu Banda, Water Minister and MP for Chikwawa Nkombezi Sidik Mia and Joyce Banda—MP for Zomba Malosa and Minister of Gender.
Also facing dismissal are Local Government Minister and MP for Mulanje South West George Chaponda, Mzimba South East MP and Deputy Defence Minister Khumbo Kachale, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for Thyolo West Thomson Mchacha and Roy Cummsy Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for South East.
“We asked the Speaker to declare the seats for 12 former UDF MPs vacant for crossing the floor except for Davis Katsonga because he was expelled,” UDF spokesperson Sam Mpasu said on Wednesday.
The UDF petition to the Speaker also includes Dedza South West MP Kate Kainja (MCP) who is also Minister of Education but does not petition the Speaker on other MPs such as Brown Mpinganjira, who joined the UDF after dissolving NDA.
The controversial Section 65, gives the Speaker powers to declare vacant seats for any MP who voluntarily resigns from a party that sponsored his candidature or any MP who joins another party other than the one that sponsored him or her.
Analysts this week said if the Speaker kicks out 13 Ministers, it will render the government powerless, and further worsen the political impasse.
Last month Britain urged the opposition to hold off the impeachment debate because they said it was distracting government at a time of a major food crisis. Five million Malawians need food aid.
“This would leave the President in a tight corner and the only thing he can do is either intensify his campaign in the areas he knows he is strong or reach out to the opposition because he needs their support,” Chancellor College political science lecturer Mustafa Hussein said.
Another Chancellor College political science lecturer Boniface Dulani said Mutharika’s minority government is heavily reliant on the cabinet ministers who quit UDF. “To lose them would be a major blow to Mutharika’s chances of regaining power in the House.”
Dulani said the result will also have an effect on donor confidence to deal with government.
The High Court on Monday lifted the five-day injunction obtained by government restraining the Speaker from passing the verdict on the 13 ministers.
Personal Assistant to the Speaker Henry Kamata said on Thursday the Speaker will make the ruling on Section 65 when Parliament reconvenes any time.
“It is just fear of the unknown because we don’t know what his verdict is…but that will be known anytime Parliament reconvenes,” Kamata said. We were not able to talk to Chimango as he was reported to be outside the country.
Two courts, the Constitutional Court and the High Court are yet to decide on the interpretation of Section 65, which has been controversial in the recent past.
Malawi Law Society declined to discuss the interpretation of Section 65 because it is in the courts.
Parliament in August rejected MCP president John Tembo’s proposal to amend the section to include members that decide to become independent candidates.
The application against the 13 ministers is the latest twist in a power struggle between Mutharika and his predecessor Bakili Muluzi whose party wants Mutharika impeached.
Mutharika quit the UDF in September last year. Twenty-two executive members of UDF also dumped the UDF and joined Mutharika’s DPP.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

News


All evidence suggests that Malawi Government has set the right tempo for achieving reforms needed to achieve growth and reduce poverty - World Bank


THE WORLD Bank has rated Malawi among the few countries in Africa eager to implement reforms

designed to boost investment, the Business Times has learnt.

However, a legal expert has said that the absence of anti-money laundering laws threatens to derail the

seemingly good prospects and pace of reform.

In their latest joint report, 'Doing Business in 2006; Creating jobs' the World Bank and the International

Finance Corporation (IFC), have put Malawi among three African governments planning ambitious reforms

that aim to make their economic environment conducive for doing business.

Other two countries cited for praise are Burkina Faso and Lesotho, while Serbia and Montenegro leads the

pack.

The report, released recently in Washington, ranks Rwanda, Mauritius, South Africa and Nigeria among the

top reformers in a continent the World Bank has recommended for heavy reforms.

"If reformers of business regulation are seeking an example, they should look nearby—to Rwanda," reads

the report in part.

It says the Eastern African country, a troubled spot for ethnic strife and genocide 10 years ago, was

among the top 12 reformers in 2004. Upon embarking on the reforms, Rwanda recorded one of Africa's

highest economic growth rates (3.6 percent), says the report.

The World Bank report used up to 10 indicators to investigate regulation that either enhance business

activity or stifle it. These indicators are applied to measure economic outcomes and identify reforms that

have worked elsewhere and why.

In Malawi, research collaborators looked at regulation governing recruitment and firing of workers, credit

acquiring procedure and licensing of businesses, among other variables.

World Bank Country Economist Khwima Nthara said in an interview, although the 'Doing Business' report

looked at selected criteria, all evidence suggests that Malawi has set the right tempo for achieving reforms

needed to achieve growth and reduce poverty.

He said the country now has political will and commitment at the top to embark on the required reforms and

that government had started to address critical needs of the private sector.

"We've seen a lot of commitment and some action. The 2005/06 budget, for instance, is business-friendly

in terms of taxation measures. The country is at the right stage and the future can only be bright," Nthara

said.

He said on its part, the World Bank has embarked on an Investment Climate Survey that would analyse

comprehensive data to come up with a more objective assessment of the factors impeding investment in

Malawi.

But a corporate lawyer who collaborated on the World Bank report said while laws regulating business in

the country were generally favourable, delays to pass the anti-money laundering bill raise serious doubts

about the seriousness of government to attract foreign investors.

The draft bill has since 2002 been entangled in red tape. During the recent session of Parliament, the draft

law was again overshadowed by debate on the impeachment of President Bingu wa Mutharika and the

food shortage crisis.

"Without the anti-money laundering law in place, Malawi is exposed and vulnerable. This situation puts the

country at a great disadvantage," said Jai Banda of Sacranie and Gow, and who has been researching on

the subject.

He said Malawi was at high risk of attracting money laundering activity because it was one of the few

countries in the region lacking specific laws to tackle the vice.

Apart from money laundering, Banda said there is also urgent need to straighten bureaucracies that cause

delays in the issuance of licenses and permits.

He said the delays, which take between 21 to 35 days, are frustrating investors and scaring them away.

The World Bank report indicates that Malawi is among six African countries where investors are still

subjected to annual renewal of licenses, a process that comes after a rigorous inspection of business

premises by the Ministry of Trade and Private Sector Development.

"Businesses often resort to bribes to obtain approval. License renewal should not be an annual rite, and

only violators should pay fines," says the report.

It advises governments to simply their licensing systems to save costs.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Malawi Vice President Cassim Chilumpha Arrested Over Corruption Charges


Malawi police have arrested vice president Cassim Chilumpha on corruption charges, intensifying a political crisis that is paralysing the impoverished southern African country.

Director of public prosecution Ishmael Wadi said Chilumpha was arrested at his home in the commercial capital Blantyre on Tuesday and would appear in court on graft charges linked to a financial scandal during his tenure as minister of education.

The arrest came amid a power struggle between president Bingu wa Mutharika and his predecessor Bakili Muluzi, whose opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) party was trying to impeach the president. The president denied wrong doing.

Chilumpha was a founding member of the UDF and a key ally of Muluzi.

Wa Mutharika was waging a war on graft that had targeted Muluzi and the UDF, which wa Mutharika quit earlier this year.

"The vice president will appear in court tomorrow to answer to charges of corruption involving the $1.7 million scandal which happened when he was Minister of Education five years ago," said Wadi.

Malawi's political crisis was angering donors and threatened to undermine the impoverished country's ability to deal with a major food crisis.

In a rare intervention by foreign governments in the domestic politics of an African country, Britain and other key aid donors to Malawi said last month they would not support a new government if wa Mutharika was impeached.

A donor pullout would cripple a country that depended on foreign assistance for almost half of its national budget and where some five million people were in desperate need of food aid.

Wa Mutharika and Muluzi fell out after the president launched an anti-corruption campaign that targeted senior figures from Muluzi's administration.

The president survived a bid to expel him from the UDF earlier this year only to quit and found his own Democratic Progressive Party.

Tensions between the two camps spilled into violence last month when wa Mutharika's supporters smashed vehicles belonging to opposition MPs.

-Story by Reuters

Saturday, November 12, 2005

OPINION

Actions by powerhungry and selfish African politicians is as evil as terrorism in the world - Henry (Switzlerland)

What the west should be doing for Africa is to deal with this ring of powerful people on the continent that divert most of the continents resources to themselves and manipulate the system to make them or their parties rule forever. They are capable of this because the west does have the people on the ground and the information and they know the people behind the chaos.
The efforts by musicians lately through the live-aid and live8 concerts are all commendable and shows the will of people in the west to help Africa. But if the people in Africa are still subjected to these leaders derailing the development process through unstabilizing peaceful nations like Malawi for the sore purpose of getting back to plunder nations' resources then all those efforts to raise all that money is fruitless. It is time the west started targeting these leaders in our societies through actions like targeted sanctions, travel restrictions and so on like in the case of the Robert Mugabe and his group. These kind of actions would send a clear message and restrict these peoples operations. That is the direction the west should take if they are to correct Africas problems because without real freedom money alone will not get Africa out of poverty. Africans are held ransom by these rich leaders to the point governments are incapacitated.

News

"The root cause of the conflict between UDF and the President is known all over the country,why should we waste our time fighting a war that is not ours?" - MCP Central Region district chairmen



There are cracks in the main opposition MCP over its support to impeach President Bingu wa Mutharika, with MCP Central Region district chairmen demanding that their president John Tembo dumps plans to remove Mutharika to UDF. But the UDF claims the MCP has been bought.
The chairmen, representing all the nine districts of Lilongwe, Mchinji, Ntcheu, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Salima, Dowa, Dedza and Kasungu, said they had booked for an appointment with John Tembo to convey the message from the grassroots last week, but were instead advised to meet some selected MPs in their respective districts.
“We are of the view that as MCP we should not waste time getting involved in conflicts that have nothing to do with us,” said a veteran district chairman, adding that the party president should concentrate on consolidating its activities in preparation for the 2009 elections.
The district chairman said MCP members in the rural areas are tired of seeing their party engaging in matters that are of benefit to UDF and its national chair Bakili Muluzi, a message he emphasised was coming from the grassroots.
He said the understanding in the rural areas is that the battle to remove President Bingu wa Mutharika is between him and his predecessor Muluzi, resulting from the fact that Mutharika ditched the party that ushered into power to form his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“The root cause of their conflict is known all over the country,” said the chairman. “Therefore, why should we waste our time fighting a war that is not ours?”
Another veteran district chairman from the region said MCP’s focus ought to be getting rid of Bingu through the ballot in 2009.
At a press conference held on behalf of party president in Lilongwe this week, MCP spokesperson Nicholas Dausi insisted his party has at no time worked with UDF to plot Mutharika’s impeachment, but rather got involved in putting procedures in Parliament as required by the Constitution of Malawi.
“MCP has at no point worked with UDF to impeach President Mutharika,” said Dausi. “I think this must be made clear, otherwise we will end up misinforming innocent people out there.”
Dausi, who is also the party’s second vice president, said MCP views the current political situation as a crisis that needs immediate solutions for the country to progress in nation building and forge ahead in economic development and social transformation.
He blamed President Mutharika’s DPP for waging a propaganda war against the opposition, in particular the MCP, because of its strength in Parliament where it has majority seats.
Commenting on the apparent change of heart by some MCP MPs on impeachment, UDF spokesperson Sam Mpasu said he suspects that some of the MCP MPs have been bought by the DPP.
Mpasu said last week the UDF suspected that some MPs in MCP “must have received money from the DPP to confuse the impeachment proceedings,” he said without substantiating the claim.
“It is not surprising because we expected this to happen…Bingu is so desperate because he has no numbers,” he said.
Some 15 MCP MPs threatened to sabotage the impeachment motion largely because of differences over the legality as well as composition of the proposed National Governing Council.
“The issue of the NGC is the last straw…Muluzi used us to fight for the third and open terms and now he wants to use us to remove Mutharika?” Said an MCP MP who asked for anonymity.
Seven MCP MPs Nation spoke to just before Parliament adjourned said they had had enough.
“We cannot speak on record because we fear that Tembo will punish us. But enough is enough, we need some change in the way we approach issues in the party,” said an MP.
But MCP deputy spokesperson Bintony Kutsaila dismissed as lies assertions that some MCP MPs have been bought by DPP.
“That cannot happen in MCP, we are still a strong party and united,” Kutsaila said.
“What you should know is that every democratic party has its own differences over issues and that is not strange. But to differ does not mean that people are leaving the party,” Kutsaila said.
The NGC Bill is facing resistance not only in Parliament but from legal experts as well, who say it is unnecessary because the Constitution provides for a takeover in the event of the President’s office falling vacant.
The bill proposes that no former head of state should be in the committee that would include the Vice President, leaders of parties represented in Parliament and the Speaker.
Mutharika survived an indictment a fortnight ago when the courts stopped the proceedings and the diplomatic community warned that it would not support a government under the NGC.
“We will find it difficult to work with the NGC if Mutharika is impeached because of the hasty and suspicious way the impeachment is being done,” donors said in a statement.
UDF Hopes for Conflict in Malawi 12 November 2005 - 02:29:10

The UDF on Wednesday met donor representatives to discuss the current political impasse in Malawi and asked them to either let President Bingu wa Mutharika resign or allow the impeachment process to continue.
But Government has said it is Bakili Muluzi and Cassim Chilumpha that need to resign, arguing the two are “trying to bring conflict in the country.”
A leaked UDF confidential briefing paper presented to the donor troika composed of Germany Ambassador Albert Gisy, Gunnar Foreland the Norwegian Ambassador and South African High Commissioner Ms Ntshadi Tsheole, warns that if impeachment is not allowed, the country must brace itself for a very unstable and chaotic political environment orchestrated by Mutharika.
“It is imperative that the impeachment process is allowed to take its full process by the President and the Executive, the Judiciary, donors…Alternatively the President must resign voluntarily and seek a fresh mandate to legitimise his government,” reads the briefing paper.
UDF leader in Parliament George Mtafu led the UDF delegation of former Finance Minister Friday Jumbe and UDF Chief Whip Leonard Mangulama to the talks with the troika chaired by the Norwegian Ambassador Foreland .
“This is the second time we were meeting and the discussions were excellent…We discussed, among other things, the food shortages, Mutharika’s leadership style, his extravagance and the National Governing Council,” said Mtafu.
Deputy South African High Commissioner Hein Lotze also confirmed the meeting but could not disclose the contents of the discussion.
“I did not attend the meeting, but my high commissioner did, together with the Norwegian head and the German head…They will report to the rest of the community in due course,” Hein said.
On Friday, government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati described the UDF demands as shameful.
“It is Bakili Muluzi and Cassim Chilumpha that need to resign. Muluzi should resign from politics because he is trying to bring conflict in the country and the Vice President Chilumpha for his incompetence,” said Kaliati.
“Who is UDF to tell donors to force Bingu to resign? They had there time they should let Bingu rule now,” she said.
The issue of Mutharika’s alleged extravagance was tabled with the UDF citing the President’s decision to move into New State House as an example of spending.
Reports from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), said the brief, labelled Mutharika as someone who has an appetite for expenditure and this has been proven during his short stay as President. He decided to move into the 300-room State House while maintaining all other state residences against his pledge at inauguration.
In the briefing, the UDF feared that if the impeachment process is not allowed to continue, the President will use the might of the state machinery to destroy Malawi’s democratic gains and arrest political competitors in the name or zero-tolerance for corruption.
Mutharika, who quit UDF last year and formed his own Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has been lauded by the donor community for his fight against corruption but that has earned him enemies from UDF and in Parliament who claim that it is political persecution.
“All those he has called his enemies have suffered in one way or another and this includes journalists. Recently he has caused arrests of two MPs for moving the impeachment motion and strangely the President admitted at a press conference on November 7 on arrival from Scotland that the arrests are ‘Tit for Tat’,” UDF told the donors.
The diplomatic community a fortnight ago said they would find it difficult to work with a new government under a National Governing Council (NGC) if Mutharika was impeached.
This statement did not go down well with UDF and its opposition partner Malawi Congress Party (MCP) who accused donors of meddling in the internal affairs of the country.
In conclusion, the UDF justified the proposal to have an NGC, in the event that Mutharika is impeached.
“The NGC is a desire to ensure stability, peace and popular support, to have a broader spectrum of leadership …that would include elected leaders of political parties in Parliament which would oversee the six months transition,” UDF said.
According to it draft bill, the NGC— dubbed a nonstarter by various legal commentators—would also include key players in government to ensure continuity with government business.
The UDF called on the donors to support the elections after six months to ensure a smooth transition from the NGC.
“The present environment is very explosive and it will not be long before it explodes into a full-scale conflict if nothing is done,” says the brief

-Story by the Nation

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Opinion

Build not Destroy - Henry (switzlerland)

I would like to express my views on a number of issues but all revolving around the how narrow minded us Malawians have become over the last 10 years. It is a fact that Malawians in general have changed. We have changed in our behaviour, our perceptions of the future and our attitudes.
My observation is that we have developed a culture of taking things lightly especially when matters to do with the country are concerned, we always feel it is somebody's responsibility and not ours, maybe due to the fact that we feel politics is a game played by certain people in society. This laissez-faire attitude is not only in politics but has also spread to other parts of our society. People are not responsible for their actions anymore, from the minibus drivers on our roads to most recently our elected representatives in parliament, I am even sceptic about the Malawian press at the moment. You could never imagine such a scenario we have today twenty years back. As most nations around the world e.g Mozambique, Botswana, South Africa etc are moving forward to face challenges of the 21st centuary building and developing their societies Malawians are breaking and destroying. Is shopping in "Harvey Nichols" an issue? Really? I mean people earning a minimum wage in the UK shop in "Harvey Nichols". At the end of the day it is what you want to spend your money on. Shame on the editorials publishing this nonsense, I would like it if they wrote more on issues that would help change peoples lives and things that matter not sending wrong signals to donors and potential investors they way they are doing.
When former speakers of parliament and Malawian news reporters start bad mouthing their own country, you should know you have a very big problem on your hands. A lot of people do not realise how costly such bad publicity can be for a third world country like Malawi. I think Journalists need to be responsible and cautious when selling their stories to their employers abroad because at the end of the day the people suffering are the ordinary people in the villages. All what is happening is scaring off potential investors which we really need right now to get our economy moving. So Mr Mpasu the next time you decide to go on about corruption in Malawi when in fact we are trying to rid our society of your (corrupt) kind think about all those starving malawians you could not help when you had the chance in government. Also think of the people who will be watching and building a case against you for causing all this unnecessary confusion and destruction to our country.

Monday, November 07, 2005



"The origin of corruption in Malawi is the system of 'laissez-faire' that allowed powerful and corrupt political leaders to amass huge wealth and fortunes at the expense of the poor masses" - President Bingu Wa Mutharika

State President Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika has blamed leaders of the past for their 'laissez-faire' attitude in governance that allowed rampant corruption to exist in Malawi. Mutharika was addressing the Scottish Parliament Thursday as part of his four-day state visit to Scotland under the Scotland Malawi Partnership.

"The origin of corruption in Malawi is the system of 'laissez-faire' that allowed powerful and corrupt political leaders to amass huge wealth and fortunes at the expense of the poor masses," Mutharika said, adding that no one could dare challenge the leaders resulting in the entrenchment and acceptance of corruption as normal. He stated that the corruption even influenced all three arms of government.

The Malawi president set out to explain why his 'zero tolerance on corruption' agenda seemed only to target those who had been in leadership positions before. "This august house might be interested to know that my government spares no one. This is why some members of the opposition have turned against me. Their plan is to discredit me and remove me from office so that they should not be brought to book.

Mutharika went on to explain: "The abortive attempts to impeach me are part of their drive towards their self preservation. In other words," he said, "I am paying for trying to clean up corruption in my country." This speech in the Scottish Parliament went some way at addressing the negative perceptions that people in Scotland have had from their media about recent political developments in Malawi. There will be three days of hectic activity and lobbying for desperate support to Malawi from Scotland by the Scotland Malawi Partnership whose convener is former High Commissioner to Malawi George Finlayson.

The Scotland Malawi Partnership has brought leading political players, church leaders and civil society advocates from Malawi to interact with their counterparts, and with parliament to set out an agenda for ongoing support from Scotland. This support is expected to focus in the areas of Health, Education and training, Agriculture, Growth and Poverty reduction, Aid, Debt and Investment as well as in Governance.

The visit to Scotland of the imminent persons from Malawi and the attempt at lobbying their Scottish counterparts faces difficult hurdles following negative perceptions carried in the press about Malawi being in a shambles so far as the political landscape as well as the economy and social structures. The attempt to impeach the president has also had a far-reaching adverse effect on Malawi's ability to garner support from its 150 year-old historic partner.

An article that appeared in the local media prior to the parliamentary address by President Mutharika suggests that the First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell was wining and dining the Malawi president while there was evidence that it is estimated that 5 million people in Malawi will starve to death before year-end.

In response to Mutharika's address, McConnell welcomed the Malawi delegation, recognizing the shared history that the two nations have and promising that the Celtic nation is more than willing to help support Malawi. He indicated that Scotland was aware of the needs of Malawi and will attempt to assist under a principle of sustained solidarity and mutual understanding.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Scottish Executive have earmarked the sum of three million pounds sterling to immediately assist Malawi.

-Story by Rob Jamieson for The Chronicle

Friday, November 04, 2005


Who hijacked our democracy
by Mzati Nkolokosa, 02 November 2005 - 06:31:21


Malawians will always remember June 14,1993 because that is the day multipartism triumphed over the one-party system in a referendum called by first President Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
Twelve years later, Malawi is in political mess. Four years ago it was Ayimanso — a campaign for Bakili Mul
uzi’s open and third term bids that divided the country. Now it’s impeachment. Where has our democracy gone? Decades from now, historians will attempt to determine the real cause of the political instability prevailing in Malawi now.
They will ask the question: What went wrong? Malawi doesn’t seem to be stable, at least for the past six y
ears.
This is very different from the spirit of the early 1990s when we were fighting for multiparty democracy. Then, one was either for or against one of the two marketed systems, one party or multiparty. The 1994 general elections were peaceful and were followed with a lot of goodwill and support for the Muluzi administration.
That goodwill was slowly betrayed. The unity that once prevailed in the country was attacked. Seeds of div
ision were sown and the fruits are ripening now.
Who hijacked our democracy? Some analysts will mention Muluzi. They could be right.
Once upon a time, UDF was a good party; Muluzi was a saviour. The formative years of the early 1990s, says former Vice President Justin Malewezi, were “very exciting” and enjoyable.
“We were wo
rking together,” Malewezi told Weekend Nation of January 3, 2004. “We were close to each other and consulted very closely and we had very competent people.”
This exci
tement existed during Muluzi’s first term. However, there were signs that the unity and respect for each other in UDF were slowly fading; there were signs that democracy was being eroded.
Parliament, in late 1994, resolved that the country’s currency should bear neutral symbols. That was reversed by cabinet and, as a result, Muluzi’s face was on bank notes and coins. Further, months into the Muluzi administration, it became clear that the Senate was not a priority.
Then people blamed UDF. But that was lack of careful examination of the situation. It was Muluzi, not U
DF, because the party was founded on principles of democracy, respect for the rule of law and people’s power.
Malewezi recalls that respect for each other, especially among senior members, was visibly coming to an
end towards the end of Muluzi’s first term.
The second term was worse. Muluzi, once a hero, was not listening to anyone, not even the cry of the common man, the voter.
Instead of grooming a successor, Muluzi tried to rape the Constitution to have open presidential terms.
He kept on saying he had no interest in remaining in the hot seat because he had better things to do after State House; that he would work for peace in the region and fight HIV and Aids.
Did Muluzi really want a third term? Yes. He addressed more rallies during the ugly third term campaign th
an at any other time. These rallies were a platform for open term campaign by party officials.
Chiefs were reduced to robots to direct people to support the undemocratic move.
Violence rose to ugly levels. No one except Muluzi himself, was safe. Even cabinet ministers were living in fear of the notorious UDF Young Democrats. They often interrupted Muluzi’s speeches wit
h ‘Ayimanso, Ayimanso’ chants and he tolerated them because that’s what he wanted — another term.
This is how Muluzi works — by remote control.
“Muluzi is a very shrewd character,” recalls an MCP official who worked with Muluzi in the party.
He says it is hypocritical for Muluzi to seek Mutharika’s ouster when his era was characterised by gross mismanagement.
“Those
who seek equity must come with clean hands,” he advises.
One lesson of our 12-year-old democracy is that it takes time for genuine democrats to appear from a o
ne party dictatorship background.
A one-time international administrator in Bosnia, Paddy Ashdown, often argues that starting a political process too soon empowers those who happen to have money, megaphones or legitimacy in ea
rly days.
Muluzi appeared to have these in 1994 and he was Mr Right simply because, as Charles Simango once said in his newspaper The Democrat, the only choice was not there.
Once the bid for an extra term flopped, Muluzi imposed Mutharika on the UDF. Analysts suspect this was Muluzi’s calculation to rule from behind in the name of Mutharika. It remains reasonable to insist
that Muluzi and Mutharika agreed to do things to each other.
For sure,
Muluzi pledged to campaign vigorously for Mutharika, to make sure the man takes over the reigns. In return, Mutharika accepted to do things we will never know, but which perhaps, meant the country’s third President dancing to the tune of his predecessor. This is confirmed by Ken Zikhale Ng’oma who resigned from Mutharika’s DPP recently.
“When Dr. Mu
luzi resolved that you be the presidential candidate for the UDF, he did it with the understanding that you would recognise his efforts and not victimise him in the way you are now,” says Zikhale Ng’oma in his resignation letter to Mutharika.
Muluzi did his part. But Mutharika, it’s clear, has not acted within the terms of the unsigned agreement. This is what led to the Fast Track, a movement started by the late Dumbo Lemani, aimed at reorganising the UDF.
The Fast Track was a real thorn in Mutharika’s flesh. He demanded its abolition. Muluzi, too, asked Lemani to slow down. “I can’t,” said Lemani. He was not punished. That showed Muluzi’s interest
in Fast Track, otherwise he could have punished Lemani.
It’s a reminder of Muluzi’s double standards. When Cassim Chilumpha, Jan Jaap Sonke and others co-founded Forum for the Defence of the Constitution (FDC), Sonke was fired from UDF while Chilumpha remained Muluzi’s favourite.
Whatever Muluzi and Chilumpha agreed!
Now Muluzi is at it again. He is the most likely person behind the impeachment of Mutharika. The disagreements between them attest to this. The differences became apparent on May 24 last year when Mutharika was sworn in as President.
While Muluz
i was at his enemies, castigating them, Mutharika talked reconciliation and economic prudence.
The gap grew until Mutharika resigned from UDF and formed his party.
Now we are at the climax of the differences between Muluzi and Mutharika.
Muluzi wants Mutharika out. Why? Muluzi himself knows best. He is using UDF MPs. He started with Lucius Banda who proposed the inclusion of impeachment procedures in parliamentary standing orders.
It’s not su
rprising. Lucius owes his fortunes to Muluzi. “We were cleaning toilets barefoot,” he sung in his song Mayi Zembani from his Zembani band’s only album. In the same album, he declared that “Malawi will never ever have a good President like Bakili Muluzi”. Perhaps people ought to understand that Muluzi has been good to Lucius.
Zemban
i band’s major customer of all time has been UDF. Lucius was once on Muluzi’s entourage to Italy. Muluzi appears on almost all covers of Lucius. The musician always thanks Muluzi.
The UDF is using the same tactics it employed during the third term campaign. The party’s argument — it was a loose one — was that people wanted Muluzi to contest for another term so he could finish the development projects he had started in his two terms.
In years to come, even now, well researched history will record Muluzi at the centre of “Ayimanso” and impeachment, two events that are making Malawi a very unstable country.

Thursday, November 03, 2005



Malawi president welcomes 'new chapter'


HAMISH MACDONELL
SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR

THE president of Malawi hailed a new era of co-operation between his country and Scotland yesterday as he began a four-day visit.

Dr Bingu wa Mutharika said the two countries had begun writing a new chapter in the history of their 150-year-old relationship.

As he was greeted in Edinburgh by Jack McConnell, Dr Mutharika said key co-operation agreements to be signed over the next few days would help his country and his people move forward.

The visit has been controversial because he is facing impeachment back home, with opposition MPs accusing him of corruption.

But the president has received the support from the main donor countries to Malawi, including Britain, who came together last week to call for an end to the impeachment proceedings - aware that Dr Mutharika was being targeted because of his own anti-corruption drive in Malawi.

Speaking outside Bute House, the First Minister's official residence, the president said: "This is a new era in the history of Malawi and Scotland.

"We are writing a new chapter - cementing the relationships that have existed between our two countries for over a century and a half. The agreements that we are going to sign will give us the way forward in Malawi and Scotland to co-operate at all levels for us to move forward for the benefit of our people."

Dr Mutharika, accompanied by his wife and first lady Ethel, made no reference to the impeachment proceedings being launched against him.

Mr McConnell welcomed the president, saying he hoped increased co-operation would work to the advantage of Scots and the people of the world's tenth-poorest country.

Today President Mutharika will also address MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. The president's schedule will further include a dinner at Edinburgh Castle, a visit to a medical supplies company in Livingston, and a visit to Glasgow.

It also emerged yesterday that fishermen and farmers in Malawi are to get expert advice from a Scottish university.

The Executive has awarded Stirling University nearly £250,000 to set up education and training schemes in the African country. The money, spread over three years, will fund a project between Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture and Malawi's Mzuzu University. The project will teach farmers, fishermen and children how to make the most of aquatic resources - from fish farming to safe use of water.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

APPEAL FOR ACTION - Youth Wise

Malawi is heading for a hell hole, but you can do something about it


How long Malawi, for how long are we going to take this. We are being destroyed not by foreign forces but by our own so called "country men". Ten years was not enough to underdevelop us but they want to underdevelop us further. Ten years of missed opportunities and we still let ourselves get tramped over again and again and again. When are we going to say enough is enough.

Malawi is heading for the hell hole all thanks to Mr Bakili Muluzi and his few supporters while we are just looking at the events without taking any action. Sadly there will not be any interventions Iraqi style from the international community because Malawi is a soverign state and we dont have oil. It will remain an internal issue for Malawians to deal with. We cant begin to mention what other Malawians have already done to fight the corruption, misdirection, unvisionaryleadership of the former president of Malawi Mr Muluzi, but more can be done. Malawi must not return to be ruled and enjoyed by only a fraction of the population. This is not the dream nor the cause the John Chilembwes died for. They should be turning in their graves for what is happening, so how long Malawi, how long will this go on for.

Please representatives are there to represent you and they have to be accountable to you. A simple step like demanding answers from your area MP can help. What they say in Parliament must reflect the opinion of the people in their constituencies.

Make a difference by taking that first step.

Youth Wise has programs it will be running for the next couple of months. You can volunteer to be part of this movement. Keep checking www.antimuluzi.blogspot.com for updates
Things fall apart, the centre must hold
BY Levi Kabwato
16:26:03 - 27 October 2005

In an apparent degeneration into a more sticky mess, things in Malawi continue to fall apart, breaking and spinning out of the control of those who are supposed to control them. Tidal waves of uncertainty over the future of the presidency and – more importantly – of the state continue to swell as the whirlwind of impeachment begins to swirl too close for comfort for many people in the country.

Proceedings in Parliament in the past week and the beginning of this week continued to give rise to growing anxiety coupled with discomfort among the citizenry as to where exactly Malawi is headed. That, added to the thick layer of mist surrounding what has become the new social-speak in the country – impeachment –, has also proved that not everyone can tell, let alone guess, what is in store for the people and their land in the coming few weeks. Malawi, it appears, now has a dark cloud hanging over it, threatening to release torrents of disorder.

In one of the greatest misfortunes to avail itself on the political landscape in the country, cunning politicians seem to be taking advantage of the people and their ignorance around the whole impeachment debate. Poor and gullible masses have been roped in to either raise a fuss for Mutharika’s impeachment or to rise up against the whole process in defence of the President.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) was the first party to begin what might just soon become the order of the day – unruly demonstrations. The UDF supporters on Wednesday last week marched from Limbe to Blantyre pledging solidarity and showing their support of the planned impeachment of Mutharika. In similar fashion, concerned citizens and members of the president’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) marched to parliament early Monday morning reportedly to try and warn opposition members of Parliament against continuing with the impeachment process.

But much more than that, the two demonstrations exposed the real faces which are going to bear the brunt of the whole course of action – the ordinary people – while their leaders afford themselves luxuries which are rarely extended to the last man in the party.

With the impeachment motion having been filed and a notice of indictment served on the president late last Thursday – almost five hours after the House had adopted the impeachment procedures – the nightmares of impeachment for Mutharika could not have appeared any more realistic. That move by the opposition drew the knives out for president Mutharika, becoming the latest indication of the opposition’s relentless ambition to unseat the incumbent who has ruled for just seventeen months. The unleashing of this fresh wave of wrath from the opposition was also fuelled by the growing inconsistencies of the Speaker of parliament, Louis Chimango, who has clearly shown that he is at opposition leader, John Tembo’s beck and call by recklessly and needlessly toeing on party lines.

This has forced government to be on the defensive most of the times since the impeachment debate commenced, a situation made worse (for government) by the opposition’s dominance in parliament. On Monday last week, MPs who back the government lost a challenge in Parliament to have impeachment procedures, which they said lacked laws of natural justice, referred to the Legal Affairs Committee. Morale was evidently low in the government camp as they desperately tried to keep the opposition on its feet as well.

The government MPs had to endure a whole week of steam turned on them by their colleagues on the opposing side. Then the relief came. Government had to wait for a breather until Saturday afternoon, when the High Court in Lilongwe granted a very significant and the much-needed breathing space for government through an injunction to Karonga Nyungwe MP Richard Msowoya, restraining the National Assembly from going ahead with the indictment of President Mutharika which was initially scheduled to start Thursday.

“We obtained an order that everything to be discussed in parliament should not include the impeachment of the president,” Maxon Mbendera, lawyer for Msowoya told The Sunday Times over the weekend.

This, coupled with the Malawi Law Society’s assertions in the press that the National Governing Council (NGC) Bill, which the opposition is pushing to become law, faces bountiful obstacles before it can achieve its intentions has proved to be just what government needed this time around to delay the impeachment process.

As things stand, according to the Malawi Law Society, the occurrence of Mutharika’s impeachment is being given a chance in a million. The society’s president, Alick Msowoya has also argued that a consensus by the people through the mode of a referendum is paramount since the NGC Bill is a major amendment to the constitution.

“People should be allowed to get involved and understand the implications of an amendment,” he was quoted as saying in the press late last week.

Although going the referendum way seems to be the only transparent way to gauge public perception on the performance president thus far into his rule, an opposition movement which has so far shown minimal interest in engaging the people in the impeachment debate will most likely be reluctant to go to the polls. There have been clear indications from opposition parliamentarians that the proposed impeachment of Mutharika has got clandestine motives attached to it which may fail to materialise if the people are allowed dominating space within the debate.

In a typical case of the imaginary Kangan state in Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah, public affairs in Malawi are being shrouded in the mist of unreality and floating above and away from the lives and concerns of the majority of the population. Whilst opposition members of Parliament try to muster a two-thirds majority to impeach Mutharika, there is a one-third minority in this country that is most vulnerable should the impeachment process degenerate into ultimate chaos – the four million plus people facing starvation this year.

The plight of these people has got minimal chances of being solved any time soon. The donor community has also expressed grave concern over the on-going political crisis in Malawi with some showing signs of opting to pull out of the country on the basis of the argument that government is being needlessly distracted in its efforts to avert the hunger crisis.

The British High Commissioner to Malawi, David Pearey issued stark warnings last week that if the political furore in Malawi continues, donors may have no other option but to withdraw their services to the nation.

“In a turbulent political environment, the donors could find it increasingly difficult to play the part they want. This is a moment for dialogue rather than confrontation; this is a moment for a united vision to take precedence over short-term party advantage,” Pearey told IRIN news last week.

But, as Malawi continues to put herself in the international spotlight for all the wrong reasons, her citizens may soon begin to bury their heads in shame for dressing in honourable robes and elevating to demi-gods, a voracious coterie of powerful and self-seeking politicians with inflated egos. But more than that, the actions of opposition members of Parliament and a collection of several other individuals in the country cannot be called anything less than counter-revolutionary.

That Malawi is moribund today still seems to be taken as a matter needing no urgent reaction from both the leaders of government and the opposition. Yet the truth of the matter is that everyday, as the impeachment debate rages on in Parliament, things continue to fall apart. The people seem to be holding on. But the remains: for how long?

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Comment of the Week

Blind loyalty is costly

The presence of UDF supporters at former President Bakili Muluzi’s residence at BCA Hill yesterday as ACB officers were searching the residence is yet another endeavour of costly blind loyalty from which Malawians must desist.
The presence of ACB and police officers at Muluzi’s houses was nothing out of the ordinary. After all, this is not the first time, and it is certainly not the last time that law enforcers storm somebody’s house for a search—as long as they have a warrant.
Errands like these are done within the law, and it is a crime for someone to obstruct a law enforcer on duty, as was the case at BCA yesterday, if intimidatory comments by some of Muluzi’s sympathisers are to be highlighted.
Need we remind the people who were intimidating police officers and journalists yesterday that their actions were unwarranted, because the matter at hand is between Muluzi, the owner of the house and the law enforcers? The best onlookers, like the UDF sympathisers would do, would be to patiently wait as the officers carry out their duties inside the compound.
Threats by some UDF leaders that if Muluzi were arrested, more support for the UDF chair would have been called for from elsewhere, are unfortunate. They were certainly made out of ignorance, which might consequently do the party more harm than good.
This needed not be the case, because only Muluzi, and him alone, has answers to why the law enforcers were at his residence.
What we witnessed yesterday is blind loyalty which we condemn with caution—that it does not pay trying to be a hero where there is no need for a hero. In our politics, examples are many of people whose blind loyalty has landed them in trouble, where only them are now suffering.
Shaban Kadango and other UDF Young Democrats currently serving prison sentences for crimes they committed in the name of the party and the Lilongwe State House DPP(?) man who is nursing a wound he sustained at demonstrations against President Bingu wa Mutharika’s impeachment motion early this week are probably best examples of rewards of blind loyalty.

-Nation Editorial
Mpasu back, wanted by DPP
by Gedion Munthali, 01 November 2005 - 05:05:15
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Ishmail Wadi called on UDF Publicity Secretary Sam Mpasu, who arrived Monday afternoon in a defiant mood, to report to the police immediately to avoid the embarrassment of being arrested.
As soon as he arrived, Mpasu scorned the warrant of arrest against him and accused Wadi of being the only DPP in the region who charges and prosecutes people in the media.
“Now that I know he [Mpasu] is the country, I will liase with relevant officials to caution him. But since there is already a warrant of arrest, he can as well just report to police,” said Wadi.
Speaking in an interview at Chileka International Airport on arrival from the United Kingdom, Mpasu said he was not scared to be arrested.
“I should be scared of what?” Questioned Mpasu.
When told that Wadi had obtained a warrant of arrest in connection with a Fieldyork notebook scandal about 11 years ago when he was Minister of Education, Mpasu retorted: “That is the sad reflection of lack of professionalism that now exists in the office of the DPP.”
Asked to elaborate, Mpasu said: “This is the only DPP in the regional who charges and prosecutes people in newspapers. It is very shameful.”
If he felt he had committed any crimes for which he had to be arrested, Mpasu said: “What crime? This is just meant to intimidate leaders of the UDF, what else?”
Mpasu dismissed the feeling that was emerging that he had run away.
“How do you run away through an international airport? Actually I wanted to leave days before my departure, but I postponed it because I wanted to participate in the pro-impeachment march.”
He said he went out to run party errands.
Wadi parried Mpasu’s comments about him.
“I have not charged and prosecuted Mr. Mpasu in the media. What I have done is to provide correct information to the media on request. Mr. Mpasu might wish to know that the Fieldyork issue is in the national interest because, among other things, the money that was wasted was public money.”
The DPP continued with his defence: “The charges he is talking about were filed in an open court, the warrant of arrest was obtained from a public court, his case is going to take place in an open court. I mean, come on, there is no secret about this issue.”
Wadi said he never said at any single time that Mpasu had run away.
“What I have always said during Mr. Mpasu’s absence is that at a time he left the country he had not been served with any official document to say he was a fugitive,” said Wadi.
Court documents filed by the DPP show that Mpasu between August and September 1994 as education minister abused his office by doing an arbitrary act in concluding arrangements for the supply of exercise books and pencils with Fieldyork International.
The documents further say that the act by Mpasu was prejudicial to the rights of the Malawi Government and was an abuse of office contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code.
According to the documents, on September 14, 1994 Mpasu is alleged to have directed Sam Safuli of the Education Ministry to sign and send a faxed message from himself (Mpasu).
Mpasu is also said to have instructed Safuli on August 23, 1994 to do an arbitrary act to issue a letter of intent to Fieldyork International.
He is also accused to have abused his authority by instructing a Mrs. Irene Nyirongo to do an arbitrary act of faxing a confidential report to Fieldyork International.
Mpasu is also said to have directed a Blessings Salije on April 29, 1995 to do an arbitrary act by faxing another confidential report to Fieldyork International.
Skeletons flashed out of the closet as debate heats up
By Levi Kabwato - 01 November 2005 - 14:01:17


In an unprecedented twist to the suspense-filled tale of impeachment, the buried scandalous pasts of a few politicians seem to have come back to haunt them. A stunned nation heard last week that the lawmaker who moved the (in)famous impeachment motion in parliament, Maxwell Milanzi is an ex-convict.The lawmaker is reported to have been convicted and slashed with a nine-months prison sentence (which was suspended for two years) in 1999 for misappropriating close to K25,000 of company funds where he worked.The reaction from the public to this anomaly, which even escaped the probing eye of the Malawi Electoral Commission, was swift and to the point; Maxwell Milanzi cheated the electoral process.A statement from the Malawi Law Society was unequivocal on the stance the body has taken on the stunt the Mangochi-Malombe parliamentarian pulled.“The bottom line is that it will cast a big shadow in whatever he has done [in the House since] he is not qualified,” said the Malawi Law Society.But the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) professed ignorance on the case, arguing that the organisation’s sole duty was to administer elections “and not vet or check individuals who contest elections.”“We find no problem with Milanzi being in parliament. There has been no official complaint to us from anyone and so, we are not going to act on information being peddled in the press,” said Mec Chief Elections Officer, Anthony Masanza.The cloud of doubt that now hangs over the Milanzi debacle is whether the whole issue is a case of political machination or a simple case of a serious attempt at righting a wholesale wrong. “Why didn’t the issue come out when I was contesting the election?” queried Milanzi in a phone interview.“The fact that the matter is arising after I have moved the impeachment motion makes it difficult to rule out political interference in this whole affair,” he added.But Milanzi was not to be the only casualty of the trek down the memory lane of politics in Malawi. Lucius Banda, a musician-cum-politician was, on Wednesday last week, left wondering just how some people managed to sneak into his closet and leak information that the parliamentarian used a fake Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) to contest the 2004 parliamentary elections.Police investigators from the Central Investigations Department (CID) in Zomba and Balaka are now probing the Balaka North legislator. Apart from his meteoric rise from music to politics, Lucious Banda is famed for the infamous statements he made that he felt heroic after he moved an impeachment motion in June this year against President Mutharika. Pandemonium ensued afterwards in parliament, resulting in the collapse and subsequent death of Speaker Rodwell Munyenyembe.As the heat shifted from political nonentities such as Milanzi and Banda to the so-called bigwigs, the flames first touched on UDF Spokesperson Sam Mpasu and – inevitably – on the former president, Bakili Muluzi himself.The Director of Public Prosecutions, Ishmael Wadi, announced on Tuesday last week that Mpasu is expected to appear in court next week to answer charges of abuse of office in the role he played in government’s purchase of books when he was the country’s education minister just a decade ago.The Fieldyork scandal, as it is popularly known, was revived at the height of clear tensions between government and the opposition UDF in August, probably to send a raw nerve down someone’s spine. A report compiled by the commission of enquiry set up to investigate the discrepancies in the education sector at that time shows that Mpasu did not hold the transactions between a foreign company and government to supply education materials in good faith.“When I looked at the [Fieldyork] report, I concluded that Mpasu is seriously implicated and needs to be tried,” Wadi told The Daily Times last week.And that announcement probably gave birth to an even more dramatic twist to the tale. Two days after hearing that he was due to appear in court in a week’s time, Mpasu quietly sneaked out of the country, reportedly flying out to Europe.But the teeth of the Director of Public Prosecutions proved to be biting harder by the end of the week with a warrant of arrest for Sam Mpasu being issued the office. The clock is now ticking for Mpasu to either come back from Europe and face the music of the law or stay away – for good – from the wrath of the law.Yet the person who is taking the centre-stage at the moment is the former president, Bakili Muluzi. Popular opinion in the country has it that the embattled former head of state is being prepared for arrest anytime soon. The latest signal of the arrest is last Thursday’s search of Muluzi’s three houses in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Kapoloma. In true FBI modus operandi, scores of armed policemen and the corruption busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) searched for documents relating to Muluzi’s K1.4 billion held in his National Bank (Zomba Branch) account. David Kanyenda, Muluzi’s legal representative, described the search operation as a form of harassment “borne out of ACB’s frustration for failing to compel Muluzi to appear at their offices in Blantyre earlier on Monday.“We will resist any attempt in future to harass our client,” Kanyenda said to The Daily Times last Friday, his statement pointing to the seriousness of the standoff between government and Muluzi.The UDF called the search and the continued investigations on Muluzi as “rubbish” and “political persecution”. Through their Deputy Publicity Secretary Mary Kaphwezera Banda, the party also alleged that government is fuelling political tension by probing Muluzi.“There is a lot of tension in this country and government is aggravating the tension by searching Muluzi,” Kaphwezera Banda said.As the nation braces itself for more drama ahead, what may be most striking about this past week’s events is their inalienable connection to the impeachment debate, an issue that has sharply divided the nation. Could it be that it is just a matter of coincidence that the strongest agitators of the impeachment process have suddenly been exposed as cheats, forge-masters and fraud masters? Or is it that someone somewhere is pulling a few strings, showing us that there are not going to be any sacred cows as the debate rages on?But what, really, is the significance of the past week’s events?Political scientists point out that the events leading to this week are amounting to the underlying factors owing to a constitutional and political crisis Malawi is experiencing. In the light of this, they argue that the impeachment process will definitely fall to pieces.“The whole process seems to have overtaken the constitutionality of the state yet the constitution is supreme to parliament,” says political scientist Nixon Khembo.He notes that the motives of impeaching Mutharika are not in line with national goodwill, actually calling them “unacceptable, null and void ways of seeking power”. Khembo also says that the planned impeachment of Mutharika is “a waste of time” since, if someone else assumed the reigns of power, his or her legitimacy and international confidence would suffer.“Any leader who dreams of ruling this country after staging a coup or by any other means would not be recognised by neighbouring countries, the donor and international communities,” Khembo says.But surely, not everyone in the country is seeing things that way. What can be seen, however, are images of Malawians continuing to guess what will happen in the near future, stuck in a perpetual state of ignorance and bewilderment as unprecedented events relentlessly unfold in the country