Cost of living for May drops
BY HENRY MCHAZIME
08:37:26 - 31 May 2007
A survey by Centre for Social Concern (CFSC) says the cost of living for May slumped by 7.5 percent for consumers based in urban areas of Blantyre and Lilongwe.
The organisation says the cost of living went down to K26,618 from K28,612 and the survey indicates that a family of six would need K14,968 for food items and K11,650 for non food items ranging from rentals to other utilities.
CFSC observed that there was currently a huge supply of tomatoes in local markets to the extent that most of them are wasted because they are in abundance.
“To this effect, price of tomatoes has gone down by 60 percent and according to the traders, the price will decline further in the next two to four weeks,” the faith based organisation said.
In comparison with April, price of utaka and usipa went up by an average of about 90 percent but in May the prices remained almost stable with the average price of dry fish, including kapenta, going down by 0.95 percent.
“Our research has revealed that although fish is generally scarce during the cold season, many vendors are turning to the fish-trading business because it does not demand a lot of capital. At the lake, demand for fish is higher than what the fishermen can supply, forcing the prices to go up,” CFSC said.
Other items whose prices have significantly gone down are those of green vegetables by 22 percent and potatoes by 33 percent.
However, CFSC has urged government to put in place policies that would lessen the burden in attaining better living conditions.
“There is need for our government to promote and protect the common good and safeguard the socio-economic rights of all citizens,” concludes CFSC.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tycoon's medical aid for Malawi
 Sir Tom is working with Bill Clinton and Glasgow hospitals for Malawi |
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative aim to deliver desperately needed medical equipment.
Former US President Bill Clinton and Scots tycoon Tom Hunter created the new charitable foundation last year.
Heart monitors and operating theatre kit will be sent in coming weeks.
Sir Tom Hunter said: "This is a pragmatic and focused partnership that will undoubtedly make a significant and lasting difference to Malawi.
We not only have the opportunity to improve services for the people of the West of Scotland but also to make a significant improvement to health services in one of Africa's most densely populated countries 
Professor Sir John Arbuthnott
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
"We have much to do in the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative and welcome this type of partnership with open arms."
Among the hospitals that will benefit from Glasgow's aid package will be Bwaila Hospital, one of the country's main maternity facilities based in the capital city of Lilongwe, and Neno District Hospital, in the impoverished rural area of Neno.
Health Board Chairman, Professor Sir John Arbuthnott, said: "We are delighted to be able to support the people of Malawi, with whom NHSGGC already has strong links.
"Thanks to our own modernisation programme in Glasgow, we not only have the opportunity to improve services for the people of the West of Scotland but also to make a significant improvement to health services in one of Africa's most densely populated countries."Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The nations mourns with you Mr President
BY The Daily Times
09:40:27 - 29 May 2007
A DARK cloud of grief hangs over the nation as we mourn the passing of the First Lady, Madame Ethel Mutharika, who died Monday afternoon.
The announcement of her death in Lilongwe Monday sent shock waves throughout the country. There was an outpouring of grief as condolences descended on State House from all quarters. President Bingu wa Mutharika’s political friends and foes alike expressed their shock and sadness at the news of the First Lady’s death.
This outpouring of condolences must assure the President that the entire nation is with him in his hour of grief. Words may not express the pain that the loss has occasioned him, but we hope the President and the First Family will take comfort in the knowledge that the nation shares their sorrow.
The death of the First Lady is a blow not to the Mutharika family only but to the entire nation. She was, after all, in her unassuming way, the Mother of the Nation. The President has lost a soul mate and the nation a mother.
They say behind every successful man is a powerful woman. We would like to assume that Madam Mutharika was a pillar of strength for the President although she never once hogged the limelight that was trained on her as First Lady. Today that pillar is gone.
As a nation we all need to stand firm with the First Citizen in this hour of need. That is the least we can do to the memory of the lady who quietly stood by her man as he carried the heavy burden of governing the country.
She urged Malawian women in the diaspora, among whose numbers she counted herself one, to be proud of their nationality and learn only those things, which would help transform Malawi into a prosperous modern democracy.
Madam Mutharika will best be remembered for her contributions towards the welfare of women and the girl child, particularly through the work of the Ethel Mutharika Foundation. It is one of the great misfortunes of our time that she did not have an opportunity to do more for the less fortunate.
We are too shocked at the death of the First Lady for us to eulogise her, except to borrow the eloquent words of PPM president Aleke Banda who described her as a graceful and dignified lady.
May her soul rest in peace.
BY The Daily Times
09:40:27 - 29 May 2007
A DARK cloud of grief hangs over the nation as we mourn the passing of the First Lady, Madame Ethel Mutharika, who died Monday afternoon.
The announcement of her death in Lilongwe Monday sent shock waves throughout the country. There was an outpouring of grief as condolences descended on State House from all quarters. President Bingu wa Mutharika’s political friends and foes alike expressed their shock and sadness at the news of the First Lady’s death.
This outpouring of condolences must assure the President that the entire nation is with him in his hour of grief. Words may not express the pain that the loss has occasioned him, but we hope the President and the First Family will take comfort in the knowledge that the nation shares their sorrow.
The death of the First Lady is a blow not to the Mutharika family only but to the entire nation. She was, after all, in her unassuming way, the Mother of the Nation. The President has lost a soul mate and the nation a mother.
They say behind every successful man is a powerful woman. We would like to assume that Madam Mutharika was a pillar of strength for the President although she never once hogged the limelight that was trained on her as First Lady. Today that pillar is gone.
As a nation we all need to stand firm with the First Citizen in this hour of need. That is the least we can do to the memory of the lady who quietly stood by her man as he carried the heavy burden of governing the country.
She urged Malawian women in the diaspora, among whose numbers she counted herself one, to be proud of their nationality and learn only those things, which would help transform Malawi into a prosperous modern democracy.
Madam Mutharika will best be remembered for her contributions towards the welfare of women and the girl child, particularly through the work of the Ethel Mutharika Foundation. It is one of the great misfortunes of our time that she did not have an opportunity to do more for the less fortunate.
We are too shocked at the death of the First Lady for us to eulogise her, except to borrow the eloquent words of PPM president Aleke Banda who described her as a graceful and dignified lady.
May her soul rest in peace.
Mbeki sends condolences to Malawian leader
President Thabo Mbeki and first lady Zanele have sent their condolences to Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika following the death of his wife Ethel, the foreign affairs Department said on Tuesday
"The government and people of South Africa join the loved ones, family and friends of Madame Mutharika in prayer and mourning during this time of sorrow and bereavement", said Mbeki in a statement.
The Malawians had suffered a huge loss as Ethel was a great mother to the Malawian nation, said Mbeki.
Malawi's first lady died on Monday after battling an unspecified illness.
The Malwian government officials had refused to reveal the cause of her death or her age.
According to media reports, the first lady who seldom made public appearance was said to be in her 60's and suffered from cancer.
Zimbabwean-born Ethel was the head of a foundation that bore her name and helped poor women in income-generating activities.
She is survived by her husband and four children. - Sapa
Monday, May 28, 2007
Late Ethel Mutharika
Malawi mourning first lady
The Associated Press
BLANTYRE, Malawi: Ethel Mutharika, wife of Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika, died Monday after battling an unspecified illness, the presidency said.
A brief statement released by the chief secretary of the president, Bright Msaka, confirmed that Ethel Mutharika had died in the capital, Lilongwe.
"The president is deeply saddened by the death of his longtime wife who has been beside him since they met in the early '60s. The State House is shocked by the death of our mother whose guidance we deeply relied upon," the statement said.
The statement did not give the cause of death or her age, but the reserved woman who seldom made public appearances was said to be in her 60s and suffering from an unspecified cancer.
Funeral details were still to be announced, but the Ministry of Information said a month of mourning would be observed during which flags at government buildings would be flown at half staff.
The speaker of parliament, Louis Chimango, interrupted the house's budget session to announce the news.
"On behalf of parliament, I express my deep condolences to the president and the first family in this trying moment," he said.
Zimbabwean-born Ethel Mutharika was the head of a foundation that bore her name and helped poor women in income-generating activities.
She is survived by her husband and four children
The Associated Press
BLANTYRE, Malawi: Ethel Mutharika, wife of Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika, died Monday after battling an unspecified illness, the presidency said.
A brief statement released by the chief secretary of the president, Bright Msaka, confirmed that Ethel Mutharika had died in the capital, Lilongwe.
"The president is deeply saddened by the death of his longtime wife who has been beside him since they met in the early '60s. The State House is shocked by the death of our mother whose guidance we deeply relied upon," the statement said.
The statement did not give the cause of death or her age, but the reserved woman who seldom made public appearances was said to be in her 60s and suffering from an unspecified cancer.
Funeral details were still to be announced, but the Ministry of Information said a month of mourning would be observed during which flags at government buildings would be flown at half staff.
The speaker of parliament, Louis Chimango, interrupted the house's budget session to announce the news.
"On behalf of parliament, I express my deep condolences to the president and the first family in this trying moment," he said.
Zimbabwean-born Ethel Mutharika was the head of a foundation that bore her name and helped poor women in income-generating activities.
She is survived by her husband and four children
Friday, May 25, 2007
Malawi: Country Gets $15m Grant for Investment Climate Reforms to Accelerate Economic Growth
World Bank (Washington, DC)
24 May 2007
Posted to the web 25 May 2007
Washington, D.C.
The World Bank Board of Directors today approved an International Development Association (IDA) grant of US$15million for the Business Environment Strengthening Technical Assistance Project (BESTAP) which is designed to support capacity development and investment climate reforms to accelerate economic growth in Malawi.
The project will support the Government’s strategy of a private sector-led economic growth. "The foundations for economic growth have been laid in Malawi with improvements in the macro-economic situation, and this opportunity needs to be seized. The project aims to support the development of the private sector in Malawi as an engine for sustained economic growth," says Malawi’s Country Manager, Timothy Gilbo.
The Malawi Government considers the project a major initiative in its economic growth program: “BESTAP is part of Malawi’s unprecedented efforts to accelerate economic growth and achieve poverty reduction through the improvement of the business environment and the facilitation of increased private sector investment,” says Dr. Ken Lipenga, Minister of Industry and Trade.
The Bank will co-finance the project with the European Commission which is contributing $3.7 million to make a total of $18.7 million for BESTAP. All the funding will be on grant terms, which means there are no repayment obligations for Malawi.
"Malawi’s strong progress in regaining macro stability means that the Government is increasingly looking to a "second generation" of reforms in the domestic business environment which will seek to stimulate private sector investment and employment creation," says Constantine Chikosi, Project Task Team Leader. He adds that "the reforms proposed in the project were identified in consultation with Government, the private sector, civil society and donors, and were also informed by the Bank’s studies on private sector issues in Malawi such as Doing Business and the Investment Climate Assessments which identified a wide range of constraints on the growth o f the private sector in Malawi."
The Project has four components designed to strengthen property rights institutions, private sector support institutions, growth and development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and government capacity to implement reforms.
The first component is on strengthening private property rights institutions and business facilitation. This will address the large legislative backlog of economic laws that inhibit private sector development in Malawi. Many of these laws require wholesale revision. This component will also support the introduction of key new legislation. The first component will also improve access to commercial justice by providing support for strengthening and expanding the capacity of the newly established Commercial Division of the High Court to relieve the current large backlog of commercial cases in Malawi’s court system and to strengthen contract enforcement. Another aspect of the first component is on improving business and land registration services. This will enable the business and land registries to improve their effectiveness in establishing businesses and facilitating the registration and securitization of land-based assets.
The second component is on strengthening private sector development support institutions and services. This component will build capacity in institutions that provide essential services to the private sector in order to improve the quality and volume of services delivered, and to strengthen institutions that provide policy direction on private sector development issues. Main activities will be the establishment of an Investment and Trade Centre; establishment of an institutional framework for Public Private Partnerships; strengthening the Department of Private Sector Development in the Ministry of Industry and Trade; and supporting a framework for Public Private Dialogue through the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The third component will support the growth and development of micro and small enterprises through improved access to finance and productivity enhancement. The component will support the establishment of a sustainable SME Investment Fund that will be managed by the private sector. It will also strengthen capacity of private firms as well as their representative organizations through provision of financial and technical assistance to build the capacity and international competitiveness of private businesses.
The fourth component of the project will provide implementation support of the project through the project implementation unit (PIU). In addition, the project will build capacity within the Department of Private Sector Development to prepare it to take over the implementation support functions from the PIU in due course.
BESTAP will be implemented over a period of five yearsThursday, May 24, 2007
Mutharika's three years in power
BY SELLINA NKOWANI
08:45:40 - 24 May 2007
On the morning of May 24, 2004, Chichiri Stadium -- which has now reverted to its old name Kamuzu Stadium – was filled to capacity to welcome the country’s new president in the name of Bingu wa Mutharika.
The new president was sworn in amid mixed reactions. Mgwirizano Coalition headed by Gwanda Chakuamba contested the election results although he was third in the race, Malawi Congress Party president John Tembo was second.
During the campaign leading to the 2004 Elections, Mutharika might not have enjoyed popularity as a politician but former president Bakili Muluzi saw in Mutharika an engineer who would better the economy of the economy. Perhaps that was Mutharika’s strongest asset and people voted for him.
Talking tough in his inaugural speech, Mutharika stunned many who underrated him by laying down some of the things that he wanted to see achieved in the country with him as the president.
He spelt out tough economic recovery measures, zero tolerance to corruption which became his cache phrase, theft and abuse of power which was not the case with his predecessor.
"I shall ensure strict investigation of politicians and public officers at all levels and let me repeat, at all levels who are found in corruption, theft, mismanagement and abuse of power in all forms," he said.
Today, as Mutharika clocks 3 years in power, it only saves us right to reflect on some of his achievements and weaknesses in these years.
The economic engineer as Muluzi used to call him has lived to this name in as far the economy is concerned. In his acceptance speech, Mutharika mentioned that he wanted to deal with high and unsustainable interest rates, unstable exchange rates and high inflation rates.
Mutharika has scored highly on the economic front as now the country enjoys stable exchange rates and in the past three months, the bank rate has dropped from 25 percent to 20 percent which has resulted in some commercial banks to cut their lending rates as well. It is also expected that this will increase the private sector borrowing as well as consumer borrowing.
Not only that, the general increase in the price of goods and services has gone down with the inflation as of April this year at 8.4 percent from 8.6 in March this year where as during the same period last year the inflation rate was at 16.1 percent.
His sound economic policies and fiscal discipline have earned him a vote of confidence from international donors resulting in the debt cancellation.
Early this year, the World Bank gave Malawi Government US$340 million (K47.6 billion) which will help it implement the Malawi Growth Development Strategy (MDGS). This money is to help in the Agriculture sector. This was additional money apart from the 90 percent debt the International Monetary Fund and World Bank had cancelled. To stress that Mutharika had restored the confidence through his sound policies, Paris Club of Creditors completely wiped out the remaining debts.
However, the economic area that needs more attention is investment. The stability of exchange rates, reduction of bank rate and inflation rate has not attracted much investment.
On food security Mutharika assured the nation that he wanted to turn Malawi into a hunger free nation that should be able to feed itself.
He also said it was necessary to turn Malawi from an importing to exporting country. Mutharika in his 3 years has managed to defeat hunger that characterised the well being of most Malawians in the United Democratic Front led government.
The subsidy programme, despite some hiccups like theft of coupons and smuggling of fertiliser to neighbouring countries has been successful and the country can now afford to sell maize to neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe. The construction of maize silos in Mangochi is a clear indication of how determined Mutharika is as far as ensuring food security is concerned.
“It is dichotomy that although Malawi is an agricultural country we are unable to feed ourselves, I am determined to change this and the focus of my programmes for agricultural sector is to make Malawi a hunger free nation,” Mutharika said.
The fertiliser subsidy saw many smallholder farmers buying fertiliser at cheaper prices unlike the starter packs which only offered 5 kilogrammes of fertiliser per person which targetted poor and vulnerable people.
Bringing to book those who abuse their power in all forms as he said during the acceptance speech, has seen Yusuf Mwawa facing the long arm of the law when he abused his powers as minister of education by withdrawing money from the Special Client Account for personal use.
However, much still needs to be done to make sure that the Anti Corruption Bureau is as independent as possible. Opposition leaders have, in the three years complained that ACB target those in the opposition and ACB has been used as a to deal with Mutharika’s ‘enemies.’
Mutharika has also scored highly in infrastructure development. The construction of the Karonga-Chitipa Road which is underway, Kamphata- Nkhoma Road which is functional now, the Zomba-Jali-Phalombe-Chitakale Road and the Shire-Zambezi Waterway talks volumes of a president who is determined to transform the country.
However, politically Mutharika has not scored highly. Some people say the formation of Democratic Progressive Party would derail him in his pursuit for a better Malawi. The stand off between him and his predecessor remains a big concern.
Some people has also questioned the bloating of his cabinet to 42. Ironically, France which has an impressive economy has only 15 ministers in its lean cabinet. Mutharika’s first cabinet had only 28 members, it rose to 36 and his Cabinet announced recently has 42 members.
“I am painfully aware that the reduction in size of the cabinet is a bitter pill to swallow. Malawi should make a sacrifice to accept a lean and highly committed cabinet that can deliver,” he said during his inauguration three years ago.
As it has been the case, it is everyone’s wish that Mutharika should concentrate on developing the country and leave politicking for politicians who are not development conscious.
As Mutharika starts a new journey into his fourth year into office, we all hope that he would live by his declaration he made three years ago and change the lives of many people.
"Malawi is not a poor country and let me repeat that Malawi is not a poor country, but it is the people of Malawi who are poor," he said.
BY SELLINA NKOWANI
08:45:40 - 24 May 2007
On the morning of May 24, 2004, Chichiri Stadium -- which has now reverted to its old name Kamuzu Stadium – was filled to capacity to welcome the country’s new president in the name of Bingu wa Mutharika.
The new president was sworn in amid mixed reactions. Mgwirizano Coalition headed by Gwanda Chakuamba contested the election results although he was third in the race, Malawi Congress Party president John Tembo was second.
During the campaign leading to the 2004 Elections, Mutharika might not have enjoyed popularity as a politician but former president Bakili Muluzi saw in Mutharika an engineer who would better the economy of the economy. Perhaps that was Mutharika’s strongest asset and people voted for him.
Talking tough in his inaugural speech, Mutharika stunned many who underrated him by laying down some of the things that he wanted to see achieved in the country with him as the president.
He spelt out tough economic recovery measures, zero tolerance to corruption which became his cache phrase, theft and abuse of power which was not the case with his predecessor.
"I shall ensure strict investigation of politicians and public officers at all levels and let me repeat, at all levels who are found in corruption, theft, mismanagement and abuse of power in all forms," he said.
Today, as Mutharika clocks 3 years in power, it only saves us right to reflect on some of his achievements and weaknesses in these years.
The economic engineer as Muluzi used to call him has lived to this name in as far the economy is concerned. In his acceptance speech, Mutharika mentioned that he wanted to deal with high and unsustainable interest rates, unstable exchange rates and high inflation rates.
Mutharika has scored highly on the economic front as now the country enjoys stable exchange rates and in the past three months, the bank rate has dropped from 25 percent to 20 percent which has resulted in some commercial banks to cut their lending rates as well. It is also expected that this will increase the private sector borrowing as well as consumer borrowing.
Not only that, the general increase in the price of goods and services has gone down with the inflation as of April this year at 8.4 percent from 8.6 in March this year where as during the same period last year the inflation rate was at 16.1 percent.
His sound economic policies and fiscal discipline have earned him a vote of confidence from international donors resulting in the debt cancellation.
Early this year, the World Bank gave Malawi Government US$340 million (K47.6 billion) which will help it implement the Malawi Growth Development Strategy (MDGS). This money is to help in the Agriculture sector. This was additional money apart from the 90 percent debt the International Monetary Fund and World Bank had cancelled. To stress that Mutharika had restored the confidence through his sound policies, Paris Club of Creditors completely wiped out the remaining debts.
However, the economic area that needs more attention is investment. The stability of exchange rates, reduction of bank rate and inflation rate has not attracted much investment.
On food security Mutharika assured the nation that he wanted to turn Malawi into a hunger free nation that should be able to feed itself.
He also said it was necessary to turn Malawi from an importing to exporting country. Mutharika in his 3 years has managed to defeat hunger that characterised the well being of most Malawians in the United Democratic Front led government.
The subsidy programme, despite some hiccups like theft of coupons and smuggling of fertiliser to neighbouring countries has been successful and the country can now afford to sell maize to neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe. The construction of maize silos in Mangochi is a clear indication of how determined Mutharika is as far as ensuring food security is concerned.
“It is dichotomy that although Malawi is an agricultural country we are unable to feed ourselves, I am determined to change this and the focus of my programmes for agricultural sector is to make Malawi a hunger free nation,” Mutharika said.
The fertiliser subsidy saw many smallholder farmers buying fertiliser at cheaper prices unlike the starter packs which only offered 5 kilogrammes of fertiliser per person which targetted poor and vulnerable people.
Bringing to book those who abuse their power in all forms as he said during the acceptance speech, has seen Yusuf Mwawa facing the long arm of the law when he abused his powers as minister of education by withdrawing money from the Special Client Account for personal use.
However, much still needs to be done to make sure that the Anti Corruption Bureau is as independent as possible. Opposition leaders have, in the three years complained that ACB target those in the opposition and ACB has been used as a to deal with Mutharika’s ‘enemies.’
Mutharika has also scored highly in infrastructure development. The construction of the Karonga-Chitipa Road which is underway, Kamphata- Nkhoma Road which is functional now, the Zomba-Jali-Phalombe-Chitakale Road and the Shire-Zambezi Waterway talks volumes of a president who is determined to transform the country.
However, politically Mutharika has not scored highly. Some people say the formation of Democratic Progressive Party would derail him in his pursuit for a better Malawi. The stand off between him and his predecessor remains a big concern.
Some people has also questioned the bloating of his cabinet to 42. Ironically, France which has an impressive economy has only 15 ministers in its lean cabinet. Mutharika’s first cabinet had only 28 members, it rose to 36 and his Cabinet announced recently has 42 members.
“I am painfully aware that the reduction in size of the cabinet is a bitter pill to swallow. Malawi should make a sacrifice to accept a lean and highly committed cabinet that can deliver,” he said during his inauguration three years ago.
As it has been the case, it is everyone’s wish that Mutharika should concentrate on developing the country and leave politicking for politicians who are not development conscious.
As Mutharika starts a new journey into his fourth year into office, we all hope that he would live by his declaration he made three years ago and change the lives of many people.
"Malawi is not a poor country and let me repeat that Malawi is not a poor country, but it is the people of Malawi who are poor," he said.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Malawian president merges education and S&T
The merger of ministries could improve science education
Charles Mkoka
22 May 2007
Source: SciDev.Net
22 May 2007
Source: SciDev.Net
Malawian president Bingu wa Mutharika has merged education, and science and technology under a single ministry of which he will personally take charge.
The move was part of a cabinet reshuffle announced by the Office of the President and Cabinet earlier this month (10 May) and with immediate effect. Mutharika will also head the ministry of agriculture and food security.
The education and science ministries report on administrative and operational issues directly to the president, according to Henry Mbedza, Malawi director of science and technology.
Mbedza told SciDev.Net that by merging the two ministries, Mutharika had done the right thing, as education is the foundation to producing much-needed technologies.
He added that the merger will assist policy makers in prioritising science in education "to produce the much-needed human resource which is currently insufficient in Malawi".
Chikumbutso Mtumodzi, the presidential press officer, told SciDev.Net that Mutharika has taken responsibility for these ministries because he is conscious of the need to administer and run them efficiently. He added that the president would not receive any additional pay for these extra duties.
The establishment of merged education, science and technology ministries is in line with African Development Bank (AfDB) policy to accelerate sustainable economic growth.
In April, the AfDB announced a new strategy bringing together higher education, science and technology, and vocational training (See African bank adopts 'landmark' science strategy).
So far 12 African countries including Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia have incorporated this strategy into their education or science and technology ministries.
Calestous Juma, professor of international development at the US-based Harvard University, said Mutharika was "on the cutting edge of modern thinking about how to govern science and innovation for development".
He said these developments illustrate a growing recognition of the important role that innovation plays in economic transformation.
Juma added, "Though nascent, no other region of the world has such clarity in institutional arrangement to support the integration of science, technology and innovation in development efforts [than Africa]."
John Mugabe, executive secretary of the African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology, described the merging of ministries by most African countries as a positive development that will broaden the technology spectrum of Africa in the long run.
"It is encouraging to note that more African countries are beginning to experiment and try this approach," he said.
Bingu warns corruption ‘godfather’
BY Gedion Munthali
08:40:35 - 22 May 2007
President Bingu wa Mutharika Monday told the National Assembly in Lilongwe his government has discovered “a mafia-like godfather of corruption” in Malawi who pays legal fees for corrupt fellows and also bribes some members of the Judiciary to favour
him and the corruption “mafia” with court orders.
The President handed out a stack warning to the unidentified “godfather” and his corrupt equals that they were walking the last mile towards arrest because the law enforcement agencies of his government have finally gathered sufficient information against them.
“I would like to assure this august House that my zero-tolerance stand against corruption is now stronger than before,” said Mutharika, breaking the speech with a sip on a glass of water, the first of the six sips he took during the two-hour State-of-the Nation address.
“We now know that the corrupt officials operate under a mafia-style network. If you tackle one, he informs the network and they hide or destroy evidence. We also know that they have a mafia-like ‘godfather’ who finances their legal fees and has been able to corrupt some members of the Judiciary,” Mutharika claimed, stirring up a round of applause across the government benches.
The allegation added a new facet to his past criticisms that mercenary judges and lawyers had infiltrated the Judiciary and legal fraternity, and had ganged up to frustrate his government’s fight against corruption.
Chief Justice Leonard Unyolo and Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Michael Mtegha were among a cross-section of dignitaries that attended the occasion.
Some were heads of diplomatic missions and international organisations, government officials, leaders of civil society organisations, chiefs and party officials, notably from Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
There were 88 opposition MPs and 60 on the government side during the President’s address.
“But government has better information and we will soon bring their leader and the rest of them to book,” he warned.
Mutharika accused the National Assembly of contributing to ineffective justice delivery system in Malawi by sitting on critical proposed legislation.
“In order to enhance effective legislative framework, government tabled 30 bills before Parliament. However, this august House is aware that only 13 of these bills were passed while the rest are still waiting parliamentary consideration and approval,” he said.
To reduce the problem of lawyers in the public sector, Mutharika said government has this year alone recruited 31 legal officers, and therefore, “more effort would be directed towards civil litigation to avoid default judgments against government”.
Government has so far lost a number of cases because it could not defend them due to lack of lawyers.
BY Gedion Munthali
08:40:35 - 22 May 2007
President Bingu wa Mutharika Monday told the National Assembly in Lilongwe his government has discovered “a mafia-like godfather of corruption” in Malawi who pays legal fees for corrupt fellows and also bribes some members of the Judiciary to favour
him and the corruption “mafia” with court orders.
The President handed out a stack warning to the unidentified “godfather” and his corrupt equals that they were walking the last mile towards arrest because the law enforcement agencies of his government have finally gathered sufficient information against them.
“I would like to assure this august House that my zero-tolerance stand against corruption is now stronger than before,” said Mutharika, breaking the speech with a sip on a glass of water, the first of the six sips he took during the two-hour State-of-the Nation address.
“We now know that the corrupt officials operate under a mafia-style network. If you tackle one, he informs the network and they hide or destroy evidence. We also know that they have a mafia-like ‘godfather’ who finances their legal fees and has been able to corrupt some members of the Judiciary,” Mutharika claimed, stirring up a round of applause across the government benches.
The allegation added a new facet to his past criticisms that mercenary judges and lawyers had infiltrated the Judiciary and legal fraternity, and had ganged up to frustrate his government’s fight against corruption.
Chief Justice Leonard Unyolo and Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Michael Mtegha were among a cross-section of dignitaries that attended the occasion.
Some were heads of diplomatic missions and international organisations, government officials, leaders of civil society organisations, chiefs and party officials, notably from Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
There were 88 opposition MPs and 60 on the government side during the President’s address.
“But government has better information and we will soon bring their leader and the rest of them to book,” he warned.
Mutharika accused the National Assembly of contributing to ineffective justice delivery system in Malawi by sitting on critical proposed legislation.
“In order to enhance effective legislative framework, government tabled 30 bills before Parliament. However, this august House is aware that only 13 of these bills were passed while the rest are still waiting parliamentary consideration and approval,” he said.
To reduce the problem of lawyers in the public sector, Mutharika said government has this year alone recruited 31 legal officers, and therefore, “more effort would be directed towards civil litigation to avoid default judgments against government”.
Government has so far lost a number of cases because it could not defend them due to lack of lawyers.
Friday, May 18, 2007
A Moment in History - Tuesday, 22 October, 2002
Malawi opposition leader freed
The MCP is the largest opposition party
Police arrested and charged him with criminal defamation on Sunday for allegedly writing a letter pretending that he was President Bakili Muluzi. 
The letter referred to bribing opposition MPs
Mr Chakuamba's opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) dismissed his arrest as a ploy to intimidate MPs who are opposed to President Muluzi running for a third term in office.
In July, a motion to change the constitution ending the ban on more than two presidential terms of office, was narrowly defeated in parliament.
'Outrage'
A magistrate in the capital, Lilongwe, brushed aside an appeal by the state prosecutor for Mr Chakuamba to be detained until investigations into the case were complete.
Three others, including two opposition MPs who were arrested on Monday, were also released on bail.
Chakuamba was charged with defaming the president
Last week, a letter bearing the signature of the president was distributed to all members of parliament.
It appeared to offer money to opposition lawmakers if they supported the president's bid to stay in office after 2004.
Opposition politicians on Monday condemned the arrest of Mr Chakuamba.
MCP treasurer Heatherwick Ntaba said it was an "outrage" and part of the government's attempts to intimidate the opposition.
Police spokesman George Chikowi said that Mr Chakuamba has been charged on three counts of forgery; authoring false information and defamation of the president.
"It's completely out of the question that Honourable Chikuamba could have forged the letter," Mr Ntaba said.
He also said that the police did not have the right to arrest an MP while parliament was sitting.
But Attorney General Henry Dama Phoya has said the government plans to try once more to change the laws to allow President Bakili Muluzi to remain in office.
Religious divisions
The controversial proposals to lengthen the presidential term earlier led to political violence and strains between the government and the judiciary, and caused divisions among religious leaders.
Muluzi is supposed to step down in 2004
Christian leaders came out against a third term, while some Muslim groups supported it.
Mr Muluzi is a Muslim. Over 75% of Malawians are Christian.
The next presidential elections are due in 2004.
Mr Chakuamba's MCP party governed Malawi as a one-party state until multi-party elections in 1994, won by Mr Muluzi.
Letter from Africa: Africa looks back on its pioneering leaders
By Howard W. French
Published: May 18, 2007
KASUNGU, Malawi: A surprising exercise in revisionism is taking place in this quiet country, a southern African democracy tucked away in an obscure corner of Africa's Rift Valley that is not generally known for surprises or, for that matter, news.
Rival political parties here are competing over ways to honor the country's first president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, a man whose stern and prolonged rule would have to place him near the top of any list of Africa's most absolutist leaders.
To know the full, official name of this man, who died in 1997, after 31 years of rule is to get the picture. Newspapers were obliged to call him His Excellency The Life President (Paramount Chief) Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, the Ngwazi. The unfamiliar last word means conqueror in Chichewa, the national language. For good measure, Banda, who was indeed a medical doctor, also carried the titles of minister of foreign affairs, defense, justice and agriculture.
Despite Banda's many excesses, including calling political opponents "food for crocodiles," the Malawian Parliament recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of honoring him. This follows the construction, a few years ago, of an expensive mausoleum in the capital, Lilongwe.
These days, in a country that has managed to democratically elect two presidents in Banda's wake, the country's politicians are locked in a contest to claim his mantle, which the current president, Bingu wa Mutharika, summed up simply in a recent speech, saying that Banda had devised a "development agenda for the country."
In the Freudian world, true adulthood only comes after the death of one's parents, and it is in this light that what is happening in Malawi, and indeed in many African countries today, is most striking. The continent's first generation of leaders, larger-than-life men who very often made outsized mistakes, frequently gave way to a second wave of leaders who rejected their legacies and renounced their politics.
In many cases, these second-generation men had little notion of how to govern beyond the obsession with being "anti" figures: anti-Banda, anti-Nkrumah, anti-Lumumba, etc. In their haste to emerge from the large shadows of their predecessors, big new mistakes were made, and lessons that should have been absorbed were discarded.
Throughout, the West, which regarded all of this with a distracted eye, understood little. This remarkable first generation of African leaders was treated in almost comic book fashion, blindly patronized in the face of real excesses, in the case of a Banda or of a Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Ivory Coast, or reduced to two dimensional caricatures, alternately evil or buffoonish.
In retrospect, what most often separated the two groups were the outside world's own ideological sympathies. What has most often been lost in the exercise of this triage is an appreciation for the difficult choices that these early leaders faced, and for the fact, as Malawians are rediscovering, that many of their decisions were indeed inspired.
At independence, in country after country, university graduates were few and indigenous lawyers, doctors, economists and engineers could often be counted on a single hand. Africa was truly starting from scratch, without so much as an entrepreneurial class, and was expected to make the Western-style political structures it inherited function with the flick of a switch.
Looking back, it should not surprise us that for so long so many failed, but rather that 50 years after Ghana became the first sub-Saharan country to emerge from European colonialism, quite a few have succeeded.
There is no better place to remember the staggering challenges of that era than in this small town, all but lost on an endless plain of largely empty scrubland that bakes under a giant sky that seems impossibly blue.
Here, very nearly in the middle of nowhere, Banda built his most famous creation, the Kamuzu Academy, an Eton-like school complete with teachers from Britain. Banda exhorted the poor masses in his country to strive for the essentials: "enough food, decent clothes, roofs that don't leak." At great expense, meanwhile, with an eye to the future, he invested in creating a new class of the best and brightest, schooling them in the classics and insisting on discipline.
Even now the choice seems like an eccentric one, but we forget all too easily the onrush of events of the last 50 years, and the triumphal narrative that has accompanied it in the West. The pressures of outside powers during the Cold War impelled leaders to choose between two competing models: statist authoritarian and nominally leftist on the one side and capitalist and democratic, if only nominally so, on the other.
As clear as the choices may appear today, they were anything but at the time. The state planning models of the East had scored considerable economic gains in the era just before Africa's choices were made, and building an all-powerful state seemed like an attractive answer to the dilemma of how to emerge from stark underdevelopment. We also forget how Jim Crow and other blemishes served as powerful antidotes to America's democratic rhetoric in Africa.
The early leaders who are remembered fondly, and they are surprisingly many, managed to distill valuable lessons from the staggering hardship and chaos that surrounded them. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and even the ephemeral Patrice Lumumba understood the importance of an African identity of cultural confidence. Dismissed in the West, they are remembered fondly well beyond their own borders.
Banda was of a decidedly different stripe, but his message of hard work, order and respect, a message shared by the likes of Houphouët-Boigny, Ahmadou Ahidjo of Cameroon and others, enjoys increasing resonance today, too.
"Banda was 50 percent very good and 50 percent very bad man," said Desmond Phiri, Malawi's most prominent historian. "He was highly patriotic. He took very keen interest in his country, which is not typical of Malawians."
The assessment reminds one of China's official, 70-30, verdict on Mao Zedong, another founder whose prestige remains high at home and who was fond of saying that revolution, like making omelets, can't be achieved without breaking eggs.
Monday, May 14, 2007
| Malawi can be Sadc’s food basket—Tsheole |
| by James Chimpweya, 14 May 2007 - 07:04:41 |
| South African High Commissioner to Malawi Natshadi Tsheole says Malawi, with its plenty waters, should be the food basket for Southern African Development Corporation (Sadc) countries Tsheole said this in Mchinji on Saturday during an award presentation ceremony for the ‘promotion of school gardening’ competition. She said unlike South Africa, Malawi has the potential to be the food basket for Africa with its plenty waters and good land for cultivation. She said South Africa is hilly and that most of its land is not good for cultivation. “Malawi with its many resources can be a food basket of the Sadc region,” said Tsheole. She also advised the pupils to take education seriously so as to become responsible citizens in future. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), emergency coordinator, Vincent Langdon-Morris called for working partnership between the project implementers for the success of the project Labour Minister Annah Kachikho encouraged schools to do more in as far as gardening is concerned to improve their surroundings. The project is being implemented by the Catholic Development Commission of Malawi (Cadecom), Adventist Relief Agency (Adra) and the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) in Mchinji, Lilongwe and Phalombe, respectively. The South African government is funding the initiative at a total cost of US$2.1million (about K300 million). |
Kamuzu was selfless-Robson Chirwa
BY FRANCIS TAYANJAH-PHIRI
09:28:56 - 14 May 2007
TAKE your time and talk to Robson Watayachanga Chirwa, who was a minister in Dr. Kamuzu Banda’s government, you will know what the late former president was to Malawi.
The veteran politician takes you into a journey that enlightens you so you can appreciate how Kamuzu rated a villager higher than individual interests.
“I knew Kamuzu better since I became an MP for Mzimba South East in 1971. I was first appointed a minister in his cabinet in 1976 and I was in his cabinet after every reshuffle until MCP was no longer the ruling party in 1994,” Chirwa said in a rare exclusive interview.
He said what makes him cherish Kamuzu’s days was the former president’s vision for Malawi and fatherly love for all without bias.
“Kamuzu looked at the interest of each Malawian from Nsanje to Chitipa, Nkhotakota to Mchinji without discrimination. As far as I am concerned, he was not just a leader, but a real visionary leader,” said Chirwa urging Malawians to reflect positively on what the great leader did for the country.
He added: “He was a disciplined, strong leader in his vision for Malawi and equally the same he wanted humble and selfless people in his cabinet. There was no room for appeasement in Kamuzu’s cabinet and everyone had to serve the people to get the nod of this principled leader – of course for the 18 years I served in that portfolio, I feel I achieved that.”
One thing that makes Chirwa proud that he served under Kamuzu was that despite the meager monetary resources Malawi had at that time, the former president made sure that all districts shared the national cake.
“To the best of his ability he developed all the districts in the country. There was usually abundant food in all districts, good roads (though not necessarily tarmac everywhere), and good schools that made Malawi a pride of the region,” he said.
Kamuzu, he said, also did not cherish the idea of his people being beggars as he put in place the concept of self-help. This, he said, managed to transform local infrastructure in the country.
“I salute him for the Youth Week concept that made locals appreciate their role as citizens of the country. They saw need for teachers in rural areas to live in better houses, maintain roads and many other projects, without waiting for government to do everything for them,” he said.
That, said Chirwa, also ignited a sense of responsibility and not that of destruction that has been eminent over the recent years.
“The idea of having the youth become self reliant also curbed the dependency syndrome that is normally a hindrance to development in the country. There were no handouts and that made people hardworking and yearn for better things in life through their own sweat,” he said.
Chirwa said the fact that the youth were also sent to MYP bases empowered them individually.
“Because of that, there was little crime in the country and anyone stealing was easily caught as compared to the days after Kamuzu,” he said.
The Kamuzu long time motto of “I want my people to have enough food, houses that do not leak and beautiful clothes” was also a motivation.
“That is why we saw the mushrooming of houses with corrugated iron sheets in many parts of Malawi within a short time of Kamuzu’s rule. I am happy that people are now appreciating what Kamuzu did to this country with his selfless spirit,” Chirwa said.
How does he compare the three regimes Malawi has had?
Chirwa said: “Give credit where it is due, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda did everything possible with the little money Malawi had to build the country. The present one, Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika is trying hard to match with Kamuzu – given enough time I am sure he will perform wonders.”
What of the regime that succeeded Kamuzu, the UDF Bakili Muluzi government?
Chirwa said he reserved his comment.
“I would not comment on the Bakili Muluzi regime, let by gones be by gones. I prefer to remain silent on that,” he said.
But Chirwa lastly said he was glad that Malawians have memories of Kamuzu, “They were told to belittle him but now they remember him, that is very good.”
BY FRANCIS TAYANJAH-PHIRI
09:28:56 - 14 May 2007
TAKE your time and talk to Robson Watayachanga Chirwa, who was a minister in Dr. Kamuzu Banda’s government, you will know what the late former president was to Malawi.
The veteran politician takes you into a journey that enlightens you so you can appreciate how Kamuzu rated a villager higher than individual interests.
“I knew Kamuzu better since I became an MP for Mzimba South East in 1971. I was first appointed a minister in his cabinet in 1976 and I was in his cabinet after every reshuffle until MCP was no longer the ruling party in 1994,” Chirwa said in a rare exclusive interview.
He said what makes him cherish Kamuzu’s days was the former president’s vision for Malawi and fatherly love for all without bias.
“Kamuzu looked at the interest of each Malawian from Nsanje to Chitipa, Nkhotakota to Mchinji without discrimination. As far as I am concerned, he was not just a leader, but a real visionary leader,” said Chirwa urging Malawians to reflect positively on what the great leader did for the country.
He added: “He was a disciplined, strong leader in his vision for Malawi and equally the same he wanted humble and selfless people in his cabinet. There was no room for appeasement in Kamuzu’s cabinet and everyone had to serve the people to get the nod of this principled leader – of course for the 18 years I served in that portfolio, I feel I achieved that.”
One thing that makes Chirwa proud that he served under Kamuzu was that despite the meager monetary resources Malawi had at that time, the former president made sure that all districts shared the national cake.
“To the best of his ability he developed all the districts in the country. There was usually abundant food in all districts, good roads (though not necessarily tarmac everywhere), and good schools that made Malawi a pride of the region,” he said.
Kamuzu, he said, also did not cherish the idea of his people being beggars as he put in place the concept of self-help. This, he said, managed to transform local infrastructure in the country.
“I salute him for the Youth Week concept that made locals appreciate their role as citizens of the country. They saw need for teachers in rural areas to live in better houses, maintain roads and many other projects, without waiting for government to do everything for them,” he said.
That, said Chirwa, also ignited a sense of responsibility and not that of destruction that has been eminent over the recent years.
“The idea of having the youth become self reliant also curbed the dependency syndrome that is normally a hindrance to development in the country. There were no handouts and that made people hardworking and yearn for better things in life through their own sweat,” he said.
Chirwa said the fact that the youth were also sent to MYP bases empowered them individually.
“Because of that, there was little crime in the country and anyone stealing was easily caught as compared to the days after Kamuzu,” he said.
The Kamuzu long time motto of “I want my people to have enough food, houses that do not leak and beautiful clothes” was also a motivation.
“That is why we saw the mushrooming of houses with corrugated iron sheets in many parts of Malawi within a short time of Kamuzu’s rule. I am happy that people are now appreciating what Kamuzu did to this country with his selfless spirit,” Chirwa said.
How does he compare the three regimes Malawi has had?
Chirwa said: “Give credit where it is due, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda did everything possible with the little money Malawi had to build the country. The present one, Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika is trying hard to match with Kamuzu – given enough time I am sure he will perform wonders.”
What of the regime that succeeded Kamuzu, the UDF Bakili Muluzi government?
Chirwa said he reserved his comment.
“I would not comment on the Bakili Muluzi regime, let by gones be by gones. I prefer to remain silent on that,” he said.
But Chirwa lastly said he was glad that Malawians have memories of Kamuzu, “They were told to belittle him but now they remember him, that is very good.”
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Closer look on the 'bloated' cabinet
The current situation where the President has increased by 6, the number of cabinet ministers could have been avoided. The truth of the matter is that government needs the political clout to survive what ever the case, in any country, to pass the needed bills to implement its policies. But In a country where the opposition pays so much attention to their individual parties and personal agendas than that of the country then of course a government has to device ways of running and making sure government business does not come to a halt. I will put the blame here on the opposition entirely because they made that decision, they made the decision not to corporate on national issues with government as witnessed for the past two years and not the President, again for reasons we will never understand.
How else do you expect government to react when the opposition have been threatening for months now to reject the national budget when it tables in the next couple of days. This is a government that is devising ways and trying to adopt to the situation in order to move forward the pro poor government agenda. Not many people can see that unfortunately. Government is only taking cues from the opposition and that is all it is. When you have irresponsible leaders at the helm of the main opposition parties there is little you can expect than continued show of superiority for feel of self importance. The single most important role of the opposition is to serve the interest of the country and not their party presidents, their parties nor their personal agendas. What we have here is a problem deeply rooted in the opposition parties' leadership and that needs to go away sooner rather than later. The moment we have these exceedingly powerful party leaders in these positions who most have been in Malawi politics for over three decades, without a doubt their own agendas will always come first and the nation's, well second.
That is also to say little about their authoritarian practices currently exercised in their respective parties.
The issue at hand is not complex, once you have irresponsible undemocratic opposition parties like we have in Malawi, we will always have problems like these. If these people had opted to be logic in conducting their business in the house, I am pretty sure the President would not have come to the decision of "bloating" his cabinet the way he has done and we would not be having this discussion today.
At the end of the day decisions have to be made depending on the circumstances so government business does not come to a halt. In this case a government that has goals to achieve and that wants to move Malawi forward so it is a prosperous land with opportunities. If 'bloating' the cabinet is a way to help pass important bills in parliament to get us there then so be it. We do share the vision the current government has for the country we only wish the opposition shared this vision with the rest of the country for Malawi.
How else do you expect government to react when the opposition have been threatening for months now to reject the national budget when it tables in the next couple of days. This is a government that is devising ways and trying to adopt to the situation in order to move forward the pro poor government agenda. Not many people can see that unfortunately. Government is only taking cues from the opposition and that is all it is. When you have irresponsible leaders at the helm of the main opposition parties there is little you can expect than continued show of superiority for feel of self importance. The single most important role of the opposition is to serve the interest of the country and not their party presidents, their parties nor their personal agendas. What we have here is a problem deeply rooted in the opposition parties' leadership and that needs to go away sooner rather than later. The moment we have these exceedingly powerful party leaders in these positions who most have been in Malawi politics for over three decades, without a doubt their own agendas will always come first and the nation's, well second.
That is also to say little about their authoritarian practices currently exercised in their respective parties.
The issue at hand is not complex, once you have irresponsible undemocratic opposition parties like we have in Malawi, we will always have problems like these. If these people had opted to be logic in conducting their business in the house, I am pretty sure the President would not have come to the decision of "bloating" his cabinet the way he has done and we would not be having this discussion today.
At the end of the day decisions have to be made depending on the circumstances so government business does not come to a halt. In this case a government that has goals to achieve and that wants to move Malawi forward so it is a prosperous land with opportunities. If 'bloating' the cabinet is a way to help pass important bills in parliament to get us there then so be it. We do share the vision the current government has for the country we only wish the opposition shared this vision with the rest of the country for Malawi.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Muluzi’s economic arguments flawed
BY The Daily Times
08:30:05 - 08 May 2007
Former president Bakili Muluzi has this year set the record straight regarding his political ambitions. First, here is a former president who wants to get back to power at all cost after serving his two constitutional terms. Second, here is a former president who through his actions has implicitly told Malawians that he is the best thing ever that can rule Malawi after the country’s first president late Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
On the surface, there is nothing wrong for him as an individual to harbour such political aspirations. But a critical analysis of circumstances under which he is maneuvering to bounce back into power raises more questions than answers.
To begin with, Muluzi, since falling out with President Bingu wa Mutharika whom he handpicked to become his successor in 2004, has all of a sudden become the successor’s fiercest critic.
We recall, however, that Muluzi used to tout Mutharika as an economic engineer prior to the 2004 general elections. But now he says Mutharika has failed in his economic policies.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) chairman cites that prices of basic household necessities like sugar, soap and matches have skyrocketed during Mutharika’s three years in power. Muluzi also chides Mutharika for low civil servants salaries, citing, of all people, salaries of police officers.
But Muluzi’s ranting at political rallies is getting more laughable than ever before. Here is a leader who promised police officers some time during his 10-year reign that he would raise their salaries. He even told the officers’ wives to take to task their husbands if they brought little money to their homes at the end of the month because he was going to raise their salaries. But the salary increase remained a promise. He never implemented it.
Just to remind him if he has forgotten, he told Malawians that he never had a grocery shop when they questioned frequent price increases of goods. These are just few of numerous examples that would take a whole newspaper edition to chronicle.
But looking at Muluzi’s speeches at rallies, it seems he thinks Malawians have forgotten that his reign was characterised by fiscal indiscipline and poor economic governance such that international bodies like the International Monetary Fund and donors including the Danish had no choice but to suspend their aid to the country. It’s not even a secret that Muluzi’s government failed to implement steps leading to Completion Point for the country to be entitled to Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (Hipc) facility, simply referred to as debt relief.
But Mutharika’s leadership has in three years reversed some of the economic wrongs that Muluzi committed. To cite a few, Malawi has recorded food surpluses two years in a row, it reached a Completion Point and its external debt has been wiped out, price of staple maize has gradually gone down, something that was almost unthinkable during Muluzi’s reign.
It, therefore, beats us that there should be somebody trying to discredit this economic transformation, at least for now.
Our fears are on the rural masses that he is brainwashing some of whom do not understand the intricacies of the economy. Yes, Muluzi’s 10-year rule and Mutharika‘s three years in power could be totally different situations politically and economically. But the bottom line is that fruits of Mutharika’s economic policies are already being felt so far.
Let Muluzi salvage his pride by criticising Mutharika on other things and not on economy. He has no moral high ground to do so.
BY The Daily Times
08:30:05 - 08 May 2007
Former president Bakili Muluzi has this year set the record straight regarding his political ambitions. First, here is a former president who wants to get back to power at all cost after serving his two constitutional terms. Second, here is a former president who through his actions has implicitly told Malawians that he is the best thing ever that can rule Malawi after the country’s first president late Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
On the surface, there is nothing wrong for him as an individual to harbour such political aspirations. But a critical analysis of circumstances under which he is maneuvering to bounce back into power raises more questions than answers.
To begin with, Muluzi, since falling out with President Bingu wa Mutharika whom he handpicked to become his successor in 2004, has all of a sudden become the successor’s fiercest critic.
We recall, however, that Muluzi used to tout Mutharika as an economic engineer prior to the 2004 general elections. But now he says Mutharika has failed in his economic policies.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) chairman cites that prices of basic household necessities like sugar, soap and matches have skyrocketed during Mutharika’s three years in power. Muluzi also chides Mutharika for low civil servants salaries, citing, of all people, salaries of police officers.
But Muluzi’s ranting at political rallies is getting more laughable than ever before. Here is a leader who promised police officers some time during his 10-year reign that he would raise their salaries. He even told the officers’ wives to take to task their husbands if they brought little money to their homes at the end of the month because he was going to raise their salaries. But the salary increase remained a promise. He never implemented it.
Just to remind him if he has forgotten, he told Malawians that he never had a grocery shop when they questioned frequent price increases of goods. These are just few of numerous examples that would take a whole newspaper edition to chronicle.
But looking at Muluzi’s speeches at rallies, it seems he thinks Malawians have forgotten that his reign was characterised by fiscal indiscipline and poor economic governance such that international bodies like the International Monetary Fund and donors including the Danish had no choice but to suspend their aid to the country. It’s not even a secret that Muluzi’s government failed to implement steps leading to Completion Point for the country to be entitled to Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (Hipc) facility, simply referred to as debt relief.
But Mutharika’s leadership has in three years reversed some of the economic wrongs that Muluzi committed. To cite a few, Malawi has recorded food surpluses two years in a row, it reached a Completion Point and its external debt has been wiped out, price of staple maize has gradually gone down, something that was almost unthinkable during Muluzi’s reign.
It, therefore, beats us that there should be somebody trying to discredit this economic transformation, at least for now.
Our fears are on the rural masses that he is brainwashing some of whom do not understand the intricacies of the economy. Yes, Muluzi’s 10-year rule and Mutharika‘s three years in power could be totally different situations politically and economically. But the bottom line is that fruits of Mutharika’s economic policies are already being felt so far.
Let Muluzi salvage his pride by criticising Mutharika on other things and not on economy. He has no moral high ground to do so.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
WHO IS NEXT?
Ex-president of Zambia guilty of theft
LUSAKA • A British judge yesterday ordered former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba and 19 others to pay back $46m stolen while in office in a landmark strike against official corruption in Africa.
Judge Peter Smith, speaking live via satellite link from London, said he ordered that Chiluba and his associates must pay 85 per cent of the funds allegedly stolen from the national treasury within 14 days.
Details on the amount Chiluba himself would have to pay back would emerge in the next few days.
"At the end of the day he (Chiluba) was the president at the top of the control of government finances. He was uniquely positioned to prevent corruption ... instead of preventing corruption, he actively participated in it," Smith said in his ruling.
Political analysts said the judgement was a milestone in Africa's efforts to recover money lost to official corruption, seen as a major drag on the continent's development.
"To my knowledge, this is the first legal ruling of such a case against any head of state past or present," said Ayesha Kajee, head of the Democracy and Political Party Systems in Africa programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs.
"This will certainly make current heads of state sit up and be a little more careful and especially draw the line between private funds and public funds ... it is a good start and will send out a strong message."
Zambian officials say they sued Chiluba and his allies in a London court because they own properties purchased using stolen public funds in Britain, Belgium and other European nations, an accusation Chiluba denies.
The ruling backed charges by President Levy Mwanawasa's government that Chiluba and his associates stole the money during his years in power from 1991-2001.
Zambian prosecutors told Reuters that the amount Chiluba and co-accused would finally have to pay would rise after an assessment of damages and interest. It was unclear how the money would be obtained, although officials say overseas properties owned by the accused could be seized.
A number of former African leaders, including former Zaire dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and Nigerian military strongman Sani Abacha, were accused of looting fortunes from their national treasuries while in office but analysts said most died before their cases could ever be brought to court.
"This is a milestone ... I am not aware of any case like this in Africa," said Jotham Moomba, a professor of history at the University of Zambia in Lusaka.
Chiluba, who hand-picked Mwanawasa to succeed him prior to the 2001 presidential elections, has denied any wrongdoing and accuses Mwanawasa of political persecution.
Zambia, in a separate local trial, has hit Chiluba with criminal charges of stealing $488,000 while in office. That trial stalled in May 2006 due to Chiluba's ill health.
In a statement, Chiluba said he would not recognise the authority of the British court to rule on Zambian matters.
"This action by the Zambia government in collusion with the British government has only served to undermine and ridicule the Zambian judiciary," Chiluba said.
"It is an affront to justice to run parallel trials simultaneously based on the same facts and circumstances as has been done in this case. It is in this regard that I have refused to submit myself to this court, its process and its consequent findings in the so-called judgement," Chiluba added.Thursday, May 03, 2007
Marketing in Focus- Column - Shire-Zambezi waterway, a dream worth sharing
BY Andrew Kaponya
08:56:27 - 03 May 2007
At first when I heard President Bingu wa Mutharika pronouncing his dream about the Shire-Zambezi waterway, I thought it was one of the jokes presidents make when addressing mass rallies. When I heard it for the second time, I really believed the power of dreaming in colour.
It was last week when I saw this dream slowly coming to light with the signing in ceremony of the memorandum of association for the implementation of the project. No wonder, the President's dream is really in colour. Thumbs up not only to the President but also to the people of Malawi. Congratulations to Malawi's development.
I am deliberately congratulating all Malawians realising that this dream is not the president's, this dream is for all us who like development and all those who like good things. Shire Zambezi waterway project is indeed good for future marketing.
Malawians look, and indeed look with a positive eye and mind, here is a development that will not only benefit the people of Nsanje or Chikwawa, but all of us whether we are in Chitipa or which ever part of the country. A development in Nsanje is development in Malawi. This is a positive thinking that we all need to have if this dream is indeed going to be a reality.
I want to express here that I cannot wait to see this dream becoming a reality. I also have started to see a big city in Nsanje with tall buildings. Few kilometers away from the town I am able to see Nsanje airport, Hotels, restaurants, shops, banks, nice roads.
More importantly, all marketers and I of course cannot wait to see this city becoming a reality because it will provide a new market for our goods and services.
I can see a market for our clothes, foodstuffs, electrical appliances, cars and many other products. All this is coming because this city will create employment to more people, which will eventually boost the economic purchasing power of people in that part of the country and of course to other parts.
The Shire- Zambezi waterway will not only create market for our goods but also that there will be a cut in transportation costs for imported goods. Customers will benefit from the cheap goods, which will be entering this country through that port. I cannot count the business opportunities that will be created from this project. There are just huge to be counted.
Anyway, it's just a dream, but it is the wish of the dreamer that this should be real, and therefore, for this to be real, we don't just need the memorandum of association. All this dream need at this point in time is the cooperation of different stakeholders from both the public and private sector.
The signing of the memorandum will mean nothing if we spend much of our time pulling each other downwards or if we just turn it into a political talk to win future votes. Malawians, let you know that the success of this project is not the President's, but the success of all Malawians. We really don't need someone to come all the way from Britain to tell us how much we can benefit from this project.
To the business sector, time has come to put our political affiliations and hate aside and concentrate on visualizing on the possible business opportunities that we are going to tap from the project.
To the opposition, the project is for you and your children, it is for our businesses. Let us all wish the president the best and let us for the first time in so many years come together and bang heads on how best this can be done. I know for sure that marketers can't wait long to open up new markets in the city of Nsanje. This is indeed a dream in colour worth sharing.
Feedback: kaponya@mail.com/ 08 649 887
BY Andrew Kaponya
08:56:27 - 03 May 2007
At first when I heard President Bingu wa Mutharika pronouncing his dream about the Shire-Zambezi waterway, I thought it was one of the jokes presidents make when addressing mass rallies. When I heard it for the second time, I really believed the power of dreaming in colour.
It was last week when I saw this dream slowly coming to light with the signing in ceremony of the memorandum of association for the implementation of the project. No wonder, the President's dream is really in colour. Thumbs up not only to the President but also to the people of Malawi. Congratulations to Malawi's development.
I am deliberately congratulating all Malawians realising that this dream is not the president's, this dream is for all us who like development and all those who like good things. Shire Zambezi waterway project is indeed good for future marketing.
Malawians look, and indeed look with a positive eye and mind, here is a development that will not only benefit the people of Nsanje or Chikwawa, but all of us whether we are in Chitipa or which ever part of the country. A development in Nsanje is development in Malawi. This is a positive thinking that we all need to have if this dream is indeed going to be a reality.
I want to express here that I cannot wait to see this dream becoming a reality. I also have started to see a big city in Nsanje with tall buildings. Few kilometers away from the town I am able to see Nsanje airport, Hotels, restaurants, shops, banks, nice roads.
More importantly, all marketers and I of course cannot wait to see this city becoming a reality because it will provide a new market for our goods and services.
I can see a market for our clothes, foodstuffs, electrical appliances, cars and many other products. All this is coming because this city will create employment to more people, which will eventually boost the economic purchasing power of people in that part of the country and of course to other parts.
The Shire- Zambezi waterway will not only create market for our goods but also that there will be a cut in transportation costs for imported goods. Customers will benefit from the cheap goods, which will be entering this country through that port. I cannot count the business opportunities that will be created from this project. There are just huge to be counted.
Anyway, it's just a dream, but it is the wish of the dreamer that this should be real, and therefore, for this to be real, we don't just need the memorandum of association. All this dream need at this point in time is the cooperation of different stakeholders from both the public and private sector.
The signing of the memorandum will mean nothing if we spend much of our time pulling each other downwards or if we just turn it into a political talk to win future votes. Malawians, let you know that the success of this project is not the President's, but the success of all Malawians. We really don't need someone to come all the way from Britain to tell us how much we can benefit from this project.
To the business sector, time has come to put our political affiliations and hate aside and concentrate on visualizing on the possible business opportunities that we are going to tap from the project.
To the opposition, the project is for you and your children, it is for our businesses. Let us all wish the president the best and let us for the first time in so many years come together and bang heads on how best this can be done. I know for sure that marketers can't wait long to open up new markets in the city of Nsanje. This is indeed a dream in colour worth sharing.
Feedback: kaponya@mail.com/ 08 649 887
| Hope at last, donors pump K40 billion into water project |
| by Ephraim Munthali, 03 May 2007 - 03:32:44 |
 There is hope at last for the poor in populous townships such as Ndirande in Blantyre and Chinsapo in Lilongwe. Even the business community, particularly the agricultural produce dependent manufacturing sector, may soon heave a sigh of relief.At long last, one of the biggest impediments to the growth and development of businesses in the country and the source of misery to most families could be on a non-stop course into the dustbins of history. The Nation has established that the World Bank and the European Investment Bank have heard the cries of Malawians whose taps or containers have on several occasions remained dry for weeks—no water to drink, bath or for any household or industrial use. The two financiers are geared to pump in US$281 million (K39.3 billion) to improve the water supply situation in Malawi, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe has confirmed. “Yes, I can confirm that because I am at the centre of it. Our development partners plan to pump in US$281 million to improve the poor water supply in our major cities and selected districts,” said Gondwe in an interview on Tuesday. He added: “We want to rehabilitate and expand the water supply system in Lilongwe and Blantyre so that it is up and running again. The problem is that although the population has increased, water supply has almost remained the same.” The minister said experts are going around establishing the problems dogging the country’s water system and search for other sources of the life saving liquid. Asked when the Malawi Government expects to sign the agreement with the multilateral bodies, Gondwe said he cannot say with certainty since there is still work to be done. Sources confided in Business Review that a team of experts jetted into the country about two weeks ago to consult government officials and carry out some preparatory work ahead of implementation planned to start in the next six months. Chief among the project’s objectives is to clean up the water distribution system to ensure that middle or high income earners, who stay in townships initially designated for low income people, are not being subsidised. Take Manja in Blantyre or Area 36 in Lilongwe, for example. On paper, these townships are supposed to accommodate the poor city dwellers to whom, experts say, government has an obligation to subsidise their water bills. However, middle and high income earners bought off land from the so-called low income earners and built large houses which consume large volumes of water. Most of the poor who used to reside in these townships evicted themselves because the places had become too advanced for their humble incomes. Government, however, still subsidises water supply to these areas since on paper it is the poor who live there. This makes cost recovery difficult. “Before these rich people came here, water supply was not a problem probably because even the distribution at that time was meant for low water users. But once these people with bath tabs and flash toilets came, we started experiencing low water pressure. “I now live some kilometres away from here [Area 36] having moved after selling my plot to a rich man who has built a big house, with a big yard and a big garden,” one man, who did not want to be named, told Business Review at Kandikole Market in Lilongwe’s Area 36. Private sector representative, the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry chief executive officer Chancellor Kaferapanjira said “this development means a lot to the private sector and the economy in general.” “Good infrastructure is critical for the promotion of private sector growth. We have always been looking forward to a day when water supply would be reliable,” said Kaferapanjira. He said businesses have spent a lot of money buying water tanks to store water, thereby increasing production costs for local companies already grappling with exorbitant transportation and credit costs. The chamber boss said most of Malawi ’s industries process agricultural products and, therefore, need a lot of water. During pre-budget consultations in Lilongwe, Gondwe said government would also use savings from debt relief to improve water and sanitation in areas like Chilinde in Lilongwe and Ndirande in Blantyre |
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Muluzi shunning the truth
Recent developments on the economic front provide everyone with overwhelming evidence that the country is charted on the right course in as far as the economy is concerned.
The stabilising of the kwacha has resulted in the lowering of inflation and bank rates; the much talked about fertilizer subsidy has helped stave off famine and suffering these coupled with the writing off of Malawi’s debts by its major donors are all signs of an economy shaping up under fiscal discipline.
These all underline what former president Bakili Muluzi told Malawians nation-wide in 2004… that Bingu wa Mutharika was an economic engineer who would turn round the country’s economy within a short period of time.
The economy has registered remarkable improvement and for the former head of state to face the masses today and say Bingu is a cobweb in as far as the country’s economic management is concerned sounds a fallacy aimed at hoodwinking the illiterate voter.
Muluzi told a rally in Mangochi that Mutharika was a failure and was letting down the country’s economy. The former president cited increased in prices of matches; soap etc., items whose prices had been sky-rocketing even during his own administration. Malawians still remember Muluzi’s response to concerns over increased prices in shops when he said he has no grocery shop himself.
The former head of state stands to help the people of Malawi greatly if he came up with real issues on areas the present government must concentrate on to improve their lives. It the role of a responsible opposition is to check on government and, where necessary, provide alternatives.
Being a strong opposition force, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has a great role to play and ensure that government is properly managed for the good all Malawian people regardless of political affiliation?
Surely, the former head of state should not appear or sound like he is so desperate to bounce back to power that he would go to any length misinforming and blinding people about the status quo.
Recent developments on the economic front provide everyone with overwhelming evidence that the country is charted on the right course in as far as the economy is concerned.
The stabilising of the kwacha has resulted in the lowering of inflation and bank rates; the much talked about fertilizer subsidy has helped stave off famine and suffering these coupled with the writing off of Malawi’s debts by its major donors are all signs of an economy shaping up under fiscal discipline.
These all underline what former president Bakili Muluzi told Malawians nation-wide in 2004… that Bingu wa Mutharika was an economic engineer who would turn round the country’s economy within a short period of time.
The economy has registered remarkable improvement and for the former head of state to face the masses today and say Bingu is a cobweb in as far as the country’s economic management is concerned sounds a fallacy aimed at hoodwinking the illiterate voter.
Muluzi told a rally in Mangochi that Mutharika was a failure and was letting down the country’s economy. The former president cited increased in prices of matches; soap etc., items whose prices had been sky-rocketing even during his own administration. Malawians still remember Muluzi’s response to concerns over increased prices in shops when he said he has no grocery shop himself.
The former head of state stands to help the people of Malawi greatly if he came up with real issues on areas the present government must concentrate on to improve their lives. It the role of a responsible opposition is to check on government and, where necessary, provide alternatives.
Being a strong opposition force, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has a great role to play and ensure that government is properly managed for the good all Malawian people regardless of political affiliation?
Surely, the former head of state should not appear or sound like he is so desperate to bounce back to power that he would go to any length misinforming and blinding people about the status quo.
| Of 'packets of matches' and economic growth. 2007 Malawi UDFparty's hope Bakili Muluzi goofs and fails on interpretation of Malawi economy and discussion of real issues |
| Former president Bakili Muluzi says President Bingu wa Mutharika has failed the country and its economy to the extent that there is no government in control. But government has scoffed at the claims, labeling Muluzi’s interpretation as myopic. Muluzi told a rally he addressed at Traditional Authority Chowe in Mangochi that if people continued with Mutharika, the country would become impoverished beyond recognition. “Malawi under Mutharika has seen inflation rising uncontrollably. When I left government, the Kwacha was trading at K1.09 to a dollar but now it is at K140. The average increase in prices within two years is 93.66 percent, yet our economic growth remains stunted. They, government, should not claim that the country is achieving any meaningful growth. If we had a government, this would not have happened. If we continue with him, this country will be heavily impoverished. “You used to buy a packet of matches at K3, now it selling at K5. A tablet of Maluwa soap has gone up from K12 in 2004 to K16 and a kilogramme of sugar from K80 to K110, an increase of 37 percent. A packet of salt was at K12 but now it is at K34, representing an increase of 110 percent. Now he [Bingu] claims he has improved the economy when he is actually milking your pockets,” said Muluzi. But Deputy Minister of Finance Ted Kalebe yesterday said Muluzi’s outbursts were made out of lack of knowledge on economic issues. “You cannot conclude on economic issues based on one or a few items. In the two years this government has been in power it has hit an economic growth of 8.5 percent, and this is very commendable. “This government’s economic principles have had donors returning to help us and we also have had debt relief. Changes in prices for the better cannot be drastic. So, Muluzi is wrong,” said Kalebe. Since he took over power in 2004, Mutharika has recieved showers of praise from both local and international commentators for his sound economic principles. Mutharika’s good economic governance has seen confidence returning to the economy with most donors, who pulled out their support, coming back. Just last year, the country reached the completion point under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (Hipc) which saw the country’s debt stock being significantly slashed by over 90 percent from the scaring US$3 billion (about K420 billion) . Muluzi also regretted having hand-picked and campaigned for Bingu during the 2004 presidential elections. “We [UDF] cannot work for him for free. Political issues are crucial. We worked hard for him. I could conduct 18 to 19 meetings a day. Today he says we are useless?” Questioned Muluzi. He advised his followers to refrain from swearing. “Please don’t swear like people in DPP do. Leave that business to [Hetherwick] Ntaba, [Alefa] Wenzulo, [Patricia] Kaliati, Bingu himself and Henry Mussa...Let them swear. I don’t want you to swear. But is it swearing if you say Bingu must go? Not at all,” said Muluzi. Main story by The Nation |
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