Dictator in democrat’s robes

By James Mphande
DailyTimes - Malawi

Former president Bakili Muluzi is a man of contradictions, so
contradictory, in fact, one wonders if he reflects on his actions and
speeches. There are times when he wants to be recognised as a democrat
but this becomes questionable immediately one looks at his statements
and actions.



It is a fact, Muluzi is one -- and not the only one as others would
want us believe -- of those who fought hard for democracy through his
advocacy for multiparty politics. Muluzi cannot be wholly accredited
with bringing democracy to Malawi because if that was the case, then
the nation would have problems putting people like the Catholic
bishops, late Chakufwa Chihana and indeed numerous other Malawians in
their rightful places in as far as championing for democracy is
concerned in the country.



Muluzi will remain in Malawi’s history annals as the first
democratically elected president. His reign will also be remembered for
establishing institutions like the office of the Ombudsman, Malawi
Human Rights Commission, the Law Commission, Anti-Corruption Bureau,
whose common aim was to consolidate the country’s hard earned democracy.



But that will not stop us from recognising him again for some of the
undemocratic things he championed like bidding for unpopular third and
open terms, unleashing terror to people who had dissenting political
views through the Young Democrats (what an ironic name) and presiding
over a regime synonymous with economic plunder and corruption.



So when his time to retire finally came in 2004, people might have
heaved a huge sigh of relief. But Muluzi would not allow to just retire
peacefully, well documented political literature shows he handpicked
President Bingu wa Mutharika, then a rank outsider in UDF, to represent
the party instead of allowing the party to democratically choose his
successor. The way Bingu came into the UDF presidential candidate
picture had all the hallmarks of a dictator at work and no wonder some
party heavyweights like Aleke Banda, Justin Malewezi, Harry Thomson and
numerous others could no longer bear it and quit UDF. All this came
after Muluzi miserably failed to extend his stay at State House by
trying to effect an unpopular constitutional amendment and probably the
reasoning was that if I do not get it, then nobody does.



As if Bingu’s issue was not enough, Muluzi and his UDF imposed
parliamentary candidates on voters and the result was disaster as the
party came out of the polls scathed and was left licking its wounds.
Before that, apparently to ensure that he still has control over a
party he allegedly started, Muluzi bid for UDF chairmanship and made
the position, hitherto a ceremonial or non-existent post, the most
powerful in the party hierarchy. This made him more powerful than the
presidential candidate and some commentators argued it was a strategy
to rule through the backdoor when the UDF candidate finally makes it to
State House. Muluzi also ensured that Bingu the candidate is left with
no illusion on who he owes his ticket to State House so that he can
ably do his bidding on state and political matters.



Thanks to Bingu’s sudden and historic change of heart of this piece of
political engineering came to nothing when the President quit UDF to
form his DPP, now a self-acclaimed ruling party. Bingu cited corruption
in UDF for his resignation but commentators suspect some “remote
controlling” from his predecessor (Remember how long it took Bingu to
appoint his first cabinet?).



In fact, later Muluzi admitted his political mistakes to UDF supporters
in Lilongwe and accordingly apologised. After that, we all thought the
man had learned from his mistakes and that he would no longer allow
himself to make unilateral decisions for the party. Unfortunately, old
habits die hard as the saying goes, and Muluzi pulled a surprise, at
least to many people but not to some of us. He announced his desire to
come out of retirement and the strategy was similar to that of the open
and third term bids; test the waters through some district and regional
party leaders while he remains quiet as if he is not interested.



Of course, he later openly declared his interests that saw initial
hopefuls like Brown Mpinganjira, Friday Jumbe and Sam Mpasu withdrawing
their interest “out of respect”.



This brought divisions in the party with emergence of pressure groups
like the Taskforce. For Mpasu, his frustrations reached boiling point
and he could no longer hide them, a development that forced UDF to
strip him off his party spokesman role, accusing him of using it to
attack the party and its leadership. There is talk of discontent
between the other hopefuls although they have seized each and every
opportunity to refute this. We hope only time will tell.



Now there is this jazz about Muluzi ruling out holding primaries in
constituencies where the party has sitting MPs while other party
leaders like Humprey Mvula and Mpinganjira arguing otherwise. Mvula
actually sees no sense in this because some of the sitting MPs might
have not performed to the expectations of electorates and imposing such
MPs on voters could be tantamount to committing suicide. Interestingly,
Muluzi uses an alien understanding of democracy to buttress his stand;
that democracy is based on loyalty and that these MPs have been loyal
to UDF when others abandoned ship to join DPP and hence the need to
reward them with automatic qualification. Muluzi might be posing and
claiming to be a democrat in all this but his statements and actions
smack of dictatorship.



If UDF was not all about Muluzi and vice versa, we would have been
saying that we will wait to see how the issue of holding primaries in
constituencies with sitting MPs would be addressed but do we have to?
Isn’t the conclusion obvious? Only time will tell if Muluzi is the
democrat he claims to be despite clear signs of dictatorship emanating
from his statements and actions.

Muslims against Muluzi

Pressure continues to mount on UDF presidential
candidate Bakili Muluzi not to stand in next year’s elections with
fresh calls reportedly coming from the Quadria Muslim Association of
Malawi.
An impeccable source this week said some Quadria Muslims
have written a letter to be delivered to Muluzi asking him not to
stand. However, Quadria chairperson Al Haj Alick Likonde refused to
comment on the letter.
But a highly-placed sheikh said the letter is
circulating among some Muslims for signatures before being taken to the
former president.
“The letter is there and we want to take it to
Muluzi when he returns from the UK. We are asking him not to stand as
presidential candidate for the UDF because we feel he has done his
part. We are asking him and the national executive committee to choose
another candidate,” said the cleric.
On his part, Muslim Association
of Malawi (Mam) chairperson Sheikh Yusuf Kanyamula refused to give his
association’s position, saying they are not an affiliate of any
political party and it would not be in their interest to make any
comment.
“But what we want is to see that the rule of law is observed,” said Kanyamula.
The
alleged Quadria petition is circulating against the background of a
similar protest when Muluzi confirmed his interest to stand last
year—when the sect held special prayers against the former president’s
stand.
“We offered the prayers for him not to stand again. It will be a shock for him to stand after those prayers,” confirmed Likonde.
UDF
secretary-general Kennedy Makwangwala hang up his phone twice on
Wednesday when contacted for comment. He later switched it off.
But
the party’s director of research Humphrey Mvula trashed Quadria Muslim
Association’s position, saying the sect has been perpetually engaged in
an anti-UDF campaign for a long time and even during the 2004 elections.
Mvula
said there is little that the UDF national executive committee can do
to reverse the presidential candidature of Muluzi when the national
conference and supporters chose him.
Said Mvula on Thursday: “They
[the Quadria] have never supported our cause. How can we take them
seriously? Are they speaking with a voice of reason?”
But Likonde
maintained that Muluzi should not stand again because, he said, he
should be satisfied with the 10 years that he ruled. Likonde argued
Muluzi messed up the economy and that security was compromised during
his administration.
The Quadria chair also said Muluzi should have
learnt from his failure to advance the third term and open term bids as
a message from Malawians that they do not want him again.
During his time, Muluzi also made efforts to change the Constitution so that he could continue ruling after his two terms.
Asked
Likonde: “Why does Muluzi want to rule again as if there are no
educated people in the UDF? Why does the party not openly challenge him
and choose somebody who went to school to lead the party?”
According
to Likonde, Muluzi should not be misguided by the people’s choice of
him in 1994 because Malawians were simply tired of the one party rule
then and did not care whoever would take over.
“In 1994, people had no time to scrutinise him. They simply wanted change. Even a chicken could have ruled them,” said Likonde.
He also claimed the former president applied a ‘divide and rule’ approach among Muslims.
The
chairperson claimed that during Muluzi’s time, 15 mosques that belonged
to the Quadria were burnt down in the Northern Region and that he did
not compensate them. The mosques have not been rehabilitated to date,
according to Likonde.
Asked whether his position is being influenced
by the recent donation of two vehicles and K5 million for the
rehabilitation of the mosques President Bingu wa Mutharika made to the
Quadria Association, Likonde said: “I have been saying this before and
that has been our position. It is not because of the donation. His
regime was bad and simply put, he is greedy.”
But Mvula described Likonde’s remarks as “malicious”.
“This
is the work of persons doing a paid up job to damage the good
reputation of Dr. Muluzi,” said Mvula. “In life, religious leadership
should play the role of messengers of peace, unity and love even when
they have received  financial and material benefits from someone.”
He
also quashed Likonde’s statement that Muluzi messed up the economy. He
said in 2004 the inflation was at 8 percent, economic growth at 4.2
percent, the exchange rate at K109 to one US dollar and that the import
cover was at five months.
The figures, he said, are a sharp contrast to the economy Muluzi inherited in 1994 from the MCP.
“Dr.
Muluzi inherited an economy that was down on its knees with inflation
riding as high as 98 percent, a deficit of 22 percent of GDP and
exchange rates that had depreciated by 254 percent,” said Mvula.
By
2000, argued Mvula, the country had qualified for the Highly Indebted
Poor Countries (Hipc) initiative—with a debt cancellation of K1 billion.
The
Quadria Muslim Association of Malawi is the third group that has come
out in the open telling Muluzi not to stand in next year’s elections.
Early this year the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP)
also opposed the move.
In August, five UDF members met Muluzi at
his Lilongwe residence and asked him to convince them why he still
wants to stand again when, according to them, his candidature was
marred by controversy.
Section 83 of the Constitution stipulates
that a president can only serve for two five-year consecutive terms but
Muluzi and his lawyers insist the law does not affect him as he is
intending to come back after a five-year break. The Constitution is not
clear on whether or not one can come back after a break.

Bingu’s gesture to Chilumpha shows maturity, morality

Accept our commendations Mr President, Your Excellency Dr Bingu wa Mutharika, Sir.



We say thumbs up for a move long waited because we love our country as Malawians first, before being newsmen.



We are all smiles that time has now come when real men are coming to recognise the importance of being one.



Remember, united we stand, divided we fall.



The gesture shown through your congratulatory message to your number two is great and indicative of a promising future.



It is a rare moment in our rather cloudy political atmosphere. It is a
moment all peace loving Malawians would need to prevail. It is a
moment, real Malawians would love to see grow bigger.



And indeed, it is the moment that signifies two things to a fast
thinker: maturity and morality. It is a mature decision for both of you
to have remembered that you are the top two citizens hence Right
Honourable Dr Cassim Chilumpha now can talk development and Mutharika
saying “this is good brother”.



This is the spirit required as we draw towards the May 19, 2009 polls.
It is morally right, because it reminds all well wishing Malawians that
this is what it is supposed to be as endorsed at the ballot in 2004.



You know? Malawi is not only our country, but we are its blood. It requires us all for its growth and development.



But a word of caution to Mutharika and Chilumpha, we do believe that
this gesture is genuine because if it is just an icing on a rather sour
cake, then we are breeding rot.



As the top two citizens, Malawi looks up to you and expects nothing
less than harmony between you because it is your peace that would
translate into tranquility in this country. It is a chain.



We hope as political scientist Blessings Chinsinga has said, this is
not a political gimmick meant to win sympathy from both camps.



Chilumpha as Vice-President has not been able to offer all he could for
obvious reasons, but now is the time when the past should be left to
historians as we look forward as astronauts hoping for the highest. We
do hope that this gesture will not end on paper, but would soon hear
and see you two together again.



By the way, when did you two last dine together? When did you last
shake hands? When did you last address a development rally together?
When did you last talk on phone? And indeed, when did you last call
each other brother? Sounds sweet! What do you think?



Food for thought? Up to you, but history will judge you. We need you
two back on stage together in peace as we together dream in colour to
develop Malawi. We know the sky is not the limit, in your own words Mr
President, Sir.

Chilumpha gets Bingu’s praise

BY THERESA KASAWALA

The gap that separated President Bingu wa
Mutharika and his vice Cassim Chilumpha seems to be closing ahead of
the May 19, 2009 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections (PPE).



Just Thursday, Mutharika sent a congratulatory message to his deputy
for his (Chilumpha’s) recent sentiments, appealing to the public to
support government’s development agenda.



However, a Zomba based political scientist has described the move as a political gimmick from both sides.



“Mutharika wants to lure UDF supporters, as the candidature of the
former president Bakili Muluzi is uncertain while Chilumpha is just
looking for a political base as he has no party to represent in the
2009 polls,” observed Blessings Chinsinga of Chancellor College of the
University of Malawi.



In a statement signed by State House Press Officer Chikumbutso
Mtumodzi, Mutharika said he appreciated the gesture demonstrated by the
Vice-President.



“This is encouraging and the way things are supposed to be in Malawi for our country to develop further,” he said.



“I encourage the Vice-President to continue in his development meetings
as one way of sensitising the people of this country on their
development needs and programmes.”



Chinsinga, however, said the actions by both parties were beyond what meets the eye.



“I believe that the two have been holding meetings and what we are hearing might be the results,” he said.



Chinsinga observed that the elections were approaching and the involved
parties were trying not to leave any stone unturned to ensure that
votes were amassed come 2009.



The Vice-President has not been in good terms with the President from
the time the state accused him of plotting to assassinate the First
Citizen.



He is still answering treason charges in the courts.



Chilumpha, who has been a staunch UDF member, told his supporters at
one of his meetings in his home district of Nkhotakota to remove the
yellow UDF party cloth “because this is a government function”.



But the move angered UDF, which said despite seeing nothing wrong with
Chillumpha addressing development meetings where he sells government
agenda, it was wrong for him to be attacking the party and its
leadership.



Chilumpha lost to Muluzi for UDF presidential candidacy during a
convention in Blantyre, which many described as not being free and fair.



Since then, Chilumpha has openly shown and expressed his dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership.



The situation worsened recently when UDF supported Chilumpha’s former
lawyer and ally Fahad Assani to represent the party in Nkhotakota South
constituency at the expense of the Vice President.



Chilumpha though insists he will contest for the parliamentary seat in
the constituency but is yet to disclose the party on whose ticket he
would do this



While UDF would be represented by Assani, DPP, for whose ticket some
people suspected Chilumpha would stand, already conducted its primaries
and were won by Greselder Jeffrey.



Chilumpha recently told Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) that
there was nothing strange to tell people to support government, saying
he was second in command.



“People elected me as their Vice-President and there is nothing new by
serving them, that is my constitutional mandate,” Chilumpha said. The gap that separated President Bingu wa
Mutharika and his vice Cassim Chilumpha seems to be closing ahead of
the May 19, 2009 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections (PPE).



Just Thursday, Mutharika sent a congratulatory message to his deputy
for his (Chilumpha’s) recent sentiments, appealing to the public to
support government’s development agenda.



However, a Zomba based political scientist has described the move as a political gimmick from both sides.



“Mutharika wants to lure UDF supporters, as the candidature of the
former president Bakili Muluzi is uncertain while Chilumpha is just
looking for a political base as he has no party to represent in the
2009 polls,” observed Blessings Chinsinga of Chancellor College of the
University of Malawi.



In a statement signed by State House Press Officer Chikumbutso
Mtumodzi, Mutharika said he appreciated the gesture demonstrated by the
Vice-President.



“This is encouraging and the way things are supposed to be in Malawi for our country to develop further,” he said.



“I encourage the Vice-President to continue in his development meetings
as one way of sensitising the people of this country on their
development needs and programmes.”



Chinsinga, however, said the actions by both parties were beyond what meets the eye.



“I believe that the two have been holding meetings and what we are hearing might be the results,” he said.



Chinsinga observed that the elections were approaching and the involved
parties were trying not to leave any stone unturned to ensure that
votes were amassed come 2009.



The Vice-President has not been in good terms with the President from
the time the state accused him of plotting to assassinate the First
Citizen.



He is still answering treason charges in the courts.



Chilumpha, who has been a staunch UDF member, told his supporters at
one of his meetings in his home district of Nkhotakota to remove the
yellow UDF party cloth “because this is a government function”.



But the move angered UDF, which said despite seeing nothing wrong with
Chillumpha addressing development meetings where he sells government
agenda, it was wrong for him to be attacking the party and its
leadership.



Chilumpha lost to Muluzi for UDF presidential candidacy during a
convention in Blantyre, which many described as not being free and fair.



Since then, Chilumpha has openly shown and expressed his dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership.



The situation worsened recently when UDF supported Chilumpha’s former
lawyer and ally Fahad Assani to represent the party in Nkhotakota South
constituency at the expense of the Vice President.



Chilumpha though insists he will contest for the parliamentary seat in
the constituency but is yet to disclose the party on whose ticket he
would do this



While UDF would be represented by Assani, DPP, for whose ticket some
people suspected Chilumpha would stand, already conducted its primaries
and were won by Greselder Jeffrey.



Chilumpha recently told Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) that
there was nothing strange to tell people to support government, saying
he was second in command.



“People elected me as their Vice-President and there is nothing new by
serving them, that is my constitutional mandate,” Chilumpha said.

NBM in Visa card promo

National Bank of Malawi Monday launched “Pay smart
and win big” promotion in a move to enhance a culture of electronic
payments and purchases.



During official launch in Blantyre, the bank’s Public Relations Manager
Annie Magola said they would like to enlighten the public on the
benefits of electronic shopping and transactions.



“We want to encourage people to acquire goods and services using the
Visa system as no hard currency is involved since merchant debit the
exact amount from the customer’s account and at the same time their
accounts are credited. This would in the long term prevent
inconveniences of being given sweets for change,” said Magola.



She added that if the Visa system was widely used, it could reduce
production costs of currency, which could lead to massive savings by
government and the economy.



“The promotion is open to all Visa card holders who would transact
using our Point of Sale Devices from today up to January 16. We will
conduct weekly draws every Monday where cash prizes would be given
out,” said Magola.



National Bank’s Transactional Banking Manager Ellen Kumpukwe said it
would be better if shoppers during the season used the Visa cards to
avoid cash losses, which most of the time is not recovered.



“With the festive season, people would want to shop but on the other
hand thieves are also strategising on how they can steal from merry
makers and the best way to avoid that is through the Visa payment
system, which is simple and is done in seconds,” said Kumpukwe.



National Bank of Malawi introduced the Visa debit card and point of
sale devices this year in shops, hotels and other outlets in the
tourism sector to facilitate for faster and convenience transaction for
customers.

Government to use its own resources for electrification

Government says it would use its own resources to provide the country
with adequate electricity supply through short term strategies in
developing power generating projects.



Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe said this in response to private sector
outcry that erratic supply of electricity was eating into the
industry’s production output.



In his presentation on 2008 Malawi Business Climate Survey, Chief
Executive for Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(MCCCI) Chancellor Kaferapanjira said for the past three years, power
failure has been the outstanding hurdle to business.



“We feel let down on electricity because the National Assembly is no
longer relevant because its members are not performing duties of
bringing forward government business as they only meet to discuss their
allowances and not matters of national interest,” said Kaferapanjira.



He made the remarks following revelation that the 18 months grace
period provided by the World Bank to Malawi parliament to approve the
Mozambique-Malawi Power Interconnection Bill had expired.



Under the bill, the World Bank was supposed to fund the power connection from Cahora Bassa in Mozambique.



However, Gondwe said government was moving in the right direction to improve electricity supply results.



“We have plans to add power generation but we will consult experts in
this field on better short term projects as we eventually seek for long
term strategy,” said Gondwe.



The chamber’s survey was conducted in several sectors that included
trading, tourism, mining, manufacturing, financial and professional
services plus transport and communications.

MCP legislator Njobvuyalema praises Bingu

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislator Joseph
Njobvuyalema nearly overshadowed national forestry season launch Monday
in Lilongwe when he showered praises on President Bingu wa Mutharika,
saying Malawi could have developed further if Mutharika took over the
reigns soon after former head of state Kamuzu Banda.



Njobvuyalema, MP for Lilongwe Mapuyu, is a fierce critic of Mutharika
and his government and was one of the opposition members of Parliament
who nearly rejected this year’s national budget in the National
Assembly.



Speaker of Parliament Louis Chimango, who is also an opposition MCP
legislator, attended the official launch of the season in Chief
Kalolo’s area.



As soon as he arrived at the venue of the launch, which was attended by
cabinet ministers and their deputies, members of the diplomatic corps
and Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Bright Msaka, among
other dignitaries, Njobvuyalema freely mixed with Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) officials and shared with them jokes.



When the President arrived, Njobvuyalema sat in the front row with
Mutharika, number four from the President after Minister of Health
Khumbo Kachale.



In his speech, Njobvuyalema who is also MP for the area, said Malawians
wish Mutharika ruled the country soon after Kamuzu Banda, saying the 10
year gap rule by Bakili Muluzi (whom he did not mention by name) was a
waste.



“Sometimes it makes me think that if you took over power just soon
after the first Ngwazi, things could have changed for the better. I am
sure you could have sorted out some of the challenges the country is
facing. As you might be aware, in between the rule of the first Ngwazi
and you, we had a mess, it is good that your administration is cleaning
up that mess,” said Njobvuyalema as DPP women, supporters and other
dignitaries clapped hands.



Without directly saying that he was ready to serve Mutharika, he said
in Chichewa parable that “ngati ukumpatsa galu nyama, ngakhale kuti
galuyo siwako, akusatira,” which loosely means if you give a dog meat,
even if it’s not yours, that dog is bound to follow you.



Njobvuyalema, therefore, thanked government for launching the forestry
season in his area, which “is very important as trees are part of life
and the programme is one of the developments in this area”.



He also asked for other developments like roads, potable water and bridges, among others.



Mutharika gave Njobvuyalema special recognition at the launch and wished him merry Christmas.



He described Njobvuyalema’s attendance and speech as a sign of
political maturity and urged other opposition politicians to do the
same.



“We need to leave politics away in order to further develop the
country. We should all unite, both the opposition and the government,
especially this festive season of Christmas,” said Mutharika.



Commenting on criticisms by MCP president John Tembo on why the
President accepted the honorary title of Ngwazi, which the leader of
opposition said was reserved for Kamuzu Banda only, Mutharika said he
did not apply to be given the title and did not know in advance that
the Ngoni chiefs from Mzimba wanted to honour him with the title.



Commenting on the forestry season, Mutharika said he ordered the
extension of the season from a month to four months (from December 15
to April 15) because of the importance trees play in people’s lives.



The President said he has personally planted 6,000 trees, which include
masuku, mibawa, oranges, pawpaws and pine, among others on his private
land.



Mutharika, however, was worried that bushfires, especially in Chikangawa and Zomba, were destroying trees in the country.



“In 2009, we should ensure that bushfires are reduced. One day, on my
way to Mzuzu while I was in a helicopter, I counted 31 bushfires, this
is bad and must be stopped. Report to us those who start bushfires so
that we can counsel them,” said Mutharika.



Mutharika said bushfires do not only destroy trees but force animals to migrate and cause soil erosion if left unchecked.

Madonna's film on AIDS in Malawi airs on Sundance

NEW YORK (AP) — Madonna's awakening to the crisis in Malawi — an
impoverished African nation where one million children are orphaned by
AIDS — had many consequences.

She adopted one of those orphans, her 3-year-old son David. She is building a school there.

And
she has told Malawi's harrowing story in her documentary, "I Am Because
We Are." With an audience thus far limited to isolated theater
screenings, it will be screened for everyone with its TV premiere on
Sundance Channel at 9 p.m. EST Monday (World AIDS Day).

The
feature-length film was written, produced and narrated by Madonna
(directed by Nathan Rissman). It consults experts including President
Bill Clinton and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

But the film's real
power is its images, which are often dismaying but, here and there,
reflect hope and a remarkable will to survive.

"I had many
goals," said Madonna during a phone conversation from her Manhattan
home a few days ago. "I did get to a point where I thought, 'I'm being
overambitious, I'm trying to say too much, I'll never accomplish it.'
But I feel proud of the fact that I did get to make all my points."

Among her points: an insistence that any crisis comes with solutions, however hard-won and piecemeal.

The film offers its audience a menu of constructive responses.

"If
all you can do is live life in YOUR world in a way that shows you are
responsible for the people around you, that's a course of action," said
Madonna. "People can be of service in large ways and small."

The
first wide exposure of "I Am Because We Are" may be coming at a
propitious time, which befits the pop superstar who made it, with her
knack for anticipating and identifying cultural trends.

On the
eve of a new presidential administration, Americans seem set on a more
idealistic path, however alarmed they may be by economic threats along
the way.

"People really are going, 'Wow! I can no longer ignore what's going on around me.' There are changes in the air," she said.

Madonna's
busy schedule continues apace. But the artistic life that drives it "is
a world you create and you inhabit, to express yourself, and to inspire
and reach out to other people," she explained. "It's also a
consolation, a place you go to to protect yourself." That's true now,
in particular, during her highly public split with Guy Ritchie, her
husband of eight years, which she described as "not easy, I'm not going
to lie."

Though on a brief New York break from her concert tour,
Madonna said the day's long to-do list called for this AP interview to
be followed by interviews she would be conducting herself: with
prospective head mistresses for the girls school she is building in
Malawi.

"We're all going there together at the end of March," she
said, referring to David, 8-year-old son Rocco and 12-year-old daughter
Lourdes.

"I'm very involved in a lot of things that are going on
there," she said, and as she makes return visits with her kids, she
wants them to gather insights into the plight of the world's
underprivileged. "And David's always going to understand where he came
from, and what his life could have been like."

Meanwhile, she hopes her film can spread the message to millions more.

"It has an impact on the people who see it," she declared. "The more people, the bigger the impact."

Malawi’s President awarded UN prize for enhancing nation’s food security

28 November 2008 –

The President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika, has been honoured by the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for his efforts
in achieving food security and in transforming the economy of his
nation, among the poorest in Africa.

FAO
Director-General Jacques Diouf presented President wa Mutharika with
the Agricola Medal – the agency’s highest award – yesterday during a
ceremony in the Malawian capital, Lilongwe.

Mr. Diouf noted that in 2005, thanks in a large part to the adoption of
an Agricultural Input Subsidy Programme piloted by the Government of
President wa Mutharika, Malawi was able to restore national food
security by increasing access to fertilizers and improved seeds by poor
farmers and other vulnerable population groups.

In addition, despite sharply rising food and energy prices earlier in
the year, and the negative impact of climate change, Malawi has been
able to contain food prices to the extent that economic growth for this
year is expected to be around 8 per cent.

Malawi was also one of the few countries to have surpassed the
agreement reached among ministers at the 2003 Maputo African heads of
State and government conference for a minimum budget allocation of 10
per cent for agriculture, by allocating as much as 16 per cent to the
sector, said the Director-General.

Agriculture is crucial to the population of 13.2 million in Malawi, a
largely rural and landlocked country in Southern Africa, where some 35
per cent of the population was undernourished in 2004.

Previous recipients of the Agricola Medal include Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, former French
president Jacques Chirac, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Pope John Paul
II, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, former Spanish prime minister
José María Aznar, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
German ex-president Johannes Rau of Germany.

Why is Bakili Muluzi afraid of being questioned by the Authorities?

Lawyers representing former president Bakili
Muluzi yesterday presented four grounds of appeal in a case where the
former president wants the Supreme Court to overturn a High Court
decision to vacate an injunction he earlier obtained against the
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)––restraining the bureau from questioning
him on K1.4 billion donor money he allegedly diverted to his personal
account.
Before presenting the grounds before Chief Justice
Lovemore Munlo, Justice Duncan Tambala and Justice Elton Singini, the
four Muluzi lawyers ––Fahad Assani, David Kanyenda, Gift Mwakhwawa and
Jai Banda––wanted to bring fresh evidence to the court which would have
a bearing on their appeal against the vacation of the High Court
injunction.
This was, however, withdrawn after the three judges
pointed out that the hearing was not a fresh case but rather an appeal
against the earlier ruling of the lower court with which the appellant
(Muluzi) was dissatisfied.
In the first ground, Muluzi argues “the
learned judge erred in law by holding that it was open to the appellant
to commence proceedings either by way of judicial review or originating
summons”. The lawyers further argued that having found that Muluzi was
entitled to commence proceedings by way of expedited originating
summons, the lower court erred in holding that he should have proceeded
through judicial review.
On the second ground, Muluzi argues that
the judge erred in law and fact in holding that he was supposed to give
notice as required by Section 4 of the Civil Procedure Act Cap 6:01 of
the Laws of Malawi before commencement of the High Court case.
The
third ground is against the presiding judge’s statement that
maintaining the injunction would mean suspending the business of the
ACB in that people who are not public officers such as presidents,
ministers, deputy ministers and Members of Parliament would simply
follow suit and obtain injunctions should they find themselves in
similar situations.
According to Muluzi’s team, the injunction order
did not prevent ACB from continuing its investigations as it
interrogated, among others, Muluzi’s former and serving secretaries or
personal assistants.
“The learned judge erred in law in holding that
the balance of convenience lies in favour of vacating the ex-partes
injunction order,” the ground reads.
“The decision of the learned
judge in vacating the ex partes injunction order and striking out the
originating summons is misconceived and wrongful in law,” reads the
fourth ground.
Hearing of the case continues this morning with the ACB presenting its response to the application.
In
2005, the ACB summoned Muluzi to interrogate him on the K1.4 billion
that allegedly ended up in his personal account when he was in power.
Muluzi obtained an injunction from the High Court restraining the
bureau from questioning him.
Later, the ACB filed another
application in the same court to vacate the injunction. The court
removed the injunction and refused Muluzi’s application for an order
staying the execution of notices from ACB summoning Muluzi.
Muluzi
then lodged an appeal in the Supreme Court and applied for a stay in
the notices. The upper court granted an order of stay until
determination of the appeal, overturning the High Court’s decision that
the injunction be vacated.
In July 2006, the ACB arrested Muluzi and
charged him with 42 counts on allegations of corruption, theft by
public servant and breach of trust. Muluzi chose to remain silent and
was later released on bail without conditions

Govt to build over 1,000 teachers houses

Teachers across the country may temporarily
forget about the K700 million salary arrears government owes them
following news that government plans to build houses for them from the
US$50 million (about K7 billion) World Bank loan that was signed
Tuesday.
After signing the agreement, Finance Minister Goodall
Gondwe said: “We expect to build about 1,000 houses but the number
could be more if the communities have the initiative and we build the
houses with the assistance from Masaf”.
The US$50 million is from
the International Development Association (IDA) to support the second
phase of Masaf 3 which is expected to run from end 2008 to 2013.
Gondwe
said if communities have plans and need support in terms of cement or
other building materials, “then we will be able to help and more houses
will be built if we did this”.
The Teachers Union of Malawi (Tum)
yesterday commended government for the move as it will help attract
more teachers to work in rural areas.
“This is a very, very good
news because teachers in rural areas are suffering so much in terms of
housing ....This is one of the reasons apart from other working
conditions that discourage many teachers from staying in rural
communities,” said Tum secretary-general Dennis Kalekeni.
World Bank country manager Timothy Gilbo said the implementation of the project will differ from previous Masaf programmes.
“Whereas
the previous Masaf programmes were implemented partly by local
authorities and partly by the Masaf secretariat, this time Local
Assemblies will take full control over the execution of the Masaf 3
funded activities,” said Gilbo.
A statement from the World Bank said
Masaf 3 will use experiences from the first phase of Masaf 3 which
ended on June 30, 2008. The second phase will aim to reach the poor
with public works earnings, infrastructure improvements, savings
mobilisation, public and social accountability tools, in the context of
increased local governance and public sector management.

Give Hazel grand welcome—Bingu

President Bingu wa Mutharika Monday urged the
country’s citizens to give Hazel Warren, Malawi’s representative at the
just-ended Big Brother Africa (BBA) 3 reality show, a grand welcome as
she has done the nation proud.
Hazel, 25, finished second in the
show on Sunday which saw 21-year-old Ricardo Venancio, aka Ricco, of
Angola win the US$100,000 (about K14 million) grand prize.
Mutharika,
through State House press officer Chikumbutso Mtumodzi, said he is very
happy for Hazel’s gallant and superb performance. He said Hazel has put
the country on the international map of achievers.
“The State
President is sending his heart-felt congratulations to Hazel Warren for
a wonderful performance in this year’s BBA show. The President says the
fact that Hazel lost by a small margin clearly indicates that Malawians
have the capability and stamina to participate in international
contests,” said Mtumodzi.
He said Mutharika views Hazel’s
outstanding performance as an indication that Malawians are
intelligent, hard-working, determined and focused when it comes to
competitive participation.
“The President is, therefore, joining all
the people of this country in celebrating Hazel’s victory. The
President is also congratulating Hazel’s family for their daughter’s
performance and all Malawians who participated in many ways for a job
well done,” said Mtumodzi.
In a telephone interview from South
Africa Monday, Hazel said the congratulatory gesture from the President
is “a big honour” and that she feels “humbled by it”.
“I am very
thankful to the nation and the President, in particular. I thought some
people had pre-conceived ideas that their representative would mess up
in the house. But when the nation, led by the President, congratulates
you, it makes you glad,” said Hazel.
According to Multichoice
marketing manager Chimwemwe Nyirenda, Hazel is expected back in the
country tomorrow at about 3 pm and not today as earlier indicated.

Muluzi advocate Gwanda Chakuamba hits at Tembo

New Republican Party (NRP) president Gwanda
Chakuamba has accused his old-time rival John Tembo of refusing to
support Bakili Muluzi’s presidential bid after the MCP leader
reportedly agreed in 2006 to back the UDF chairman in his quest to
dislodge President Bingu wa Mutharika.
But MCP has said it cannot support Muluzi for another presidency because he already ruled the country for 10 years.
Chakuamba,
a full-time ally of the former president, told a rally in Lilongwe’s
Area 23 Township near Namachimba Market on Saturday that “MCP’s
selfishness will make it lose the elections next year”.
“MCP will
not win the 2009 general elections because of selfishness… Tembo cannot
win the elections by banking on votes from the Central Region. The
Central Region is for all Malawians with different political
affiliations,” said Chakuamba.
Flanked by his deputy Ken Zikhale
Ng’oma and Malawi Democratic Party (MDP) president Kamlepo Kalua,
Chakuamba claimed in 2006 Tembo pledged at a rally at Njamba Freedom
Park in Blantyre to dislodge  Mutharika “by supporting the one who put
him on the throne” (Muluzi).
Said Chakuamba: “This is what he promised but today he says he does not want to work with UDF.”
Chakuamba—who
resigned from MCP over a power struggle with Tembo five years ago,
announced his comeback in the parliamentary race—saying he will contest
against First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Esther Chilenje-Nkhoma whom
he anointed to run Nsanje North constituency in the 2004 elections.
Tembo
could not be reached on Sunday to comment on Chakuamba’s statements but
MCP’s administrative secretary Potipher Chidaya snubbed Chakuamba’a
call for Tembo to support Muluzi in an alliance.
“Muluzi has been a
president for this country for two terms, why should he lead the
alliance? Why can’t he allow us to field a presidential candidate? We
have so many MPs in Parliament. If he wants to join us, he can do so,”
said Chidaya.

Katopola back in office

Clerk of Parliament (COP) Matilda Katopola has
finally taken back her office keys on recommendation from Speaker Louis
Chimango, a decision that has divided the Parliamentary Service
Commission (PSC).



Over the weekend, Chimango also wrote Deputy COP Stanislas Chisanu,
advising him to stop acting as COP and hand over all keys to Katopola.



Both Chimango and Chisanu flew out of the country on Sunday but First Deputy Speaker Esther NKhoma confirmed the development.



“I was out but I have seen the letter to Mr Chisanu, that I can confirm,” she said.



She also confirmed that Chisanu handed over all keys to Katopola before he left for China.



Despite collecting the keys on Sunday, Katopola was not in office Monday but she is technically back in her office.



But the development has led to the emergence of two distinct camps in
PSC with one distancing itself from the decision by the Speaker and the
other backing Chimango.



There are six members in PSC including Chimango as chair.



Others are Kizito Ngwembe from Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Ettinor
Koloviko from United Democratic Front (UDF), Loveness Gondwe of
Alliance for Democracy (Aford), and two from Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP) Pisho Nkhwazi and Folger Nyirongo.



In separate interviews, Ngwembe and Koloviko said the decision by the
Speaker was personal while Nyirongo said it was the right position.



Ngwembe said a PSC meeting on Friday resolved not to allow Katopola to come back.



Chimango called the meeting following a court order stopping his office
from implementing a resolution by Parliament to move Katopola.



Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet (OPC) Bright Msaka also
wrote withdrawing his earlier letter sending Katopola on leave pending
redeployment.



Ngwembe said he is not party to Chimango’s communication allowing Katopola to resume work.



“As a commissioner, I do not agree with what the Speaker has done. The
first letter from Mr Msaka was read in the National Assembly, the
second letter should also be read in Parliament,” he demanded.



The MCP legislator for Kasungu South said “if Katopola went to court, then let’s fight in court”.



He claimed Katopola was not wanted by the National Assembly, Business Committee and PSC.



Koloviko of Blantyre North constituency said the commission refused to allow Katopola back.



“We can’t accept corruption at Parliament,” she said.



The fight between Katopola and PSC follows an audit report that
revealed that the COP used her company, Monick Trends, to supply
stationery services to Parliament.



“We have said the COP violated rules of the game. I am not part and
parcel of that letter from the Speaker. We can no longer have trust in
Katopola to handle our documents,” said Koloviko.



She added: “We have done the same to so many other people, why not her?”



But Nyirongo of Mzimba Luwerezi constituency said PSC has no choice because President Bingu wa Mutharika concluded the matter.



“As commissioner Nyirongo, I feel we have no choice, let her come. We
recommended to the head of state and he says no, what do we do?” he
reasoned.



He said PSC powers were limited to recommendations.



“We are not a forum to defy the head of state’s decision.”



Gondwe and Nkhwazi could not be reached on their phones yesterday.



However, it is reported that Gondwe is not party to the decision to bring Katopola back while Nkhwazi is on the other side.



The Business Committee of Parliament was also divided over the issue of
Katopola recently at a meeting, which the government side failed to
attend.



The committee comprises leaders of parties represented in the National Assembly.



At some point, PSC recommended to Mutharika to have Katopola fired but the appointing authority pardoned her.



On August 7 this year, Parliament resolved that Katopola be reassigned.



But she obtained a court order restraining authorities from effecting
the resolution, a development PSC seems not ready to accept.

Malawi moves to install Lilongwe fibre network

By: Marcel Chimwala

Published: 21 Nov 08 - 0:00

The government of Malawi has put out a tender for the supply,
installation, configuration, integration and testing of two fibre-optic
cables linking government establishments in the capital, Lilongwe.

The initiative is part of the World Bank-funded Financial Management, Transparency and Accountability Project (FIMTAP)

The
Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), which is the implementing
agency for FIMTAP, says bidding is open to entities from eligible
source countries as defined in the World Bank's guidelines.

"The
minimum qualification criteria for the bidders include previous
experience in fibre-optic installation and financial capacity," says
the chief secretary to the OPC, Bright Msaka, who adds that completed
bid documents must be submitted by December 4.

In a related
development, the OPC is inviting bids for the supply, installation and
commissioning of standby generators at government offices.

The
project, which is also part of the FIMTAP, comprises two lots, with the
first entailing the supply, installation and commissioning of 180-KVA
standby generators and 30-KV A uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units.

The second involves the supply, installation and commissioning of 65-KVA standby generators and 30-KV A UPS units.

Msaka
says bidders must provide documentary evidence that they have executed
at least three similar contracts in the last three years, and evidence
that they have the experience and technical capacity to carry out the
contract.

"The bidders are also expected to produce technical
catalogues outlining specifications demonstrating that the goods to be
supplied comply with minimum specifications, and a manufacturer's
authorisation form, if the bidder is not the manufacturer of the items
proposed to be supplied," says Msaka.

The deadline for the submission of bids is December 5.

Msaka
says the Malawi government is also inviting bids for the supply and
delivery of five diesel-engine vehicles, comprising three twincabs with
detachable metal canopies, one station wagon and one 30-seater minibus.

He says the deadline for the submission of bids is December 4, 2008

Joy radio closed again

The High Court in Blantyre has lifted an
injunction obtained by privately owned Joy Radio Station restraining
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) from closing it.



The ruling means that Joy Radio does not have a broadcasting licence and, therefore, it is technically closed.



Delivering the ruling in his chamber, Judge Joseph Manyungwa lifted the injunction on grounds that Joy Radio misled the court.



He stated that an applicant for an injunction was supposed to disclose all facts before the court.



“There was suppression of material facts when the exparte applicant was seeking court’s relief,” the judge explained.



The Judge said that in its affidavit, Joy Radio told the court that
Macra revoked the licence without giving the station an opportunity to
be heard.



According to affidavits, the respondent (Macra) wrote the station on
August 28 to provide recorded broadcast material, a request the station
did not comply with.



“Joy Radio did not respond to the letter until September 18, when they
explained that they were not ready to submit the recorded material
because the materials would end up in the hands of Information Minister
Patricia Kaliati and Malawi Broadcasting Corporation [MBC],” he said.



He said the action meant the court was misled.



Judge Manyungwa also said that Macra, according to Section 54 of the Communications Act, has the right to monitor the station.



In an interview after the ruling, one of Macra’s lawyers Kelvin Nyasulu
said the ruling meant that Joy Radio has no broadcasting licence and
thus closed.



“The ruling means that there is nothing that can stop Macra from revoking Joy Radio’s broadcasting licence,” Nyasulu said.



Joy Radio lawyer Ralph Kasambara, who was absent at the court, refused
to comment on the ruling, saying he had not seen the verdict.



“But if the injunction has been lifted, we will take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal,” he said.



On his application to have the injunction extended, Kasambara said the court would hear his arguments today, November 20.



Joy Radio wants an order that the injunction granted herein by the
court on October 17, 2008 be extended pending judicial review on its
differences with Macra.



The radio station was closed on October 17 due to, among other reasons,
transfer of ownership from Multi Media Communications Limited in 2002
to Atupele Properties in 2005.



Atupele Properties belongs to former president Bakili Muluzi and former wife Annie.



This, according to Macra, means Joy radio is now in the hands of politicians, which is contrary to the Communications Act.



Joy Radio has been at loggerheads with Macra for some time now. The
communications regulatory body also closed the station’s sister company
Joy Television.



Kasambara obtained an injunction two days after the revocation of the license by Macra.



As we went to press, Joy Radio was still on air despite the verdict,
apparently because management had not been served with the ruling yet.

MADONNA ANNOUNCES THE RAISING MALAWI ACADEMY FOR GIRLS

To All My Friends,  



I am really excited to share with you a new video message about a project that you can be a big part of: The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls.



After witnessing the potential of Malawi's girls firsthand, I made it
my mission to give them an opportunity to become their personal best.



I hope you will share my urgency and make a donation today. Every
donation counts toward helping impoverished girls to reach their full
potential. And every dollar will make a difference.



Thank you for helping me to bring education and opportunity to the
girls of Malawi. They are deeply grateful to you for your support, and
so am I.



With Love,

Ndirande vendors apologise to Bingu

Ndirande vendors in Blantyre have swallowed their
pride and apologised to President Bingu wa Mutharika following the
torching of a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) office in the township.



Some vendors torched a DPP office on claims that they were denied money
amounting to K14 million donated by the President and some well-wishers.



Well-wishers pledged donations to the vendors after a fire gutted down
Ndirande market where they were operating from and destroyed
merchandise valued at over K140 million.



Soon after the torching of the DPP office, Mutharika announced
withdrawal of his K4 million donation to the vendors and another K10
million solicited from well-wishers by the area’s MP Gift Mwamondwe.



A group of members of Ndirande market led by Chairperson Davison Benard
wrote the President through Mwamondwe, who is also Deputy Minister of
Transport.



The group that went to Mwamondwe’s house said they regretted the action taken by some hoodlums who torched the office.



“Vendors did not torch the office but some people in the township took
advantage of the situation to tarnish our image,” Benard said.



He asked the President to forgive them for the incident.



“Let me also thank the police for investigating the matter so that the truth should be established,” he said.



Mwamondwe confirmed in an interview that the said group of vendors visited him to present their petition to the President.



“The vendors realised that they had wronged me as their
parliamentarian, the President and the government as whole and that is
why they are asking for forgiveness,” Mwamondwe said.



Mwamondwe said he welcomed the move and promised to deliver the petition to the country’s First Citizen.



“It is good that justice will prevail because the police have managed
to arrest some of the suspects who are expected to appear in the court
soon,” he said.



Southern Region Police publicist Davie Chingwalu said the suspects in the incident would appear in court Friday November 14.



Peoples Progressive Movement (PPM) vice president Mark Katsonga Phiri
gave the vendors K2 million while former president and opposition UDF
national chairman Bakili Muluzi donated K3 million to the vendors.

Bingu's letter to Muluzi: You are sick

President Bingu wa Mutharika and his
predecessor Bakili Muluzi have during the last month been at each
other’s throats exchanging letters in which the President accuses his
predecessor of spreading many lies through Nyasa Times and other media
that, among other things, he is suffering from cancer.

The President, in turn writes that he knows Muluzi is a sick man.

But in reply the former president says he has since being cured of
spinal cord problems which "came about because of the gruelling
campaign of 2004 that I had undertaken on Your Excellency’s behalf"

In the letter, the President also threatens to arrest his mentor if
he continues spreading lies about his health using the media. He also
accuses UDF director of research Humphrey Mvula as the man Muluzi uses
to spread the lies.

"Dr. Muluzi I know that you very much want me dead," reads in part Mutharika’s letter to Muluzi dated October 28, 2008.

He says he does not have cancer as he (Muluzi) has been saying.

"I recently underwent a very thorough medical check-up and was given
clean bill of health. I am sure if you watch television, you will see
how fit I am. I play golf and keep all my international engagements.

Is this a sign of a person who is dying soon?" Reads the letter whose receipt Muluzi acknowledged in an interview on Tuesday.

In the letter, the President goes on to challenge the UDF leader that he has a lot of information about Muluzi’s health.

"Your health has considerably deteriorated over the past two years.
I am sure other citizens of Malawi also know about your medical
condition. For instance, I know that you yourself are a very sick man.

"I am reliably informed that you have serious deterioration of your
spinal cord and that you have pins inserted in the spinal cord to
support your back," further reads the letter.

Mutharika says he also has information that Muluzi has cancer of the
throat and that he sometimes experiences difficulties in speaking.

"I am also reliably informed that you have serious diabetes ‘A’
problem and that you cannot stay very long without eating anything or
else you will faint. In fact, I recall that at one of your rallies you
actually had to leave the podium quickly to get food and medication in
the motor home behind the platform. Your wife prompted me to continue
speaking so that people would not know what was happening," Mutharika
says.

He alleges that at one time Muluzi had his blood drained because it was ‘contaminated’.

Continues to write Mutharika: "Now Dr. Muluzi would you really like
your medical information to be made available on the Internet and other
media? Would you not say publishing such facts would violate your
privacy and constitutional rights? If the answer is yes, why then do
you fail to realise that you are also violating my constitutional
rights?"

Mutharika justifies his writing by saying Muluzi bankrolls online
publication Nyasa Times to publish false stories about Mutharika’s
health. He says doing that is criminal libel and sedition.

In conclusion, Mutharika says: "As a Head of State I have all the
options to arrest you and any of the perpetrators of these diabolic
lies. This is not a threat but a statement of fact. I am aware that if

I take such action you will scream at the top of your voice that the
whole thing is politically-motivated. But what you are writing against
me is also politically-motivated."

The President says he wants assurance from Muluzi to instruct his
cohorts to immediately stop publishing fabrications and lies about him
on Nyasa Times and other media.

But three days later, Muluzi responded to Mutharika’s letter on
October 31, 2008 where he casts doubts on the authenticity and
credibility of intelligence which the President receives.

"The allegations raised in your letter are not only false but
concocted lies fabricated for ulterior motives by dubious individuals
within the intelligence or your political system. Your Excellency, upon
assuming office in May 2004 I did advise you to exercise extreme
caution in handling of intelligence information that will be passed on
to you," says Muluzi.

The former president says in the letter he is amazed when Mutharika
attributes his negative publicity to him even when some of such is
borne from unpopular government decisions.

"Your Excellency, I think time has come when all of us should
remember that democracy does not demand blind obedience, unquestioning
discipline and acceptance of the status quo but calls upon leaders to

appreciate people’s right to understand and take active participation in matters affecting them," reads Muluzi’s letter.

He also denies controlling the media, including Nyasa Times and the independent media in general.

"…These allegations are false and I would advise you stop peddling
such allegations because they have the capacity to undermine the
credibility of your high office," Muluzi says.

Muluzi informs Mutharika that Mvula does not reside at his BCA Hill
residence and he is not employed or deployed to write and publish
articles that are critical of Mutharika.

"This is again a case of inaccurate and misleading intelligence
information….The allegations that Nyasanet and Nyasa Times are funded
by me personally are inaccurate and false. Whilst I cannot answer for
Mr. Humphrey Mvula about his alleged involvement, I however, have my
doubts and do not subscribe to the philosophy that he is the
Nyasanet/Nyasatimes mastermind," reads the letter.

Muluzi then tells Mutharika that his health has never been a subject of debate in UDF.

"…Be rest assured that I personally and the UDF as a party continue
to wish you good health. Your Excellency, if at any time my health is
not to the mark, I will be the first one to go public about it as I have

always done. I have never pretended to be such a person that cannot
fall sick nor I have hidden the state of my health," the letter reads.

Muluzi admits that he had suffered a slipped disc and this condition
came about because of the gruelling campaign that he undertook on
behalf of Mutharika.

"I am rather perturbed that you have quickly forgotten that the said
slipped disc had been as a result of my active campaigning for you in
2004. I would request you to remember and appreciate my sacrifices and

sacrifices of other UDF leaders whom you fervently tout as enemies," he says.

Muluzi also denies that his blood was drained.

"It is also not true that I have throat cancer. I am disturbed with
your claim that I suffer from category A diabetes and that I cannot
stay very long without eating food or else I will faint. Your
Excellency, your information is wrong and malicious since you well know
that this is not the case," Muluzi says.

Muluzi reminds Mutharika that he worked with him and spent long
hours during the 2004 campaign which at times saw both of them conduct
10 meetings a day without taking food.

"You are also aware that I am a devout Muslim who observes 30 days
of fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan. It smacks of sadism that
your Excellency can regurgitate information that is false and
unfounded, especially considering the fact that your Excellency have
demonstrated the rare courage of capturing this information on official
record. I find this to be a very unfortunate situation and a
demonstration of how much hate you hold against me," the letter reads.

Muluzi has reminded Mutharika that he has demonised his predecessor on MBC radio and TVM, calling him all sorts of names.

"Your Excellency, I have not forgotten my recent dehumanising and
disgraceful arrest at Kamuzu International Airport in June this year on
your trumped up treason charges. The arrest was authorised by Your

Excellency following your pronoucements at a rally in Nkhata Bay
district. I wonder if you really believe that I can plan to overthrow a
government that I helped put together...," Muluzi says.

"I have never wished you dead. Rather that you have wished me and my
colleagues in UDF dead because a lot that can be proved by hard facts
and evidence has happened during the four years," he says.

State House press officer Chikumbutso Mtumodzi yesterday confirmed
the correspondence between Mutharika and Muluzi but could not be drawn
to comment on the contents of the two letters.

"Any means of communication from the incumbent to the former
president are strictly confidential documents. However, if Muluzi has
taken the lead in exposing such correspondence that is breach of trust.
All along it was assumed that Muluzi was a level-headed and serious
individual," Mtumodzi said.

Mvula declined to comment on allegations levelled against him, saying he is yet to see the letters.

A new 'Ngwazi' in the making in Malawi

Lusekelo Adam

Last week I talked about how the Malawians chaffed under late dictator
Mzee Ngwazi Hastings Kamuzu Banda. As biology was slowly but surely
claiming the 'Ngwazi', Life President of Malawi , the country was being
ruled by a cabal comprising of his chick, Cecilia Amanda Kadzimira and
her much-reviled uncle John Tembo. Ngwazi is Kingoni for 'warrior'.


Born in 1932, Tembo went to university in Lesotho and worked as a
schoolmaster before being appointed to Banda's cabinet as Finance
Secretary in 1963, an appointment which was unpopular with other
cabinet members for it smacked of blatant nepotism.


In his early years, Tembo played a sycophantic role in Parliament,
using his position primarily to acquire a personal fortune. By 1990, he
was a director in practically every business sector that dealt with
government, including Malawi's main bank.


John Tembo who was Banda's hatchet man came to be seen as his
natural successor, and in January 1992 he finally became, in name, the
Minister of State in the Office of the President. In effect, John Tembo
was appointed the executive president of Malawi .


The long suffering Malawians let out a loud grumble and, reading
the times, the Catholic bishops of Malawi wrote a protesting letter
which documented in graphic detail the failings and abuses of power of
the Banda administration. The letter was read aloud in every Catholic
church in Malawi .


Banda's response to the letter was to place the bishops under house
arrest. For that move, the ageing 'Ngwazi' was condemned by governments
and churches worldwide. Within Malawi , for the first time since
independence, there was a climate of open dissent. May 1992 saw Malawi
gripped with strikes and protests, culminating in the Lilongwe Riot of
May 7, in which 40 people were gunned down by the police.


In October 1992, Orton Chirwa, the founder of MCP and a leading
member of the short-lived independence cabinet, was murdered in Zomba
prison , reportedly at Mzee's orders, where he was being held since
1981.


Banda's unpopularity left him with little option but to announce a
referendum on the question of multi-party election. There arose two new
parties: AFORD, and the UDF that challenged Banda's MCP.


The Malawians gave the MCP the boot in favour of UDF led by Bakili
Muluzi, a businessman. Muluzi became the de facto owner of party. John
Tembo became owner of what remained of MCP and AFORD was led by the
late Chakufwa Chihana.


Bakili Muluzi soon found out that two five-year terms in the
presidency were too short a time. So he became victim of the power
disease which afflicts most African presidents. He wanted to change the
constitution which will allow him stand for a third term. The Malawians
gave him an overwhelming NO. He was left licking his wounds.


But Muluzi was not finished yet. He decided that he could rule
Malawi by proxy. He picked a bright economist within his party, Dr
Bingu wa Mutharika, and made him the UDF president while Muluzi
remained chairman.


He taught Mutharika what and what not to say, making sure that he
(Muluzi) edited his speeches. Muluzi even wrote Mutharika's acceptance
speech as the next president of Malawi .


But Mutharika had other ideas. He crafted his own speech and
departed from the puppeteering by Mr Muluzi. Once installed as
president, Dr Bingu wa Mutharika publicly said he was no one's puppet.
He also established a new party, the Democratic Progressive Party,
which now rules.


Malawians have also hastily decided to wipe out last vestiges of
Banda's legacy. They have removed his portrait from the Malawi Kwacha
in favour of John Chilembwe, a 19th century Malawi nationalist.


Now over the past fortnight or so, Malawians have been zapped by
what they claim to be delusions of grandeur by their president. He let
it slip into the Malawi public that he won't mind being given the title
of 'Ngwazi'.


The first 'Ngwazi' was Hastings Kamuzu Banda. Now there is a Ngwazi
Dr Bingu wa Mutharika. Presently, there is a spirited debate on whether
Mutharika should wear such a title. Some hope that he does not add the
title of 'life president' in the future as the late Mzee Banda did.

Growth through Trade – Malawi’s Hope for Poverty Reduction

World Bank --
Malawi has a better chance than ever before to accelerate economic
growth! A team of development partners and the Government are
collaborating in carrying out analytical work to establish a basis for
policy options that will help Malawi build on recent gains in growth
and economic management. These policy recommendations for economic
growth will be delivered early in 2009 in what is called a Country
Economic Memorandum (CEM).

Since 2006 Malawi has had remarkable
growth rates averaging 7.5 per cent, compared to an average of about
three percent during the early years of the decade. The projection for
2008 is for 8.7 percent growth. Growth is good. It increases wealth and
income, which in turn help alleviate poverty.

The team of
development partners working on the CEM includes the African
Development Bank (AfDB), the UK’s Department for International
Development (DFID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the
World Bank (WB). The Ministry of Finance is leading Government teams in
the CEM work, with the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development
and the Reserve Bank of Malawi as key local partners.

“The
overarching focus of the CEM will be on providing advice on putting in
place a policy and institutional environment collaborated with
supportive expenditure programs that will enable the continuation and
even   acceleration of the current strong growth momentum through
trade,” says Jos Verbeek, the World Bank’s lead economist for Malawi.

To
achieve its objective, the CEM will review the current sources of
growth, the policy actions that led to the growth, and the role that
trade has played. It will also suggest how the current growth can be
sustained through either intensifying what is already happening or
diversifying the sources of growth.        

Growth is the most
desirable source of additional public resources. Given that how
government spends these additional resources is important for growth,
the CEM will also provide useful insights to  the Government and other
interested partners  on how best to use any additional revenue to
sustain if not accelerate Malawi's growth spurt.

Government is
looking forward to the CEM. “It will help us further operationalize the
Malawi Growth and Development Strategy by assisting with the
prioritization of those policy actions and expenditure programs that
will have the biggest impact on growth, and hence  poverty reduction,”
said Randson Mwadiwa, secretary to the treasury
at the Ministry of Finance.

Growth through trade

The CEM is aptly titled Seizing Opportunities for Growth through Trade.

The
Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) (2006-2011) aspires for
the transformation of the economy, from being predominantly importing
and consuming, to being predominantly manufacturing and exporting.
Trade is key to the fulfillment of this vision. Trading and retailing
activities account for a significant part of the distribution sector.
It is estimated that approximately 22 percent of Malawi's GDP comes
from the distribution sector. For Malawi to sustain high growth rates,
it will have to trade more.

“We believe the way out of poverty is
through growth and trade,” says Lucia Hanmer, a DFID senior economic
advisor. “Successful strategies for growth and trade are ones that are
attuned to country circumstances.”

So, in order to recommend what
can help Malawi’s growth improve and be more sustainable through trade,
the CEM team will focus on establishing the extent of potential for
Malawi to expand its non-traditional exports, and identifying the
constraints that need to be removed in order to exploit this potential.
The hypothesis is that market access might not be a binding constraint,
given that Malawi is currently not fully utilizing existing
preferential trade arrangements. Therefore, Malawi needs to look at
other factors that could be preventing expansion of non-traditional
exports, such as production related constraints (including lack of
scale economies, inability to meet quality standards, energy
constraints) and marketing costs (including high transportation costs,
border related costs, and limited information about available markets).
Further, given the long distances to Malawi’s overseas markets, trade
with regional partners will be critical.   

The role of infrastructure

Key
to trade is transport infrastructure. The MGDS recognises that Malawi’s
poor infrastructure limits the country’s productivity and affects
internal and external trade efficiency. At 53 percent of export value
in 2007, transport costs remain high compared to other countries in the
region.

“Reducing trade logistic cost inside as well as outside
Malawi's border is critical to bring down the high trade logistic cost
of Malawi's exports and make Malawi more competitive regionally as well
as globally,” says Joao Mabombo, the AfDB’s infrastructure specialist.

The
CEM will outline the status of internal and regional transport
infrastructure within the development corridor framework, and identify
key constraints in the transport sector that if addressed can spur
economic growth. Using GPS technology, the CEM team is also identifying
where in Malawi public investment could have the biggest impact on
private activities and thus, growth.

Agriculture as a key sector driving growth

Agriculture
generates over 90 percent of export earnings and 35-40 percent of GDP
in Malawi. It is the main source of livelihood for the majority of
Malawians, most of who are smallholder farmers living in rural areas.
 A preliminary analysis of the sources of growth shows that agriculture
has been one of the main drivers of high real growth rates registered
since 2006, although much of this growth represents a re-bounding of
the sector’s performance following a severe drought in 2005. The
analysis further shows that productivity in the sector remains low
which implies that there is still great potential for agriculture to
continue driving growth in Malawi. The sector is therefore receiving
particular attention in the CEM work.

In 2007, the main
agricultural commodities with positive volume growth were tobacco (53
percent), sugar (nine percent), tea (nine percent), cotton (three
percent) and edible nuts (four percent).  The CEM will assess the
country’s competitiveness in key agricultural commodities so as to
provide evidence on the potential investments and policies needed to
improve and sustain higher growth in the sector. Two complementary
analytical approaches are being used to achieve this: (i) quantitative
value-chain analysis of selected commodities (ii) a detailed constraint
analysis to identify key challenges affecting Malawi’s agricultural
competitiveness.

Partnership behind CEM

In the spirit of the Paris Declaration, development partners are collaborating on the CEM.

“Working
together is helping to build a shared understanding of what constrains
growth in Malawi,” said DFID’s Growth Team Leader David Woolnough.
“Supporting the government, we can use this knowledge to support future
growth and ensure the economy goes from strength to strength.”

The
development partners are so far applauding the collaboration as being
highly positive in bringing together thinking and ideas from a number
of individuals with different experience and skills, particularly
around new approaches to growth and growth diagnostics.

“We do
not believe in duplicating efforts, but in taking advantage of the pool
of knowledge that is available here and abroad,” said the MCC’s Alex
Gomani.

The experts from the donor institutions are
partnering in producing the key sections of the CEM according to their
expertise. DFID and the World Bank are working on the first section on
general economic environment supportive of growth. All the partners are
contributing to the second section on general cross-cutting economic
policies to broaden and sustain economic growth; as well as analyzing
issues of trade (WB, DFID, AfDB), infrastructure (WB, AfDB), and the
financial sector (WB, RBM) in a growing economy. The third section
looks at the most promising sectors that can broaden growth mainly
agriculture and other high potential sectors such as agro-processing
and manufacturing in general (WB). The final section will analyze how
all the issues raised in the different sections fit together in order
to make policy and strategy recommendations to the Government on how it
can sustain and build on the current growth momentum.

Malawi: Food Security Update, Sept 2008

The country remains generally food secure, as households continue to
depend on own–produced food from last season's harvest. Households that
did not produce enough food this season, however, are currently
moderately food insecure or at risk of food insecurity, given that they
must rely on the markets at a time of high maize prices this season.
This is particularly the case in many parts of the southern region,
where some areas experienced crop production failure due to unfavorable
weather conditions (Figure 1).

Most households are busy preparing their fields in preparation
for the 2008/09 agricultural season. The season starts in October and
ends in March, beginning in the south and progressing northward, with
land preparation following this progression as well. To help boost
agricultural production and improve food security, the government's
seeds and fertilizer inputs subsidy program is currently underway and
on–target to arrive prior to the planting rains in early November.

In contrast to previous months, a majority of local markets
recorded a decline in maize prices in September. The decline is partly
attributed to the government's decision to fix a maximum maize selling
price of MK52/kg. At the same time, this decline does not reflect the
seasonal pattern, when maize prices normally begin rising as households
exhaust their supplies and market demand increases with the approaching
hunger season (December to February).

The volume of informal cross–border trade in maize dropped
significantly in the past month, from 8,540 MT in August to 2,185 MT in
September, or about 67 percent. The government's ban on the
large–scale, private trade of maize, as well as the seasonal decline in
tradable stocks in source countries, are likely factors behind this
decrease

Uganda should emulate Malawi for faster economic growth

Mbatau Wa Ngai

It
is heartening to learn that Ugandan leaders joined their Kenyan,
Tanzanian and Swazi counterparts who have gone to Malawi over the past
three months to learn how the poor southern African country defied
donors three years ago and subsidised its farmers whose response was
the doubling of maize production in one year.



In retrospect, it seems incredible any half-competent economic
policy-maker could have a country as poor as Malawi not to give
subsidies to its farmers at a time when entire population was facing
mass starvation. But the donors, led by the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) did exactly that at a time when the
country needed to import 400,000 tonnes of maize.

Malawians’ plight was made worse by its having to import all its needs
through South African ports, railways and road networks which the
country shared with its other land-locked neighbors, Zambia and
Zimbabwe.



Fortunately for Malawi, its President Mbingu wa Mutharika had worked
with the Washington-based Bretton Woods institutions – the World Bank
and the IMF—long enough to know their lack of understanding of African
problems although this did not stop them from writing prescriptions and
demanding that they be followed to the letter or else.



When Malawi refused to toe the then economic orthodoxy that the peasant
farmers be left at the mercy of free market forces, the donors walked
away. But three years later, after first dismissing incontrovertible
evidence that the subsidies had enabled farmers to increase their
production to 3.6 million tones, more than double the country’s
requirement of 1.6 million tonnes, the donors are going back to Malawi.



The lesson here for Uganda and other African countries that have
suffered unnecessarily because of heeding donors’ advice to free up the
markets and get out of business, is that they take a second look and
see what sectors of the economy would be better served by the state’s
involvement.



Those countries that have not completed a wholesale sell-off of public
assets should also reflect on the  fact that the developed countries
that supported the free market doctrine most vocally are today
competing on who will buy a greater stake in their countries’ financial
sector.



In Uganda, the argument should not be on whether the government should
subsidise farmers or get involved in industry or any other business but
on how best it can do so to ensure that tax-payers get the best value
for their money. Perhaps, this soul searching could result in the
government kick-starting agro-business that would add value to local
agricultural produce before exporting them to the regional and global
markets.



This would be undoubtedly better than waiting for private investors
mainly from the industrialised countries many of whom seem more
interested in the incentives they get from government, such as free
land, than in setting up sustainable industries and businesses.  



The result is that some of these fly-by-night carpet-baggers sell off
the land as soon as they get their hands on the title deed. Other
brief-case investors are more interested in taking advantage of their
employees poverty by paying them slave-wages and forcing them to work
in appalling conditions.



Yes, the Malawi experience should lead to a re-think of every policy
that has been imposed from Washington and other industrialised world
capitals over the past four decades. After all, instead of these
policies making the majority of the population richer even in countries
like Kenya where there were no civil wars during the period they became
poorer and increased the gap between the rich minority and the poor
majority

Malawi to host 6th ICT Open Access Conference

(Malawi) Malawi will for the first time host the
6th International Wide Open Access (ICT) Conference from 12th to 14
November in the capital of Lilongwe, APA learnt here on Monday.

Speaking
to journalists in Lilongwe on Monday, Chairperson for the ICT
Association of Malawi (ICTAM), Charles Govati, said the conference
would examine the challenges the open access to ICT infrastructure
model can be harnessed to improve lives, standards of education,
health, housing, transport and production of goods and services for
socio-economic development.

\"Ways and means shall be identified to utilise the
range of available ICT tools and services offered through the open and
accessible ICT infrastructure,\" he said.

He said the conference will among other things address
issues of ICT policy, regulation and impact analysis, research,
education, universal access for economic growth, ICT open source, media
and language, ICT solutions for rural development.

The conference, which will attract local and
international dignitaries, will run concurrently with an ICT Fair under
the theme, “Open ICT Access for Socio-Economical Development.”

Edition of The Big Issue to launch in Malawi

A new edition of the The Big Issue is to be launched in one of the world’s poorest countries – Malawi.

The project is being backed by the Glasgow-based International Network of Street Papers.

The Big Issue Malawi is to be sold in Malawi’s capital, Blantyre, by homeless people and slum dwellers.

According
to INSP, the new project will provide training and employment
opportunities for over 750 disadvantaged people over three years.

Through
its pages, the new title will also seek to educate readers on social
issues and “provide a voice to the many Malawians living on the margins
of society”, INSP said.

The monthly publication is proposing to
launch on December 10 and is currently recruiting a local editor and
staff journalist. The title will also make use of content from street
papers around then world via a news service run by INSP.

INSP is
a charity which supports street paper development all over the world.
The Malawi edition of the Big Issue is being backed by a
three-year-grant of £93,000 from the Scottish government.

It also has backing from UK-based philanthropist Philippe Sibaud and from Malawian charities.

INSP
has previously helped to set up street papers in Kenya, Zambia and
Nigeria, and is also currently working with projects in Burundi and
Zimbabwe.

The Cultural Awakening Society in Malawi will run the new Big Issue project on the ground.

Its
founder Dr John Chikago said: “The economic grant from the Scottish
Government towards the start-up costs for the launch of Big Issue
Malawi for three years is great news to the jobless, marginalised and
homeless people in Malawi. It gives them hope for a better tomorrow.

“Truthfully,
it is the manifestation of the trust and confidence the Scottish
Government has in the INSP and its international partners. As the
founder of the Culture Awakening Society, I am grateful for this
consideration and support."

More than half of Malawi’s population live below the poverty line and it has a per capita GDP of $800.

In
July, The Big Issue magazine announced plans to launch a new edition in
India – recruiting 10 journalists for a December launch.

The Big
Issue started in London in September 1991, founded by John Bird, and
was intended to provide income for its homeless vendors and an
alternative to begging. It was inspired by the New York-based Street
News.

It has regional editions in Scotland, Wales, the north
England and the South West and is also published in Australia, Japan,
South Africa, Namibia (front page pictured above) and Kenya.

Malawi Minister Goodall Gondwe Voted Best African Minister Of The Year

(Malawi) Malawi Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe has
been voted as the Best African Minister of the Year by his colleagues
during a meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board held in
Washington, DC., in the USA recently, APA learnt here Thursday.

Goodall
told journalists in Lilongwe on Thursday that fellow Finance Ministers
from across the world who were meeting recently in Washington to, among
others, discuss and come up with possible solutions to the financial
turmoil currently facing Third World countries, voted him the award.

\"I am very pleased to be voted as the Minister of the
Year. This was very good encouragement for me as an individual as well
as the nation,\" he said.

The veteran economist who has worked for the African
Development Bank and the World Bank before landing the finance
portifolio, won the top accolade for the economic achievements Malawi
has realised during the four years that he has been the country’s
financial guru.

Malawi triples farm subsidies

Blantyre - Malawi, has more than
tripled its spending on subsidies this year to help 1.7m impoverished
farm families buy fertilizer, agriculture authorities said Friday.

The southern African nation has spent $183m to offer the country's
poorest farmers a nearly 90% discount on fertililzer, deputy
agriculture minister Frank Mwenifumbo told AFP.

"We have spent 26 billion kwacha to procure 170 000 tonnes of
fertiliser. We are targetting 1.7m of the poorest of the poor farming
families to benefit from this programme," Mwenifumbo said.

The same programme cost about $50m last year, but authorities fear
that without the subsidy, farmers might not be able to produce enough
food to guarantee the nation's food supply.

"The subsidy programme is wholly funded by the Malawi government as
a deliberate policy to improve hosehold food security," Mwenifumbo
said.

Beneficiaries will receive 10 kilogrammes of free maize seed and pay
eight dollars for 50 kilos of fertiliser, which would cost $72 at
market rates.

That puts fertiliser far out of reach for the majority of Malawians, who live on less than one dollar a day.

Malawi needs 2.2 million tonnes of its staple grand maize to feed
its 13 million people each year, but its crops have only produced that
much since 2006 - the year after the subsidy programme began.

Before that, shortfalls in local crops meant that chronic hunger was a normal part of life here.

But last year Malawi produced enough to sell about 400 /000 tonnes to troubled Zimbabwe.

- AFP