China, Malawi to further bilateral ties

BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Communist Party of China
(CPC) highly values its relationship with Malawian Democratic Progress Party
(DPP), and is willing to carry out multi-level and effective exchanges and
cooperation with DPP, said senior CPC official Zhou Yongkang on Tuesday.

Zhou, a member of the Standing
Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks
during his meeting with Dr. H. Ntaba, general secretary of the Malawian DPP,
here.

Zhou welcomed Ntaba's visit, saying the establishment
of diplomatic ties between China and Malawi last year was a milestone in the
history of bilateral ties, which is proven to be in line with the fundamental
interests of the two peoples.

Friendly exchanges between the two countries have
been carried out smoothly in various fields over the past three months, and
China is willing to further push forward the long-term, healthy and stable
development of bilateral ties, said Zhou.

Dr. H. Ntaba introduced Malawi's political and
economic situations, saying that his visit is another important step in Malawi's
efforts to further develop friendly relations with China. Malawi President Bingu
Wa Mutharika paid a seven-day visit to China between March 24 to 30.

Ntaba spoke highly of China's economic development,
stressing that DPP would strengthen exchanges with the CPC in various fields and
at all levels, in a bid to consolidate the relationship between the two
countries.

China and Malawi established diplomatic ties on Dec. 28, 2007.

Malawi leader impressed by Zimbabwe

Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika
has praised the world for leaving everything in the hands of Zimbabwe
people themselves to chose what is good for them.

He
extended that he has no doubt the people will love what they would get
out of the elections, end the quarrels and get down to work.

Mutharika
was speaking on situation in Zimbabwe elections saying, people of
Zimbabwe themselves have all it takes to unmake or make their country.
He said he shares the idea that, external forces could not work in
situations like that of Zimbabwe. The president was impressed that the
region succeeded in giving Zimbabwe citizens freedom to chose what they
want.

He made the statement answering questions from
journalists in Lilongwe, when he held a jolly interaction with members
of the media.

Mutharika made the statement days after his return
from China, saying he is impressed with the spirit of Zimbabweans by
holding on to peaceful means during the emotional electoral process.

He
said such conduct is enviable because it provides model to the rest of
Africa that violence will never build the beautiful continent of
Africa, rather would only ravage its rich potentials.

"Interfering
in Zimbabwe scenario could have just made things worse that they were
but I am impressed that no external force was applied and citizens have
been given full opportunity to do what they want," he said.

Mutharika
said he was impressed with the peace that characterized the electoral
process when some international observers were fearing for crises
similar to that of Kenya.

Ex-NDA members divide UDF

by NATION REPORTER
(4/6/2008)

Some
national executive members of the United Democratic Front (UDF) have
described accommodation of former members of the defunct National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) into the party by national chairman Bakili
Muluzi as a big mistake that is posing a threat to the party since the
members tried to kill UDF in 1999.

The Nec members say Muluzi is blind to give such members key party
positions like that of national organising secretary headed by former
NDA president Brown Mpinganjira, deputy secretary general headed by
another former NDA member Hophmally Makande and national working
committee under Harry Thomson.

Makande refused to comment on the matter saying it centred around
him. Mpinganjira also refused to be drawn into an argument but pointed
out to what he felt was a successful performance during his previous
stint in his current position.

The divisions in the party have caused Vice President Cassim
Chilumpha and other Nec members-Rashid Nembo, Yusuf Matumula, Sam Mpasu
and other Eastern Region members of the party to break away from it and
face Muluzi at the convention under the veep’s leadership.

Spokesperson of the Chilumpha camp, Sam Mpasu who was publicity
secretary of the entire party before the division, said in an exclusive
interview on Wednesday it is a big mistake for the party to have at its
helm Mpinganjira, Thomson and Makande whom he described as foreigners
because they have an agenda to promote interests of the defunct NDA by
among other things taking over constituencies manned by UDF MPs.

"And many MPs have to look over their shoulders because some have
ex-NDA competitors coming out very soon against them because the
national organising secretary (Mpinganjira) who was there before and
used that position for personal agenda is doing the same thing again,"
said Mpasu.

Mpasu said UDF had disastrous primary election results in 1999 when
Mpinganjira was national organising secretary in the sense that all
those that were deemed to be his boys were completely undermined by
independents and lost the primaries like Joseph Kubwalo, Edda Chitalo
and George Biliati.

As a result, he said, UDF had a major crisis very early in Muluzi’s
second term which oiled up to a situation where Mpinganjira thought had
sufficient numbers in UDF and could break away and shake Muluzi.

More defections followed, he said, which saw the formation of parties like Petra and Mafunde.

"And some time last year Mpinganjira found himself national
organising secretary again. People wondered how on earth Muluzi could
repeat that mistake when he knows Mpinganjira was a member of a party
that wanted to destroy UDF," he said.

Some of the constituents said to have former NDA challengers are
Zomba Chingale, Mangochi South West, Zomba Lisanjala and Chiradzulu
South East.

"And when he dissolved NDA he brought some of his lieutenants to the
party and there is perception in UDF that just as United Party (UP) was
feared to be taking over UDF when President Bingu wa Mutharika came,
now it is NDA taking over UDF because there are key positions in UDF
manned by ex-NDA people," claimed Mpasu.

Mpasu said there are situations in UDF where some loyal members are
being demoted, removed from regional committees and promoted to Nec
where they will be useless and being replaced by former NDA people at
regional level. He could not give names.

"So, many people in UDF are saying, no, Muluzi is selling the party
again and that is why even Mr. Nembo had to address the gathering at
Zomba like that," he said.

But Mpinganjira said: "It is nice that Mr. Mpasu refers to 1999. As
national organising secretary in 1999, I produced the highest number of
MPs in the history of UDF which has never been repeated."

Asked further questions, Mpinganjira only added: "I am fairly busy
helping Atcheya building the party. I do not want waste time with
unnecessary arguments that will not build the party or the nation."

UDF director of research Humphrey Mvula described Mpasu’s comments
as unfair. He said Mpinganjira, Thomson and Makande were elected at Nec
meetings after the positions fell vacant.

"It would be unfair now to be questioning how these people went into
such positions. Mpinganjira and Thomson and were part of the founding
members of the party and they have come back to their party. It would
be naive for us to look at them as belonging to NDA," Mvula said.

On whether UDF has a policy on who should be a member, the
slow-talking Mvula said the party allows any member that agrees and
abides by objectives, values, policies and democratic principles that
UDF subscribes to. The three, he said, are full members of the party
since they de-registered NDA in 2004.

Political analyst at Chancellor College Mustapha Hussein said
Mpinganjira would not do anything to resuscitate NDA since it was
de-registered.

He said: "NDA was a breakaway of UDF due to the third term issue.
Mpinganjira and other core members were founders of UDF and having gone
back to UDF they are bona fide members."

Another commentator Justin Dzonzi who is chairperson of Human Rights
Consultative Committee and also a lawyer called on UDF to draw lessons
from the 2004 general elections where it performed badly in
parliamentary elections because Muluzi imposed many candidates on the
electorate.

But Dzonzi said UDF cannot support all its loyalists especially those the party knows cannot win.

"Speaking at party level, UDF should do everything to protect those
that have been loyal to the party. However, political realities are
that some loyalists cannot win and so the party should find way to
survive," he said.

However, he said the going back to UDF of former NDA members is good for democracy which Malawians chose in 1993.

Two UDF nec members Yusuf Matumula and Rashid Nembo told a secret
UDF meeting in Zomba last week Thursday that some nec members are not
happy with Muluzi who they said is fielding ex NDA members as shadow
MPs even in constituencies where the incumbent MPs are loyal to the
party.

Bingu invites challengers

by NATION REPORTER
(4/6/2008)

President
Bingu wa Mutharika on Friday said his Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) candidacy in next year’s presidential elections is not automatic.
He said the position will be open for contention when the party goes
for its convention anytime soon.

Addressing journalists during what he termed Presidential Chat with
the Press, Mutharika said the DPP was not under pressure to hold a
convention and it will hold one whenever the party is ready.

"It is not only the position of running mate that we will be
considering even myself I just expressed interest but everyone is free
to contest with me. If you will win and become the candidate I will
support you and if I win you should support me as well," said
Mutharika, answering a question on who would be his running-mate at the
polls..

Mutharika also said as State President he is ready to serve only his
maximum two terms and thereafter he would retire to pave way for
another leader to continue with the development of the country from
where he would stop in 2014.

"Next year I intend to stand again but after that you will not hear
of me amending the constitution to continue ruling, no. After my second
term I will retire and keep quiet," he said.

Asked what would be his next destination after retirement Mutharika,
who was in a different mood from Monday when he lambasted journalists
for asking him questions which he said were outside his successful
Beijing trip, said: "I will buy a locking chair, sit for six months and
then I will tell you my plans."

He likened the presidency to a relay race whereby he said the baton
stick has to be handed over after every 10 years if a country is to
move on with development.

"Malawi is not a personal farm or business. I am here on trust.
Every leader should have it in mind that this is not my property. As an
incumbent you have to develop the country up to where your friend will
pick it from. What is important is that every development should not
slide backwards," he said.

On the relationship between his government and opposition, Mutharika
said he has always been open for dialogue but the problem was that the
two sides have always failed to agree on the agenda of the dialogue.

He said if an agenda for the dialogue is established he is ready to have talks with the opposition.

Mutharika, however, said it was a lie that he sent Minister of
Industry, Trade and Private Sector Henry Mussa to meet Muluzi to
discuss a possibility of the two working together in the 2009 general
elections.

"If Mussa went to see Muluzi that I can not say because what happens after 6.00 pm nobody knows," he said.

Mutharika also bashed Muluzi for his insistence that the country’s economy has gone down unlike when he was in power.

The President, who took over from Muluzi in 2004 poured scorn on his predecessor’s economic credentials.

"I think the two of us come from different economic schools," said
Mutharika, who holds a doctorate qualification in economics and has
worked in various positions in the economic field both locally and
internationally.

He said even some villagers would know and understand the economics
of prices better than ‘some heads of state’ saying there are certain
things such as fuel prices and international economic developments that
contribute to price increases and Malawi, as a country, has no control
over such factors.

Mutharika said unfortunately with liberalisation it is impossible to
have control over prices but added that as government it is watching
and would act if there is too much profiteering.

He also said government was working on plans on how minibus prices,
which is also currently a thorny issue, are reduced to a level where
Malawians would not be burdened.

On this year’s farm input programme Mutharika, who is also the
Minister of Agriculture admitted that the programme had several
implementation problems, including corruption and mistakes which he
said some emanated from his ministry.

He, however, maintained that the programme would go on using the coupons system.

"We indeed noticed that there was a lot of corruption with the
coupons but is there is no better alternative. This year I can assure
you there would be no theft of coupons," said Mutharika.

He added: "Subsidy goes beyond subsistence farming but it is not
meant for commercial farmers. Those talking about universal subsidy are
not living on this earth. No government anywhere can afford that. It
will still be targeted but this year we will do it better."

He said although the MCP and the UDF have been talking of clubs the
system also already failed in the past and that the use of clubs would
mean that distribution of the subsidy would be dominated by politicians
depending on a political party which is strong in an area.

Commenting on this year’s budget Mutharika said Malawians should
expect another development budget which he said would ensure continuity
of the economic growth which he said Malawi has attained since 2006.

On food security Mutharika maintained that he believes that although
the country experienced floods and other disasters this year the
country would experience another surplus.

He, however, blamed private traders who he said create artificial
shortages by buying the maize and stockpile it in neighbouring
countries of Zambia and Tanzania with the aim of selling back to Malawi.

Mutharika also condemned the political violence in Machinga and Blantyre.

Commenting of the media role in the violence Mutharika quashed
complaints against two state controlled MBC and TVM that there were not
covering the opposition saying what did the opposition expect when it
denied funding to the two institutions.

"In fact there was no need to deny the two the funding, there could
have been dialogue. In future they would not be stupid to deny MBC and
TVM funding because actually this is April and we are going to the next
budget the two are still operating. What have they achieved?" said
Mutharika.

Mutharika also said due to lack of funds the country will not hold
local government elections in 2009 since he said it is not only the
funding for the polls which will be needed but also money for the
allowances and salaries of the elected councillors.

He also said there will be a lot to be put into the elections, such
as capacity and civic education if the country will have two elections
at once.

"Do you want me to stop all the projects, schools, roads to have the money to give to the councillors?" said Mutharika.

Dashed hopes at metro shop, no whiskies, bicycles

BY EDWARD CHISAMBO

16:30:46 - 04 April 2008



The
Metro shop in Blantyre was closed at 3 pm as Professor Bisankoni drove
by on his way to Club 007 in Chirimba. To cure his curiosity as to why
such a prominent shop was not open, Bisankoni asked a few minibus
drivers who were trespassing on Glyn Jones Road and he got the answer
that former president and United Democratic Front chair Bakili Muluzi
had left a blank cheque with the managers for all customers to get two
loaves of bread, two packets of sugar and a bottle of cooking oil.
Alas! No whisky anywhere.



Initially Muluzi had stealthily sent word to Blantyre’s central
business district that he would be splurging at the Metro shop as part
of his crusade to show Malawians that he is a caring and generous
leader who would like to share his proceeds with everyone. The result
was that most vendors abandoned their businesses where they could have
possibly made much more money than Muluzi’s windfall and rushed to
Metro.



Bisankoni heard that by the time the BCA hill benefactor arrived at the
departmental store, the bogus customers had selected bicycles,
mattresses and sewing machines, the cost of which must have frightened
even the most generous campaigner for state presidency.



Clever Muluzi quickly moved into gear telling the beneficiaries what to
buy and by then they had already lost business at their stalls.



Bisankoni remembered that it was not the first time that vendors had
been lead to a wild goose chase by the UDF national chair. Last week he
had a meeting at Lirangwe and as usual his supporters lined the 20-plus
kilometre route from Blantyre City anticipating handouts in the form of
K50s. The wily chair just drove past Lunzu where Bisankoni was having a
drink with a Maybach 62 at Nansegwe Lodge. In no time a message reached
the dejected supporters that the chair was throwing around money at
Matindi a K70-plus trip from Lunzu by minibus. So the gullible vendors
were chasing K50 by paying K20 more.



Back to Metro the professor thought that if Muluzi wanted to buy food
for the hungry vendors he should have included at least whiskies or
brandies on his shopping list. Generosity, according to Bisankoni, does
not end with giving people breakfast as they also need lunch and supper.


Looking at the whole handouts scenario critically, it is a
deceptive way of acquiring the support of the helpless poor. Muluzi
should be devising ways of assuring people that they will permanently
have food on the table. Bisankoni thought giving out alcohol would be
more appropriate since that ends with a hangover and at owner’s risk at
that.