Seeing a vision

by Mzati Nkolokosa, 07 June 2006 - 06:53:15

The UDF was in the news again last week, hitting hard at President Bingu wa Mutharika saying he has not performed.
“President Mutharika has done absolutely nothing in two years,” says a press release from the party citing the mausoleum for first President Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda as Mutharika’s only achievement.
This analysis from UDF is understandable. The party sees a picture while Mutharika sees a vision. UDF is in typical politics while Mutharika is in statesmanship—at least he is going into that direction. This, as one brilliant pastor said recently, means UDF is thinking of next elections while Mutharika is thinking of the next generation—our children and their children for whom we live today.
Seeing a vision is one fundamental question of leadership Mutharika has got right. It was cloudy during the 2004 General Elections campaign but crystal clear on May 24 when Mutharika was sworn into office and spoke in new tongues; when he spoke of a vision for Malawi in a speech titled: “My vision for Malawi”.
“Let me start my speech this morning by outlining my vision for Malawi,” said Mutharika in a speech that lasted more than one hour.
The speech, hailed by critical thinkers, was the beginning of differences between UDF and Mutharika. The party wanted pictures, temporary benefits, something tangible while Mutharika spoke of a vision and he has remained focused on his vision.
But most Malawians, like UDF, see the physical picture and not the vision which brings hope. The reason is known. Hope is invisible. Hope that can be seen, according to Greek philosophy, is no hope at all.
This is why UDF is fond of reminding people of how former president Bakili Muluzi delivered free primary education within months of coming into power. People saw their children learn under trees and hoped that classrooms would be constructed. People saw their children being taught by boys and girls who had failed Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) and hoped that some day, there would be qualified teachers.
But that was not to be. Years later K187 million meant for construction of school blocks went into the pockets of contractors who did not build a single classroom. Years later a tree fell on pupils at Mkomachi Primary School in the Capital Lilongwe killing two.
Is this the free primary education UDF is talking about? It is true the enrolment doubled to a little over three million. But free primary was not the only reason. The main factor was that people were motivated to send children to school because for the first time, there was a national propaganda to show that education is important.
That propaganda could have been anything different from free primary education. People simply needed a motivation.
Mutharika has a vision for education. That is why the universities are being funded reasonably for the first time in years. That is why teacher training colleges are about to revert to old programmes lasting two years.
That is not all. The removal of minibus touts and vendors from townships and cities is a vision that must be dissected carefully. The country’s cities and townships have become cleaner than a year ago. The deeper one is that order and sanity have returned to Malawi.
There is another deeper meaning. Mutharika is saying do meaningful businesses from which government can tax you and provide social services in return.
Minibus-touting was a chaotic business yet well organised. Touting managers had plots in town. They had boys, too.
The managers didn’t report for duty at all but received proceeds everyday and, in return, paid the touts. Government made nothing from this business yet they expected the Blantyre City Assembly, for example, to provide them with water and public conveniences.
The challenge is now with the city and town assemblies to formalise the work of touts. It’s not that the boys have been chased but the assemblies can employ them to organise minibuses in a formal way, not the chaos of months ago.
The chasing of touts was also a message that people should go back to rural areas. This is an important message because Malawi has highest urbanisation rates in the region. Thousands are flocking to cities when they have nothing to do. Thousands more are leaving Malawi hoping for greener pastures in South Africa, Europe and the United States.
Mutharika has always been adamant that Malawi is not poor. By saying so he is sending a message that you can be productive here, even the rural areas.
Some people in the villages have been working hard and are successful. They have built good houses when you and me—white collar job holders—are blaming landlords for hiking rental.
Take the example of the many success stories the media has highlighted. Think of Nation Achievers 2005, the Chingale Integrated Farmers Association which has a K7 million revolving fund in bank.
These are people who don’t need Mardef loans because they are self-reliant. Yet they are in rural areas. Instead of vending in cities, people must own shops at Thyolo, Kamwendo or Bwengu, for example.
Mutharika is building a foundation for a better tomorrow. Sadly, not all Malawians are helping him, not even some Cabinet Ministers who are lazy and seek cheap media publicity. Muluzi built walls. Mutharika is attempting a huge task of building a foundation.
The challenge is that by starting from the beginning, by being a seer or prophet, Mutharika risks being misunderstood.
UDF wrote off Mutharika’s claims as if the President does not exist at all. No wonder Muluzi’s policies focused on the visible (pictures—classrooms and numbers) not visionary (the intellectual backbone and the intellectual foundation) which Mutharika is constructing.
If Mutharika pushes for more reforms and sticks to his vision despite prophets of doom, generations to come will, for sure, sit, speak, study and conclude that once Malawi had a leader, a statesman who took Malawi to its deserved destiny.
—Feedback:mzatinews@yahoo.com

A pastoral letter authored by Roman Catholic Bishops and read in all the churches in the country on Sunday says that Malawi has witnessed a new era of the rule of law, good governance, accountability and transparency among other positive developments.

Roman Catholic church hails Malawi Government's positive developments

The letter states that in the past governments have raised false hope among the general citizenry only to discover that leaders are later corrupted by power. “We seem to witness a new Malawi where food security, education and economic planning are given the attention they truly deserve,” reads the letter in part. The leaders acknowledged efforts by the government donor community and civil society groups for their timely response during the famine period that hit the country five months ago. Other areas that the letter has highlighted include Agriculture subsides, the need for a legislation on pricing and selling of essential commodities in order to protect producers especially the under privileged. Tree cutting and faithfulness and abstinence to fight the HIV/Aids Pandemic were issues also tackled.

Malawi economy to grow 8.4 pct in '06 - finmin

Tue Jun 6, 2006 11:17 AM GMT

BLANTYRE (Reuters) - Malawi's finance minister said on Tuesday economic growth should pass the eight percent mark this year after good rains raised the prospect of better crop harvests in a country heavily dependent on agriculture.

Goodall Gondwe also told Reuters the annual inflation rate was expected to drop to 10.4 percent in 2006 from over 15 percent last year. He made his brief comments ahead of the unveiling of the 2006/07 budget in parliament next week.

"In 2006, real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is expected to grow by 8.4 percent on account of the anticipated bumper harvest due to good rains and the successful fertilizer and maize subsidy introduced last year," Gondwe told Reuters.

Growth last year was a sluggish 2.1 percent in the southern African nation of around 12.5 million which is one of the poorest countries in the world. It was hard hit by a scorching drought that left around 5 million in need of food aid.

According to the World Bank, agriculture accounts for 45 percent of Malawi's GDP, so any improvement on that score is bound to translate into faster growth.

The annual inflation rate was 16.1 percent in April and is seen falling because of increased supplies of staple foods such as maize.

Gondwe said his budget also aims to reduce expenditure to 28.7 percent of GDP in 2006/07 from 32.2 percent in 2005/06.

The budget is seen as key to increasing donor confidence as the country attempts to qualify for badly needed debt relief.

But it faces big political hurdles after threats from the opposition to torpedo it over a number of political disputes with President Bingu wa Mutharika. The opposition has a majority and so there is no guarantee that the budget will be passed.

-Reuters 2006

Saudi investors eye Malawi

June 6, 2006,

By ANDnetwork .com

The son to late Saudi Arabian King Prince Alwaheed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz-Saudi paid a brief state visit to Malawi over the weekend to investigate potential projects the business community from his oil rich country could venture into.

The Saudi Arabian prince and his entourage arrived at Kamuzu International Airport by a private Boeing 737 aircraft at about 14:30 and was welcomed by Malawi's Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe on behalf of President Bingu wa Mutharika. The prince and his 36-member delegation, mostly comprising the business community and journalists, visited the office of the president and cabinet and Capital Hill before proceeding to the New State House to meet Mutharika for talks on the country’s investment climate. “I have discussed with President Mutharika business opportunity investment climate favourable and useful to attract foreign investors to come to Malawi to start businesses,” said the prince, adding: “We have promised the president that we will study the projects that will attract business people from my country to come to Malawi to invest". The Saudi Arabian prince refused to mention projects the business people from his country could invest in saying the projects need to be evaluated first. “I have all members of the investment committees I formed to invest in Africa and in this case, Malawi. We need to evaluate the projects and come back to OPC in a very short time,” he said. Information and Tourism Minister Patricia Kaliati told the Malawi News Agency (Mana) in an interview that the two leaders also discussed the Shire-Zambezi Waterway Project and construction of a five-star hotel and conference centres in Lilongwe. “These are some of the projects President Mutharika told His Royal Highness the Prince of Saudi Arabia,” said Kaliati, adding that the prince has pledged to assist Malawi in many areas. “What they are looking forward to is to come and invest in Malawi. Government would grant them security,” said Kaliati. She said government has on her part pledged to provide tight security to the investors to ensure safety of their products. Nation Online

United States Praises Malawi, Morocco for Anti-Trafficking Gains

US State Department-Washington DC

Michelle Austein

Two African governments received praise for progress in fighting human trafficking and two countries were cited for doing enough in the State Department's 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report.

In its annual report to the U.S. Congress, released June 5, the State Department evaluated foreign governments' efforts to eliminate human trafficking. The report groups nations in one of four categories based on their efforts to control human trafficking, to prosecute those involved, and to support and assist victims of these crimes.

Governments that meet standards established in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 are placed in Tier 1. Tier 2 comprises countries that are demonstrating commitment to address their problems but have not yet achieved international standards. Tier 2 "Watch List" includes countries that show signs of falling backwards, while governments not making significant efforts to meet the standards are placed in Tier 3. (See related article.)

MALAWI, MOROCCO

Two Tier 1 countries, Malawi and Morocco, were praised for taking steps to prevent human trafficking in 2005.

Despite limited resources, Malawi made significant progress, particularly in the areas of prosecuting traffickers and educating the public to recognize human trafficking. Malawi, with support from international donors also produced and distributed 10,000 posters and 20,000 pamphlets to schools, welfare agencies, hospitals and youth clubs to educate the public about the issue.

Morocco fully complies with the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, according to the report. Its international anti-trafficking cooperation "reflects the government's strong commitment to addressing the trafficking problem," the report said.

In February, Moroccan officials dismantled a large international network that was trafficking and smuggling migrants from India. Seventy suspects, including a police officer, were arrested.

SUDAN, ZIMBABWE MUST IMPROVE ANTI-TRAFFICKING EFFORTS

Sudan and Zimbabwe - both Tier 3 countries -- were cited for not doing enough to fight human trafficking.

Even though Sudan demonstrated initial progress on a number of fronts, "most of these efforts were not sustained," the report said. During the country's recently ended civil war, adults and children were forced to join armed groups.

To improve its anti-trafficking efforts, the Sudanese government should take steps to provide protective services to all types of trafficking victims and remove child soldiers from armed groups.

Zimbabwe showed "little political will" to address its trafficking problem during the past year, the report said. Zimbabwean children are trafficked internally for forced agricultural labor, domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. Trafficked women and girls are lured out of the country by false job or scholarship promises.

To further its anti-trafficking efforts, the report said, Zimbabwe should improve anti-trafficking legislation and launch a broad public awareness campaign.

Algeria, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mauritania, South Africa, and Togo were among the countries listed on the reports Tier 2 "Watch List."