Centre For Social Concern Kanengo Malawi/ revue de Presse

The month of April witnessed the first sitting of parliament this year. It took more than eight months for this sitting to be held. Among other things members in the house discussed president Bingu wa Mutharika's speech, his state of the nation address. Mutharika spoke at length about many issues including the purchase of maize to feed the starving masses when Malawi was facing the food shortage. However some opposition parties in the national assembly described the president's state of the nation address as empty. It remains unclear what they meant when they described the president's speech as empty.

Reports have shown that some political leaders have questioned the status of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a ruling party. Some opposition leaders feel the DPP does not deserve to be the ruling party because nobody voted for it during the 2004 general elections. Some analysts have questioned the reason why the DPP, which is only some months old in the country, should be the ruling party when nobody voted for it. It is like the DPP became a ruling party through the back door. This is not going down well with the United Democratic Front (UDF) gurus who feel cheated. Early in the month under review the DPP announced that it has the support of more than 70 members of parliament the majority of them being the MPs who crossed the floor.

Although some people mainly constituents voiced their concern to reintroduce the Recall Provision in the constitution some experts have said the opposite. The press revealed that the views of the parliamentarians themselves are against this and have overwhelmingly said no to such a proposal. Political analysts shared the same sentiments with the members of parliament. They have observed that the 5 years that are set for an MP to complete his term are enough for the citizens in the constituencies to vote for a person to represent them again in the National Assembly. Therefore if people are not happy with their legislator they can always vote for somebody else after 5 years.

There seems to be some controversy surrounding the construction of the much talked Karonga-Chitipa road. The issue has triggered some tension among politicians and the inhabitants of Chitipa. The people from Chitipa feel cheated because it is taking a lot of time for government to start the construction of the road despite the president's promise to build the road for the people in the area. Now that the construction of the road is taking a lot of time to start the people in the area have lost their patience. Against this background some people in the areas have asked their members of parliament to dump government because of the delays.

Media reports on politics in the month under review centred on the sitting of parliament. Unlike the last sitting of parliament that was marred by boycotts from both sides of the house, this month's has been described as peaceful. It seems that there has been sanity in the house with deliberations flowing smoothly. In the same manner the members of the house passed the president's speech. The opposition UDF announced that they had done this because the speech was full of reconciliatory messages. The MPs reaction over the president's speech is

As the relationship between president Mutharika and his Vice Cassim Chilumpha continues to worsen the UDF has sought some external intervention. The Press this month disclosed that the party had written the African Union (AU) to intervene in the situation. This has come after efforts from various sectors of the country tried their best to make the two meet and sort out their differences. A number of organisations including some religious groups also added their weight in trying to solve the problems. Now it seems the problem is far too big to be solved domestically and needs intervention from beyond the borders. The AU mission will be coming in the country for a fact-finding mission.

Just at the end of the month Malawians got the wind that police arrested the Veep during a night raid on treason charges. The press revealed that Chilumpha was conspiring with friends to kill state president Bingu wa Mutharika. Reports have alleged that Chilumpha had hired an assassin from abroad to do the killing. However some UDF gurus have described the arrest as government's plot to destroy Chilumpha's political career. On the other hand government insists that there is a lot of evidence on the issue and that the would be assassin is also ready to testify.

Press reports in the month under review disclose that Malawi's economy in the past 10 years was in shambles because of handouts. It has been proved that many people did not want to work hard and earn their own money. The spirit of receiving instead of working was instilled in many people's minds as a result of hand outs. Still on the same issue money that was used in the handouts left people wondering whether it came from government or from the politicians themselves..

The country's economy has gone down in the 2005/2006 fiscal year as compared to the previous fiscal year. According to the observation by some economic experts Malawi's economy faced many hitches because of the food shortage. A lot of money was spent on the purchase of maize to feed the starving masses. The food shortage that the country faced forced government to import maize from some countries to help some people in hunger prone areas.

Barely some months after increasing the allowances of cabinet ministers and their deputies, government announced that it intends to trim the increments. This decision comes amid reports of criticism from civil society organisations. The organisations felt the increments were not justified. The recent announcement has been commended by the organisations who feel such a gesture shows that the current administration is really serious about maintaining fiscal discipline. This is a sign of maturity on government's part as people will now believe them if they say they want to put the economy back on track by reducing overspending. On a similar note the members of parliament announced a proposal to have their salary increased. They claim the raise would help effective functioning of the National Assembly. The MPs who are already getting large amounts of money look forward to having their salaries increased when some other sectors of government are grossly under paid.

The opposition this month commended the Mutharika administration over its fiscal discipline and the resumption of IMF programmes in the country. Friday Jumbe who is UDF's spokesperson on finance praised government for trying its best in minimising expenditures. Such praise coming from the opposition is something that government needs to take with pride. Now government needs to work extra hard to gain some more donor confidence for the good of the country.

There has been some shocking news in the press concerning the availability of forex in the country. At the time the sales of tobacco started at the Auction Floors there was a sigh of relief among farmers and the country as a whole. But all of a sudden there was an announcement that the money that has been made out of the sales so far will be used for settling the debt that was incurred importing goods from other countries. This will mean that there will be less money in circulation and there might be no changes in the prices of goods. The result will be that some Malawians will find it tough to cope with life.

As people are now harvesting their crops, mainly maize, press reports have revealed that some areas will have more maize than others. This follows the rainfall pattern that saw some areas with adequate rainfall while others had none at all. Now the people that have plenty of the grain will be selling it for monetary gains. At such a time farmers sell their produce at very low prices to traders who later on sell it back to the same farmers at a very high price. It is against this background that the ministry of Agriculture is reminding the farmers to keep enough maize to cover their families needs. Experience has shown that most farmers sell off their produce and end up starving.

Although many people have harvested their crops and are ready for sale reports have revealed that the grain marketer ADMARC does not yet have funds for the purchase of the maize from the farmers. This situation puts some farmers in an awkward situation as they had all the expectation that they were going to sell their produce. However late in the month the ministry of Agriculture announced that government has put aside K 2.5 billion for ADMARC to use in the purchase of maize and other crops from farmers. This news came at the right time after the body had reported having no funds. Although such reports came in beginning of the month it has been found out the ADMARC depots have not yet been given their allocation for the purchase of farm produces from farmers. According to the Malawi Economic Justice Network MEJN this puts Malawi at a risk of not achieving food security. The Centre For Social Concern, in its basic needs basket, points out that government must put alternative sources of cash in place, if farmers are to be stopped selling all their crop at rock bottom prices. Money for work is suggested as the alternative.

In a bid to attain food security for Malawi legislators in their recent sitting of parliament approved $40 million grant for irrigation. Much has been said about making hunger a story of the past among Malawians but very little has been done. Malawi according to experts has rich soils and plenty of water and what remains is just the facilities to help even the poorest farmers use the natural resources available to the maximum. Now with such a grant farmers can be rest assured of high agricultural production. In the end Malawians could have enough food throughout the year.

Press reports in the month under review have disclosed that there is need for a change of attitude towards farming practices. The Taiwanese ambassador James Chuang this month gave advice to Malawi farmers to avoid relying on maize alone as their main crop. This advice comes after months of food shortage after failed rains in the 2005 season. Following such food shortages Malawi should learn a lesson to find some other means of using the available natural resources like good soil and water to the fullest by planting fruits like mangoes and citrus fruits and alternative crops.

Although Malawians expected to have more than 2.5 million metric tonnes of maize the main food crop, this year recent press reports come with another story. In spite of having good rains and farm in puts at reduced prices; some areas did not have high yields because of other reason. Some areas experienced floods and had all their crops washed away and others were faced with drought. All this contributed to low yields in these areas. With this scenario, Malawi is expected to have a drop of about 150,000 metric tonnes from the previously estimated maize yields. Instead of having 2.5 million metric tonnes it will have 2.35 million tonnes.

The civil society advised government to learn from the hunger situation that Malawi experienced in the early months of this year. This advice comes amid reports of Treasury spending a lot of money to combat the food crisis. They show that government spent much money in buying inputs like fertilizer and at the same time a lot of money was also used in the purchase of the grain to feed the 4.6 million Malawians touched by the famine. The civil society organisations say it would be wise if some funds were used for other crops so that when maize failed people have alternative sources of food.

With the sitting of the National Assembly in the month under review, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) has revealed that most Members of Parliament do not consult their constituents either before or after the sitting of parliament. A survey CCJP conducted revealed that most decisions that MPS make are their own thinking. Although some got some advice during their campaigns, when it comes to issues that they present in the house they do it for their own benefit. However the MPs themselves have refuted such allegations saying at times they are found in their constituencies.

Some civil society organisations reacted by condemning government for the announcement it made that it was going to name Midima Road after Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. Press reports disclosed that government confirmed that Mugabe would be coming to Malawi and that he was to have the honour of opening the Midima Road and have his name bestowed on the road. However civil society groups have shown reservations over the idea of having Mugabe coming to Malawi when other countries are shunning him. Some have even promised to stage demonstrations during his visit. Others have said the coming of the Zimbabwean leader will also make some donors who are not in good terms with him think twice about Malawi. To settle the controversy government has assured Malawians that naming the road after Mugabe and his visit have no implications on the donor community as the Midima road was solely funded by the Malawi government.

In a very strange development the press disclosed that the concerned NGO's who made a lot of noise about the impending visit of Robert Mugabe backtracked on their earlier stand. This came to some people as a shock because barely some days earlier the NGO's were vocal about their disapproval of Mugabe's visit. After the State president held a meeting with the concerned organisations, they have made a u turn and are now supporting the visit. However some like the Forum for the Defence of Democracy (FDC) have vowed to protest during the visit.

With the increasing crime rate, some people have suggested that the death penalty should be reintroduced. The percentage at which crime rate is increasing daily has moved some people to argue that it is only capital punishment that will help ease the crime rate. On the other hand some like the Director of Public Prosecution DPP Ishmael Wadi and a women activist Dr Vera Chirwa have condemned such a proposal. They say that killing of a person is inhuman and as such should be abolished. The two suggested that if anything offenders should be put on life sentences. In general the Catholic Church agrees with this point of view.

Malawians got the shock of their lives when the press revealed that some businessmen were caught with human parts in broad daylight. The press has frequently covered the business in human parts that in the past was never heard of. The fact that life is becoming more expensive has made some people venturing in illegal business. What is more worrisome is that the people involved resort to killing their victims when performing their operation. It is indeed worrisome because Malawi used to be a peaceful country once and now its people are living in fear. It has become very difficult to believe and trust any person you meet because one never knows who exactly can do what.

Press reports in the month under review disclosed government's warning about discrimination among employers. The Ministry of Labour noted with great concern the tendency of employing foreigners while locals with the same qualifications are available. This came to the ministry's attention after reports indicated that some Malawians are finding it hard to find employment because a number of employers have resorted to employing foreigners who are not qualified to fill such positions.

The consumer rights body Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) disclosed that there is need for competition among service providers. CAMA noted with great concern that consumers pay dearly because companies offering such services do not have competition. The announcement came after the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM) announced a raise in its tariffs of 10%. This announcement comes at a time Malawians are struggling to make ends meet because of the ever increasing prices of goods and services. Most people are still living below the poverty line and such an increase is too much for such people. As the kwacha is devaluating the poor Malawian is on the receiving end. But the question is how to promote this kind of competition?

The issue of street vendors this month enjoyed plenty of press coverage unlike any other months. Government finally managed to clear the streets of the three main cities and most districts. Despite the misunderstandings that arose from the whole exercise the vendors have finally left the streets and are now relocating at their new premises. While some quarters of the society have commended the exercise, others have shown reservations. Now that the streets are clear the cleanliness of the pavements will be seen and there might be good sanitation. On the other hand some people think the vendors should have been left in the streets because the exercise has disturbed their business and livelihoods, as it was their only source of income.

In the month under review the issue of good water resources among township dwellers was also covered. Press reports revealed that some residents in Blantyre townships have developed a tendency of building toilets on top of water pipes. This came in the limelight when some Ndirande residents complained of having contaminated water because of leakage of waste matters into water pipes. Such water is a health hazard to the people that would drink it .Now the Blantyre Water Board issued a press release that warned people against such practices.

The current economic situation has not only affected the finance sector but the education sector as well. The existing high exchange rates have made it difficult for some students who pay their examination fees in United States Dollars and British pounds. Now that the kwacha has continuously lost its strength against some strong currencies students have to dig deeper in their pockets to pay for international examination fees. The economic situation puts students in a very awkward situation because some who may not afford such high rates might just decide not to sit for the examinations.

There have been many things that have contributed to the continuing dwindling of education standards. A lot has been said but it remains crystal clear that education is no longer what it used to be some time back. One of the things that might have greatly contributed to the low standards of education is the fact that students are at times taught by underqualified teachers. There have also been cases of teachers who do not do their work wholeheartedly because they are not motivated. Certainly they lose their morale, as their achievements are not appreciated in the form of job promotions and salary increases. To add to it all there are times teachers receive their salaries very late in the month and this puts them off, as they have to live on borrowed money.

The education ministry this month expressed concern over what some school authorities do admitting more students to their schools. This practice has resulted in many schools failing to manage their resources because of the many students that have to scramble for the minimal resources. It has also proved to be very difficult for schools to manage such students because they are not budgeted for. According to chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Education Steven Malamba the additional students are illegal and the ministry does not recognise them.

The month's coverage on education also revealed the worries of some teachers who are doing their Diploma courses at Chancellor College. The students who are on a two-year programme feel the ministry is deceiving them by not telling them the conditions of their programme. Now the students are in a fix because they have no idea of what is to become of their future. Despite all the efforts the students have taken to make sure that they are aware of what the ministry will do for them, it is only after the ministry has informed them that they will be assured of what is to befall them.

As Malawi joined the whole world in commemorating World Health Day findings have revealed that the country has suffered heavily from brain drain. Although Malawi has produced some medical personnel a good number of them have left the country in search of greener pastures. Some have left the country to work in Western countries as others have resorted to working in private hospitals. But then the majority of Malawians need the services of these doctors and nurses to attend to them. Being a poor country most citizens cannot afford private doctors hence the need to have recourse to government hospitals.

Reports have revealed that there is yet another drug on the local market that is alleged to help boost the CD count of Aids patients. This revelation comes against a background of a number of people who came on the scene and claimed to have a cure for AIDS. As has always been the case people flocked to such concoctions to try their luck. This time around somebody is claiming to have a drug called Malawix that is believed to help in boosting one's immune system. However the Malawi government has brushed aside such claims as the Malawi Poisons Board has not cleared the drug. Despite getting certified, the drug from the Herbalists Association of Malawi the ministry still does not recognise Malawix.

In the midst of the multimillion-drug scandal involving businessman Hassan Goba press reports have disclosed that there have also been some others caught with similar crimes. The capture of Goba and his accomplices acted as a wake up call to the ministry as now some more people have been caught doing the same businesses. Police mounted a search in some districts, which resulted in some people being caught including women. It seems there is something wrong with the system of allocating drugs form the medical stores..

This month Malawi joined the rest of Africa in commemorating Malaria Day. Records have shown that last year hospitals recorded 5 million malaria out patients. These are only the recorded cases but there could be more that went unnoticed. Although there have been times when hospitals have campaigned for people to sleep in treated nets, cases of Malaria have continued to surface. There have been times when expectant women and Under Five clinics sell the treated nets at a reduced price but it seems many people still do not have access to the nets.

Press coverage in the month under review also disclosed that in some cases Malaria is becoming resistant to SP. For the past years many people would be given Fansidar SP and got cured. Of late press reports have shown that malaria is now resistant to SP hence the need for a replacement. The ministry of health noted with great concern the use of a new drug called Arinate. It has been noted that some medical practitioners are using the drug to treat the ailment. According to the ministry the medicine drug is not supposed to be given to patients as a single drug as it leads to malaria parasites being resistant to it.

On the environment reports have disclosed that waste dumping is becoming an eyesore in some cities. It seems people throw away waste without thinking of what impact such waste has on the environment. City markets produce such wastes almost on a daily basis and this situation has forced authorities to find some other ways of putting waste to good use. To improve the cleanliness of the city the Blantyre City Assembly embarked on a manure making exercise. They use the waste in making manure, which they apply in flowerbeds in the city. Reports have disclosed that it is not only the city officials that are doing the project but some women in other townships are doing the same.

The exercise of removing vendors from the streets to the flea markets in the month under review proved that Malawi cities have very few toilets. Vendors are now settling in their new trading areas but the worry is on the shortage of toilets. When the business people were doing the trade in the streets there was cry for sanitation as trees were being used as urinals. The smells from the streets was bad and this was dangerous for the environment and health. Now that the vendors are in their new places there is need for more toilets if sanitation in the cities is to change for the better.

Wild life is one of things that adds colour to our environment. But recent press reports have shown that Malawi could lose its beautiful animals if people continue to poach. Recent reports have shown that Malawi's game is becoming prey for businessmen in many districts. Some people kill animals for their meat, skins and hooves for sale. Against this background government this month complained about the wanton killing of wild animals. It has become common knowledge that once these people are caught they receive lenient sentences.

Press reports on the environment also disclosed some hazardous things that degrade the environment. The sight of broken sewers has now become a daily occurrence in the cities. This could be because the pipes are so old and have now been overused. At the same time the capacity of the sewers is now over their limits because of too many people in the cities. This means that the ever increasing numbers of people use the same old facilities that were meant for few and the sewers have a lot of pressure and end up bursting. Now people in surrounding areas have to do with polluted air because of broken sewers. It is high time city authorities thought of having new sewers that would hold the current pressure of our population.

The issues of gender-based violence seem to receive more press coverage in recent times as compared to some years ago. While some areas are leading in the malpractice other cases remain unreported because the people involved do not talk about it. Some would rather suffer in silence than embarrass their spouses. Of late the press reported a series of gender based violence cases. The southern region is leading in such cases. It is against this background that some religious groups advised women to be independent. According to the church this is one of the ways that could end the escalating cases of gender-based violence.

Still on the same issue others have noted that early marriages have also contributed to the increase in domestic violence cases. For many people who got married young they fail to know their rights as husband or wife. At the same time they take their responsibilities as wife or husband casually. Some still find it hard to part with their youthful days when they could date more than two partners at the same time. With this sort of behaviour it becomes very difficult to maintain their homes financially as much of their time and money is wasted in partying.

Gender Minister Joyce Banda during the sitting of parliament this month met resistance from the opposition when she presented the domestic violence bill. Some opposition MPs felt the bill was not important, as domestic violence usually is a family issue. They also feared such a bill would put problems in families as it only targeted people in the urban areas. With this in mind such opposition MPs felt there was need for the bill to go to the legal affairs committee of parliament for further scrutiny. However this failed to convince some 93 legislators who voted against putting the bill to the committee.

As the cases of HIV/AIDS continues some experts have disclosed that many wives are at a higher risk of contracting the disease because of what our society believes in. Our culture has brought up married women not to refuse to their husband's demands in bed even if they are aware of his unfaithfulness. According to the chairperson of the committee of parliament on HIV/AIDS Mr Justin Malewezi, wives unlike prostitutes are considered to be at high risk of catching the deadly disease from their husbands. In view of this situation women need to break the silence and say no to men who sleep with strange women but expect a wife to remain quiet. On the other hand women need to start asking husbands to use condoms when they are in doubt about their movements.

Gender experts in the month have condemned the media for failing to involve women in their daily work. Janet Karim a gender activist noted that women are only covered in the press when they are victims and their photos are even shown. However the situation is not the same for men. When men commit a crime or they are victimised, it is very rare to find their photos accompanying the stories. Against this background the activists feel it is high time the media started promoting women in their coverage. There is need for more positive coverage about women issues.

Center for Social Concern (CFSC)
Box 40049 Lilongwe 4
Area 25
Next to St. Francis Parish
Tel: 01 715 632
jkuppens@malawi.net -