MALAWI PRESS REVIEW January 2004
From Centre For Social Concern (see our house)

PREVIEW

During the month of January, media reports on politics highlighted political events leading to the May 2004 General Elections as well as voter registration activities.

Media reports on the economy expressed concern that if left unchecked governments' growing appetite for borrowing would deepen the budget deficit and trigger inflation especially in view of irregular budgetary support.

In relation to food security, in the early months of January, media reports observed the looming fear of a possible famine due to the delay of normal rains. Critics also expressed the need for proper planning in matters of food security.

The Public Affairs Committee's role of leading coalition talks for opposition leaders once again sparked debate on the role of the church in politics.

Media reports on education expressed the need to improve the quality of education for both public and private school. It is also hoped that once passed, the revised Education Act would give more mandate to the education ministry to monitor education standards in private schools.

Media reports continued to highlight efforts taken by both government and civil society groups in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission as well as caring for orphans remain some of the major challenges in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

It is hoped that in the forthcoming elections, more women would contest for some of the top positions in politics in a quest to achieve 30 percent women's presence in parliament

POLITICS

During the month of January, media reports to a large extent focused on political events as well as voter registration activities in preparation for the May 2004 General elections.

Various stakeholders such as opposition parties kept a close look at the voter registration exercise in an attempt to ensure free and fair elections. Opposition parties were critical of incidents such as the missing of Electoral Commission (EC) cameras, which posed suspicion that the cameras may be used to institute a parallel registration exercise. Opposition parties were also suspicious of the census that UDF conducted on instruction from President Muluzi, fearing that the exercise could be one of the ruling party's ways of rigging the elections. However the UDF spokesman disputed the allegations, describing the exercise as a normal strategy that parties use to gauge their support. Registration of under-aged and foreigners was one challenge, which needed to be dealt with seriously to ensure that only eligible voters were registered.

Voter registration started with some hurdles. Clerks carrying out the exercise threatened to down their tools, saying the EC backtracked on its promise of K30000 pay and a lunch allowance of K1300 per day. This raises concerns that disgruntled workers may not perform their work properly. It was also reported that some registration materials, names and photographs were missing from the voters roll. The EC complained of incompetent stringers who were manipulated by political parties, tarnishing the image of the commission. Estate workers were reported reluctant to register, as they were unwilling to spare their time to register because they earn more money, when they work for longer hours. There is not doubt that such incidents are likely to discredit the election process.

Propaganda tactics and mudslinging in view of the elections were the order of the day, for instance, the distribution of free tapes containing a plot by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) officials to kill Catholic Bishops at St Montfort Parish.

The Resignation of first vice-president Justin Malewezi from the United Democratic Front (UDF) party only later to be chosen first Vice President for opposition party People's Progressive Movement (PPM) came as a surprise to the nation and points to a mood of distrust within the ruling party.

All the more, Malewezi's departure put President Muluzi in a predicament, as he could not exercise his constitutional right to appoint another first Vice-President since Malawi laws are silent on the issue. Political analysts feared that the vice president's decision to go on holiday and not to resign from his post will have a major impact on the functions of the executive as it created a governing crisis. This development also raised debate on what would happen if President Muluzi was incapacitated. Some critics have speculated that the move has strengthened the opposing PPM to a point where it stands a better chance of winning in the coming elections.

President Muluzi's castigation of Vice-President Justin Malewezi raised debates among Malawians most of whom were surprised at the President's lack of censorship in his public announcement. Among the string of insults was the announcement by the President that Malewezi takes 34 tablets each day, this pronouncement irked religious leaders as well as human rights groups.

Media reports focused on the negotiations by opposition parties to form a coalition government to oust the UDF/Aford alliance in the May elections. However, the much-touted coalition met with so many hitches and raised doubts as to whether it would actually meet its intended goal. On the day of signing MCP, NDA and MGODE refused to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) saying that they were not sure of their stand. It was also alleged that the parties that refused to sign would form a parallel alliance.

However, power struggle seems to be the main problem facing the coalition. The situation is rather problematic in that there are a total of 31 political parties with not less than ten individuals intending to run for Presidency. The coalition faces a lot of challenges and there is little doubt that its success depends on overcoming these hurdles. The main bone of contention was the mode of choosing the President. It was argued that ranking a leader of a big party such as the Malawi Congress Party at the same level with the leader of a newly formed party is rather problematic. Small parties have been accused of riding on the backs of the bigger parties.

Another bone of contention was that it is not clear whether the coalition is a merger or a common electoral group. All the more, the criteria for choosing the president which demands attributes such as 'a God fearing person', 'trusted in society and humility' and 'not power hungry' stands to face considerable criticism.

Media reports also highlighted a suggestion by some critics to introduce some minimum qualifications for politicians and the country president, saying that the country needs knowledgeable leaders who can articulate government policies. Indeed, there have been instances where an appeasement policy has been employed in the choosing of cabinet ministers to the effect that the calibre of some cabinet members leaves a lot to be desired. Similarly, there have been incidents where competent members have been dropped from the cabinet for questioning certain decisions. There were also concerns that some Members of Parliament with low qualifications were finding it difficult to contribute effectively in the making of parliamentary decision. However, deciding on the minimum qualifications may be rather problematic, for instance, proposing a first degree, as the minimum may be far-fetched judging by education standards in the country

ECONOMY

During the month of January, media reports on the economy expressed concern that if left unchecked governments' growing appetite for borrowing would deepen the budget deficit and trigger inflation especially in view of irregular budgetary support.

The recent hike in fuel prices is a good sign of the hard economic times to come. However, critics have deplored government's delay in announcing the recent fuel increase, a move that has in the process hurt consumers.

Media reports continued to express reservations that depositors are getting a raw deal because an interest rate of 15 per cent is not favourable when compared to the high cost of borrowing at around 35 per cent. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) has been persuaded to reduce its Liquidity Reserve Requirement to 10 per cent from the present level of 30 percent. The LRR is a fraction of commercial Bank's deposits with the Central Bank, which does not earn interest. It is hoped that such a move would raise depositors interest rate.

On a similar note, First Merchant Bank (FMB) has predicted that the Reserve Bank of Malawi is likely to find itself in a dilemma as the strength of the Kwacha is likely to decline owing to declining foreign reserves as a result of delays in further disbursements of aid by the country's donor.

Financial experts in the country have speculated that international donors who resumed budgetary support last October are likely to withhold the next aid packages until after the May 18 elections. This is due to the fact that IMF and other donors can then have the comfort of making agreements with a new administration with a five-year term. However, if proven right, this go-slow attitude would have a dire effect on the economy.

First Merchant Bank has argued that while receipt to World Bank funds K4.28 billion may result in marginal reduction in the Malawi Governments domestic debt stock, the gains in this area will be largely cancelled out by the increase in debt occasioned by the interest burden on existing debt stock.

The suggestion by Economic Planning Minister Bingu Wa Mutharika to halt all development projects that are not linked to the country's guiding document in the fight against poverty brings to mind the reality that most development projects in the country are either failing to meet their objectives or are not targeted on poverty reduction. It would therefore be proper to halt such non-priority projects to stop wastage of valuable resources on activities that have not helped the fight against poverty. However, critics have pointed out that the much-touted One Village One Product concept is in fact not part of Government economic development plan although it has solicited much government support.

A local economist has suggested that government should focus on developing local markets first in the implementation of the One Village One Product concept before it can venture into export trade. This seems to be a good idea as there is need to build the local market before embarking on exports.

The Tobacco Association of Malawi (Tama) expects higher volumes and quality tobacco this year than in 2003 following buyers' promises to growers that there will be better prices on the floor. Last year the Tobacco industry failed to increase the volumes of flue cured Tobacco to take advantage of the situation in Zimbabwe whose production dwindled to an all time low due to the land crisis in the country.

The much-touted Tourism Development Plan launched in February has not yet been implemented because there are no funds to execute it. The tourism industry is one of the four priority forex earners in the country.

Media reports also continued to feature the debate over the cons and pros of privatisation. Critics have argued that Privatisation has benefited foreigners at the expense of local people. The Gramil Company is one of the companies that have been recently privatised Research findings revealed that despite being the hub of Malawi's economy, Agriculture attracts less foreign investment than manufacturing. The current high investor interest in wholesale and retailing is crucial as it indicates growth of the informal sector especially in view of the fact that the economy is not creating adequate jobs. However, some economic experts have expressed concern that encouraging trading without production puts too much pressure on the exchange rate hence the need for government to regulate imports of certain products from time to time.

Research findings also revealed that the trend at the moment is that both domestic and foreign investors especially in manufacturing, wholesale and retail activities invest more in the Southern region shunning the North and the Centre. Generally, high interest and inflation rates, currency depreciation, corruption and poor infrastructure are some of the important factors attracting investors

FOOD SECURITY

Legal experts have condemned the registration of Admarc as a limited company by government before Parliament repealed the Act governing the corporation, saying that it is illegal and a sign of political dishonesty by the leadership. Meanwhile, there is debate on how to run the over 200 social markets taken off the shoulder of the commercialised Admarc, with some critics suggesting creating a trust to take over the social markets. This points to lack of planning, as government should have had a clear idea of how the social market would run before concluding the Admarc deal. It appears that the government was mainly interested in meeting donor conditionalities than assessing the needs of the public.

The beginning of the month of January started with looming fear of a possible famine due to failure of normal rains. Indeed, Government formed a crisis committee, which immediately stopped maize exports in preparation for possible famine. It was also feared that most of the free farm inputs which government distributed to 1.7 million families under the Targeted Input Programme (TIP) had gone to waste. There were reports that people in urban and rural areas started scrambling for maize, which was rarely found in Admarc depots. Surprisingly, it is not so long ago that the country had adequate maize and was finding it difficult to sell the excess maize in its grain reserve. At some point the National Food Reserve Agency offered 100,000 tonnes for sell to international companies.

It is from this background that the Minister of Economic Planning and Development Bingu Wa Mutharika deplored government's lack of planning and commitment in dealing with important issues such as food security. A case in point is the situation in 2001 where government sold much of its grain to Kenya despite warning of a poor season ahead. This is surprising since experience has shown that Malawi is prone to drought and dry spells.

Critics have argued that the country has resources to sustain itself in terms of food only that there is a lack of proper planning to boost the agricultural sector, thus, as Ross Herbert put it: 'Food security is a product of bad governance'. Perhaps the only way forward for the government would be to carry out aggressive research into high yielding drought resistant crops; integrated national and regional development of water resources, innovative extension programs and competitive marketing strategies.

On a positive note, the European Union is in the process of securing about K6 billion from the food security Budget Line for a three-year period to help Malawi fight against food insecurity. The fund would support the Strategic Grain Reserves as well as go towards providing nutritional support to vulnerable groups such as mothers and children and HIV/Aids affected people.

Media reports revealed the problem of shortage of livestock in Malawi. This has been blamed on theft and lack of legislation to identify and trace missing livestock back into their home. It is hoped that a livestock identification and registration system, which is being implemented, would help to curb livestock theft currently on the increase in many parts of the country. Furthermore, the identification system would also help reduce the spread of livestock diseases from one location to another

CIVIL SOCIETY AND CHURCHES

The government and other society groups such as the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation have criticized the way the church and some non-governmental organisations such as the Public Affairs Committee PAC have spearheaded the fight against the government in the forthcoming elections. PAC and its affiliates namely Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace CCJP and the Episcopal Conference of Malawi were on the brink of expulsion from Malawi Electoral Commission list of accredited NGO's for being partisan.

However, in response to the above accusations, The Religious bodies insisted that it is the role of the church to point out things when they are going wrong in order to ensure the betterment of the people. It is also believed that Christians in the country are in a better position to play the role of catalysts for change in order to influence the cadre of leadership in the country. Perhaps what is attracting much criticism is the fact that at present, it only appears as though the church is only working with the opposition leaving out the ruling party. However one may argue that this seems to be the case because the government is already in a privileged position. A case in point is government's unlimited access to Television and Radio broadcasting.

Civil society groups also kept a close eye on voter registration activities, pointing out some irregularities such as insufficient registration materials. The decision by the EC to allow people to register without being photographed angered non-governmental organisations that have described it as a ploy to rig the elections.

Private sector representatives expressed concern that prolonged blackouts and the rationing of power by the service provider Escom are negatively affecting their daily operations. It now appears as though Escom is taking consumers for granted having promised a long time ago that the electricity problem would be resolved for once and for all. All the more, the service provider is unable to compensate industry such as bakery owners for the massive losses made due to power failure.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE

There is growing concern over government's lack of proper control and regulatory measures in the supply of the dangerous pesticide known as Temik. This dangerous pesticide is readily available in the market and continues to be a leading cause of suicides in the country.

Media reports reveal that Mbelwa's district assembly stood her ground against privatisation of the 53,400 hectare Viphya forest plantation in Mzimba for the simple reason that the forest is the pride of the district. This is a commendable move as it reflects the importance of cultural pride and values in this modern age. There is little doubt that privatisation of such a local asset to foreigners should be viewed critically for it is likely to have far-reaching consequences. Some of the concerns raised were the fact that the plantation surrounds villages and villagers benefit from it in terms of mushrooms, honey, wood and herbs.

During the month of January, media reports highlighted the problem of reckless driving on the roads of Malawi especially on the part of local minibuses. Indeed it is now common knowledge that most drivers pay extra attention to minibus drivers on the road because they are always in a hurry, and in most cases drive carelessly. However, a critical assessment of the problem reveals that the onus is not entirely on the drivers but the minibus owners who set high cash return targets to be met by the drivers usually on unroadworthy vehicles. And of course on top of these targets the drivers and conductors try to make extra cash for themselves.

Media reports also highlighted the plight of orphans in our communities. In the absence of grandparents, it is now common to find young teenage girls bearing the responsibility of taking care of younger siblings. This burden is likely to force them to go into prostitution and drop out of school.

EDUCATION

There is growing concern over reports that some primary schools are sending back pupils for failing to pay for extra lessons that teachers are offering. This is a strange development considering that Primary school education is free and that extra lessons ought to be optional as some students would not afford the privilege. There is need for the Ministry of Education to look into the malpractice.

Inmates at Mzuzu Prison have complained that government is showing little interest to improve the education system at the prison, saying the trend is discouraging most inmates from enrolling with the prison school. Lack of teaching and learning materials breaks the link between the education system in prison and that of the outside world. However, as far as poor learning infrastructure is concerned, not all is rosy in most public and private schools. Recent spot checks revealed that toilets at most public primary schools in Lilongwe are a health hazard to pupils. School authorities have blamed the situation on lack of funds for maintenance.

Recent spot checks have revealed that most toilets at most public secondary and primary schools in Lilongwe are a health hazard to pupils. School authorities have blamed the situation on lack of funds for maintenance.

There is no doubt that the problem of poor quality education in the country has received a lot of media attention in the past months. From a distance one would think that poor quality only prevails in government schools, however, the reality on the ground is that private schools are just as bad, as a matter of fact, some of the minimum standards are virtually absent in most private schools. Nevertheless, once passed by Parliament, the revised Education Act which dates back to 1962 is expected to give more mandate to Education Ministry in taking stiff action against private schools deemed to be operating below the required standard.

In another development, the Teachers Union of Malawi has revealed that HIV/Aids pandemic is killing about 1,200 teachers annually from both primary and secondary schools, a situation that has contributed to low education standards. This revelation is all the more depressing in view of reports that there are a lot of cases where male teachers impregnate girl pupils and risk spreading HIV/AIDS in the process.

There is need for the Ministry of Education to clean up its dented image in order to regain the trust of stakeholders, and get on with its major challenge of reversing plummeting standards of education in the country. The past year saw the Ministry involved in major corruption cases such as that of ghost teachers. Similarly, the Ministry failed to give a breakdown of how they used the Highly Indebted poor Countries (HIPC) funds, including K600 million meant for learning and teaching materials in the budget two years ago.

The introduction of parallel programmes has been hailed as a step in the right direction in enabling more people to have access to tertiary education. Furthermore, it was hoped that the parallel programme would provide the university with the much-needed extra funds for running its operations. However, University students have criticized lack of planning in the establishment of the parallel programme, which have brought in problems such as insufficient accommodation facilities, overcrowding in classes and inadequate academic staff. It has also been argued that the amount of fees paid by parallel students does not meet the average cost needed to sustain the students throughout the year.

HEALTH

A recent study by Malawi Health Equity Network has revealed that Malawi is losing drugs to people from neighbouring countries who visit the country's health Centres in border districts for treatment. Consequently the few resources meant for Malawians are being shared with people from other countries. The problem is difficult to control due to lack of identity cards on the part of the Malawians.

Tuberculosis continues to be one of the major killers in the country's prisons. It was revealed that a total of 154 inmates died of Tuberculosis last year. Tuberculosis is rampant in the country's prisons partly due to congestion in prisons. HIV/AIDS and pneumonia are the other commonest killer diseases in the country. There is certainly need for the prison service to screen inmates on their arrival in order to identify signs and symptoms of Tuberculosis if we are to contain the spread of the disease in prisons.

Media reports also revealed that in Dedza district, at least 15 Cholera cases have been reported since September last year. Cholera outbreaks are usually common during the rainy season.

Vertical or Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) is one of the major challenges in the fight against HIV/AIDS. According to UNAIDS, in Malawi 70,000 children of 14 years and below are infected with HIV. It is however pleasing to note that it is possible to prevent MTCT using Anti-retroviral therapy, avoidance of breastfeeding and through elective caesarean Section. Nevertheless, prevention of MTCT remains a contentious issue as it has social and cultural implications. As far as expectant women's HIV testing is concerned, men can either be potential supporters or limiting agents because culturally, women may need to get permission from men to follow these preventive measures.

However, it was reported that pregnant women in Thyolo are voluntarily going for HIV testing before giving birth, thereby taking advantage MTCT preventive measures carried out by Medicins Sans Frontier (MSF).

In a related issue, critics have expressed the need for government to examine all avenues before embarking on the free Anti-Retroviral Programme if the country is to effectively fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic. First and foremost is the need for continuity in the provision of ARVs, otherwise patients develop a drug resistant virus which would render the ARV treatment worthless. The provision of ARVs should also go hand in hand with training of medical personnel as well as civic education of the masses.

Media reports revealed that government has put up tough conditions to avoid the brain drain of medical personnel in all the hospitals run by government through the introduction of a bonding system. After training, qualified personnel are supposed to work for an agreed number of years before changing employment. Nevertheless, the fact remains that apart from these tough measures, there is still need for government to review the present miserable packages in order to retain medical personnel.

ENVIRONMENT

There is little doubt that reliance on fuel wood for domestic energy requirements has escalated the deforestation rate, currently pegged at 50,000 hectares. Alternatives to fuel wood such as solar energy have proven to be practical but costly for most Malawians. However, it is hoped that 3.4 million dollar funding from the Global Environmental Facility acquired through UNDP will subsidise installation of solar power in Health clinics and rural hospitals.

Media reports on the environment bemoaned the loss of beauty of hills and mountains such as Soche Hill and Ndirande mountain because of encroachers who not only occupy most of its space but also destroy trees within the catchment areas. The problem of deforestation looms so large in the country. It is for this reason that the Forestry Ministry intends to enforce the 1997 Forestry Act, which is a tool that seeks to support and encourage every individual and institution in sustainable management of all forestry resources in the country.

Media reports observed that although both high and low-density areas require good waste management, Municipal assemblies favour low-density areas in their operations. It is alleged that unlike high-density areas, low-density areas are frequented by garbage collectors, roads and landscape teams attending to most of the area's environmental needs. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that sustainability of these areas will depend on equitable services to all residents concerned.

Media reports revealed some positive initiatives taken by some local communities in aid of orphans through community forestry initiatives. Apart from ensuring environmental sustainability, forestry projects aim at improving living standards of people staying in and around the project area.

It was reported that Danish aid freeze to Malawi threatens the survival of land and aquatic resources in the Lake Chilwa wetland zone. This points to the problem of lack of project sustainability once donors pull out. In this case, the committees, that were established to monitor the aquatic resources, are not as active as they ought to be.

There is little doubt that excessive trash on the Shire River has had adverse social and economic effects in the country mainly by interfering with the provision of hydroelectric Power by the electricity provider Escom. In the meantime, stakeholders are discussing as a medium strategy, the formation of a firm to create trash traps on the Shire River. Nevertheless, Fisheries Department officials have said that there has been marked progress in the eradication of water hyacinth weed responsible for clogging fish areas on the Shire River as well as some parts of Lake Malawi, as communities have been removing the weed physically.

In the month of January, media reports reminded us of the biodiversity of Mulanje Mountain, which has over 57 endemic species and quite a number of animal species. However, the need to conserve the mountains' natural resources cannot be overemphasized. Apart from being a tourist attraction, people from the surrounding area benefit most from its resources.

GENDER

The Gender Electoral Support Network (GESN) has called on women from all parts of the country to venture for top positions in politics in the forthcoming general elections. GESN is sensitising people on the benefits of having women in leadership positions. Research has shown that women's attributes of honesty, compassionate, dedication and caring enable them to be good governors. Malawi currently has 17 women out of 193 members of Parliament and 75 women out of 870 councillors.

Nevertheless, the quest to achieve 30 percent women's presence in Parliament will remain a far-fetched dream if society does not change its expectations of the role of women in society. This also entails the need for women to change their attitudes towards other women.

In a nutshell, there seems to be rules to follow when women want to play the political game "they must play according to rules set by men, checked by men, altered by men and marked by men." However, the irony in the rules of the game is that men vying for similar positions do not undergo the same kind of scrutiny. In other words, the political game is not played on level ground.

Gender activists welcomed the interest expressed by Vera Chirwa to run for country presidency as a step in the right direction as far as gender equality issues are concerned. It was argued that in a literal sense, if women who constitute more than half of Malawi's population would vote for their fellow woman, Chirwa would as a matter of fact stand a good chance of winning. However, in practice, the situation is not that straightforward. Some critics have argued that Malawi is not yet ready for a woman president.

Media reports also expressed concern that most women in the country were not willing to register for the May elections because they still do not realize the importance of their vote in a democratic society. Women have argued that the two times they voted in the multiparty era have still left them poorer than before.

At last, there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel for the problem of property grabbing which has attracted much media attention. A proposed Deceased Act, to replace the present Wills and Inheritance Act will reduce incidences of property grabbing that have left many women and children destitute.

Research findings reveal that many girls in the country have low status in society because of low participation in development activities, poor education attainment and reproductive health and lack of vocational skills. It is against this background that the Ministry of Youths Sports and Culture in Partnership with Unicef and UNFPA introduced a project to improve the status of girls in society as well as encourage them to be role models in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other areas.

The term gender remains a relatively contentious subject in Malawi with people often confusing gender with sex issues. Some critics have claimed that the idea of gender issues has surfaced to elevate women to new undeserved heights. Nevertheless, it is to be noted that gender equality initiatives such as "positive discrimination" are meant to level the playing field between the different sexes, what is happening is not pulling men down but rather helping women to reach the same level as men so that gender equality can be attained.

In a related issue, Media reports have noted the existence of double standards when it comes to offering practical advice to newly wed couples. During bridal showers, a bride would be given good tips on various subjects ranging from how to manage a house and a husband to budgeting. On the contrary, men are not given some of this valuable advice. This renders some of the women's knowledge valueless, as men do not understand some of the values instilled in the women.

Centre For Social Concern
P.O. Box 40049, Kanengo, Lilongwe
Malawi
Tel (265) 1 716 138 and (265) 9 957 669