MALAWI PRESS REVIEW SEPTEMBRE 2007
From Centre For Social Concern (see our house)

News clippings with analysis
From the Major newspapers
in Malawi

Compiled by the
Center for Social Concern (CFSC)
Box 40049 Lilongwe 4
Area 25
Next to St. Francis Parish
Tel: 01 715 632

LIST OF NEWSPAPERS REVIEWED

Daily Times, Malawi News, The Weekly News, The Nation,
The Weekend Nation, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Chronicle,
Nation on Sunday,

PREVIEW

Politics has continued to enjoy massive press coverage in the month of October. Just like any other month political stories showed their prominence by making it to all the front pages of the daily newspapers.

The demand for tobacco licences has increased. After a year of very good tobacco prices at the markets many people now want to grow the crop. This is good news, as it will increase the circulation of foreign currency in Malawi. More jobs are also expected from this scenario.

On food security there have been calls for new methods of farming if Malawi is to continue being a food secured nation. Food and crop diversification is what experts want farmers to practice.

The Malawi Law Commission finally released a new draft of the amendments of the Malawi Constitution. In it a presidential candidate is expected to have a university first degree.

Yet another accident happened at Linthipe III in Dedza district. The place is becoming a death trap. Despite the ministry of transport's efforts to make rumble surfaces on the area accidents continue to happen.

The education sector is faced with yet another big problem. This is similar to the exam papers leakage that occurred in the year 2000 and when the examinations were cancelled. We are yet to see what measures are going to be taken in this year's exam scandal.

Although hospitals have stopped giving Fansidar to malaria patients, in October the government announced it would continue buying the drugs for pregnant women.

Press people came under heavy attack for giving too much attention to negative stories about women. To the surprise of many very little is said when a woman has done something great. It is high time the media gave a positive picture of women.

POLITICS

Press reports on politics in October mainly centred on the blunder that the National Assembly made by making president Bingu wa Mutharika sign a bill that had not been debated. Reports have disclosed that president Mutharika signed the Mozambique-Malawi Electricity Interconnection Bill assuming it had been discussed and passed. Surprisingly, some members of the opposition are alleged to have known about the issue even before the bills were sent to the president. The chairman of the legal affairs committee of parliament, Honourable Atupele Muluzi, had written the World Bank office in Malawi asking them not to authorise the money before the bill was sent to the country's office. The dust is not yet settled on the issue as the president has asked Louis Chimango, the Speaker of the National Assembly, to resign. Meanwhile Chimango has apologised for the mistake. However, the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader John Tembo still insists that Chimango should repent because an apology is not enough.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) National Chairman, Bakili Muluzi, never ceases to amaze people with his tactics. After seeing that there might be some obstacles to can stop him from contesting in the 2009 General Elections Muluzi has now announced that he is going to have 24 lawyers to battle it out in the courts. Muluzi's latest plans have left people thinking that he desperately wants to be president for life. It seems Muluzi can never live with the fact that his days of being president ended in 2004. Many as isn't it time Muluzi retired completely from politics so that the country can respect and appreciate the works he did in his tenure?

Finally Bakili Muluzi admitted that there are indeed divisions in the once mighty UDF party. After some months of living in denial over the situation Muluzi, agreed that there are disagreements over some issues in the UDF. Dr Muluzi, who had spent some weeks in the United Kingdom, blasted some of the executive members of the UDF for questioning his romance with disgruntled politicians, such as Gwanda Chakuamba and Kamlepo Kalua. Muluzi feels there are some people in the party who leak information to the press. Of late he has been favouring outsiders in the party at the expense of veteran UDF members.

So its not a secrete that Dr Muluzi's main reason for coming back is to remove president Mutharika from power. Muluzi openly admitted that if it were possible to resign immediately after winning general elections, he would do to get rid of Bingu. It is easy to tell that Muluzi's only motive is to see Mutharika out of power. This is why the former president is trying many means of making sure that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) loses the 2009 general election. Surprisingly, rumour is rife that should Muluzi will not stand again, and he will let Tembo, who is leader of the MCP main opposition party, stand for both MCP and UDF. Both parties have denied the stories.

The Malawi nation is stills at pains to understand why the Alliance For Democracy (AFORD) went ahead with their national convention when 27 of its members had just tragically died in an accident. To the surprise of many the party went ahead and conducted elections. Although the only Member of Parliament for the party, Loveness Gondwe, who was once elected president of the party, was not available, they continued with the convention. The outcome was that Dindi Gowa Nyasulu was elected president. Political experts have predicted more divisions in the party as others have already said they do not accept the results. Meanwhile the party announced that it has fired Loveness Gondwe.

President Bingu wa Mutharika appointed Alex Nampota as the Director of the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB). Nampota takes over from Tumalisye Ndovi whose appointment was rejected by the Public Appointment Committee opposition members of parliament. The committee mainly comprises of opposition MCP and UDF members. The newly appointed director once served as deputy director of the ACB. The UDF has meanwhile raised some reservations on the appointment. The UDF also promised to grill Nampota when he appears before Pac.

ECONOMY

Press reports on the economy have shown that many people now have plans to grow more tobacco next seasons. The sudden rush of people asking the Tobacco Control Commission for licences to grow tobacco could possibly have come after a year of good prices. Tobacco sales have always been surrounded by controversy ranging from price fixing and a strike on the farmers' side. It is only during this growing season that things seem to have gone better for the farmers who are currently enjoying the fruits of their labour. This is good news to the country's economy, because the more tobacco grown means more foreign currency.

Although tobacco farmers enjoyed massive sales at a reasonable price, a number of farmers still remain poor. One would have expected the financial situation of the farmers to change, but reports have proved the opposite. Some observers have noted that it seems that few farmers know how to invest their money profitably. This simply means the money that they realise from tobacco sales is not put to good use. The result is poverty, which comes from mismanagement. Against this background some economic observers have advised organisations to organise economic literacy lessons for tobacco farmers.

Reports that Malawi has managed to pay off K5 billon of local debt are sweet news to local business people. This means Malawi can safely be called a debt free country. As we are all aware Malawi's international debt was cancelled, and the news that it has settled its local debt makes it a debt free nation. The fact that government does not owe anything could, perhaps, help those who failed to carry out their businesses because government owed them money, to safely do so now. But on the other hand some experts are sceptical about the government's claims.

For some years vehicle owners have always grumbled whenever there is a fuel price adjustment. The recent announcement by the Petroleum Pricing Committee (PPC) about the increase in costs caused shivers among motorists. But all this could be a long forgotten story with the introduction of Ethanol. The latest launch of an ethanol-propelled car in the country has perhaps come at the right time when many people are struggling to make ends meet. Use of Ethanol in cars is sweet music to environmentalists because they say it does not pollute the air unlike petrol and diesel. At the same time if many people run their cars on ethanol they would be supporting a local industry.

FOOD SECURITY

Finally there is a glimmer of hope for Malawians as the country might soon have a law on food security. Evidence has shown that there can be plenty of food in Malawi but at the same time some people are still sleeping on empty stomachs. Now stakeholders want Malawians to have a law that would ensure that every citizen has a right to food. This would be a good because at present there are always people who are starving; as a result of the law someone could be called to task. In times of hunger people would then know there is a law that protects them from starvation and that someone in authority is supposed to be taking care of the situation.

Although some districts in the country have plenty of food other people, such as in Karonga district, have nothing at all. This clearly proves that it is not yet safe to call Malawi a food secured nation. According to reports people in the district still need about 70 metric tonnes of food. Due to the floods that hit the district in the last growing season some areas did not harvest anything and now people are starving. The food shortages in Karonga should be a wake up call to all stakeholders lest they be blamed for selling maize to Zimbabwe when our own people are starving right here.

Different sectors of society have repeatedly criticised the government for exporting maize to Zimbabwe and to other Southern African countries. Other observers have noted that it is high time the country stopped these massive exports of maize. It is a very sad situation to see that the authorities have not learnt from their past mistakes. The year 2000 will never be forgotten in the minds of many because of the food shortages that people experienced after a similar situation occurred. The then ruling government sold maize to Kenya while Malawians were starving. Malawians certainly would not want to have a repetition of the 2000 food shortages.

Press reports on food security have shown that the bumper harvest that some people in Mulanje district had might not last in the months to come. This follows reports of pests that are consuming and destroying the maize stocks. Although farmers have applied pesticide to protect their harvest from being damaged, the problem still continues. The situation has forced some farmers to sell most of their harvest.

Experts have advised farmers to practice crop diversification. Evidence has shown that a number of farmers rely on planting one crop, mainly maize, year in year out. As a result the farmers are disappointed when the crop fails. Against this background agricultural analysts prefer farmers to practice crop diversification so that the government's plans to stop Malawi from being prone to hunger could be met. With crop diversification there is no way a country can suffer from food shortages, because when one food crop fails people could fall back on other different crops.

CIVIL SOCIETY AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS

The Public Affairs Committee (Pac) had a sudden change of heart when they publicly said they would not publish a list of violations that president Mutharika has made. This is contrary to their earlier announcements when they said they were going to catalogue a number of human rights violations by Mutharika. Observers have already questioned what impact it will have if the violations are numerated. Will it change anything? Meanwhile there seems to be a disagreement as some members of Pac are against such action.

During October Muslims celebrated the feast of Ramadan. This year the main theme for prayers was 'Unity in Islam', and it came at the right time when there are conspicuous divisions in some Christian churches and even among Muslims. For example two of the Church Central African Presbyterian synods are involved in a wrangle over boarders. There are also divisions in the Anglican Church, as some members would like a Bishop who supports gay people to lead them while others do not. Even the some Muslims have aligned themselves in different sects of their religion. This is why, after fasting for a whole month, Muslims spoke of unity in their religion but more especially between the Quadria and Sukuti sects who appear not to see each other eye to eye.

The Malawi Law Commission announced that it has finalised the new draft for the amendments in the Malawi constitution. Among other things the commission revealed that a president has to get more than fifty percent of the votes to become president. Just like in some African countries, when none of the presidential candidates has more than half of the votes there should be a rerun. The commission's findings also state that a person has to have a university degree if they are to become president of the country. Despite having delegates who protested about qualification of a presidential candidate during the previous constitutional review conference, the Commission has also added in the new draft that there should not be an age limit for a candidate.

During the month one of the civil society organisations noted that the current state of violence in some places, such as Chiradzulu, could be the work of some politicians. Emmie Chanika, of CIVIL Liberties Committee (CILIC), feels politicians who want to misguide people are engineering the violence. Chanika feels the disgruntled politicians want to destabilise security in some areas so that, as a result, people will blame the government. For some time attackers have terrorised the district and targeted women for human parts. Surprisingly it seems Chiradzulu is the only district that is being targeted.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE

The press in the month of October disclosed that the number of people who take their own lives is increasing. Reports show that in October the northern region of Malawi recorded the greatest number of people who committed suicide. These are the only cases that were recorded, but there might have been other people. Whatever made the victims kill themselves people should respect life. Taking ones life should be condemned at all cost. In Malawi one can face legal prosecution in a failed suicide attempt.

It now seems the traditional Nyau dancers are becoming more helpful in some quarters. Recent reports have shown that, although sometimes the Nyau are known for scaring and intimidating people, the pattern is changing for the better. It all started with the Nyau dancer from Mchinji district who worked on a faulty car. The Nyau dancer claimed to have gone to the Polytechnic where it did a course in engineering but could not find a job. Another story is that of a Nyau dancer in Lilongwe. This time around a Nyau helped people to catch a woman who had abducted a baby. So not all Nyau dancers are bad!

There are different opinions on the issue of cohabitation. An earlier constitutional review conference by the Malawi Law Commission proposed that cohabitation should be recognised. This proposal did not go down well with traditional and religious leaders who felt that recognising cohabitation as a form of marriage would encourage youngsters not to make commitments. It would also put off couples from formalising their unions in church and, at the same time, degrade the whole essence of holy matrimony. Other observers feel it is high time society accepts such marriages for the sake of children who are born from these unions.

As the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to haunt the nation traditional leaders would like to see a change in the behaviour patterns of some young people. According to certain chiefs in at Zolozolo, Mzuzu, there is need to help youngsters, especially vulnerable girls, to avoid prostitution at all costs. Of course there are many reasons why people involve themselves in prostitution but then in these times of AIDS one needs to think twice. Behavioural change is a major factor in combating AIDS.

Sadly the place called Linthipe III in Dedza is becoming a deadly zone that has of late robbed the country some of its citizens. Recently members of AFORD, who were travelling to attend a convention, died in a road accident that happened at Linthipe III. It is at the same spot where some Roman Catholic members from Utatu Woyera Parish in Kawale, Lilongwe, were killed in an accident. Early last year another minibus coming from Blantyre plunged into Linthipe III River killing 35 people on the spot. Over and over again, people have lost friends and relatives at Linthipe and those injured have ended up with disabilities. How can the problem be solved? It remains a mystery why it is Linthipe III, year in year out.

EDUCATION

Latest media reports have shown that, although September reports on education had shown that cases of cheating had gone down, recent information has proved the opposite. As Form 4 students are sitting the final examinations reports say that the exam papers sold on the black market. For sure this is a very sad development especially as it is comes at a time when the examination administering body is trying to save its face. At the same time the fight against dwindling standards of education cannot be achieved. There are so many unanswered questions on why the examination papers, that are supposed to be guarded with maximum security, ended up on the streets. Meanwhile the government has promised to set an inquiry on the issue. Could this be a replica of the 2000 examination saga when MSCE examinations were cancelled following cases of massive leakages?

Despite the harsh conditions that prisoners in Malawi face, the announcement that 204 inmates sat for this year's examination is enough to make one smile. It is common knowledge that prison life is not good enough for one to gain education. Despite all the problems that convicts go through, the 204 have shown that with minimal resources anything is possible. The fact that all these are writing examinations this year is good news because the number may increase. At the same time the convicts are using wisely the years they have to spend in the prison. Therefore prison life, for such people, is not only reformatory but also fruitful in terms of education.

It seems the issue of indiscipline has resurfaced in the country's institutions of higher learning. October saw three of the major colleges involved in acts of rowdiness. Polytechnic students forgot their role when they clashed with their neighbours Malawi College of Health Sciences (MCHS). Surprisingly these are college students who are supposed to maintain discipline at all times. The Polytechnic is not the only college that was involved in acts of indiscipline. Students at the Mzuzu University also got involved in disruptive behaviour. It seems this issue of indiscipline is becoming another big problem that has to be looked into urgently.

The education sector has also been hit by a brain drain. Reports disclose that many teachers leave government schools in search of greener pastures. Some are working in private schools and companies where the money is a bit better. To solve this problem the ministry of education announced that it wants to increase the number of teachers it trains. Raising the number of teachers to go for training would certainly change the situation in some schools where one teacher has to teach more than three classes. Currently the ministry is building hostels in some teachers' training schools

HEALTH

Although the government employs 5000 Health Surveillance Assistants HSAs, to help ease the problem of shortages of medical personnel, other quarters have reservations on the duties of the HSAs. For sometime now the health sector has been rocked by the shortages of staff and the availability of HSAs would certainly be a relief to the ministry, but then the Medical Council of Malawi has disowned the HSAs. Despite all the work that the HSAs do in some hospitals, such as at Thyolo district hospital, they are not recognised by the Medical Council. It should be noted that HSAs are also involved in antiretroviral therapy.

Similarly, the introduction of auxiliary nurses some years ago gave hope to the ministry of health as it sailed through troubled waters. The auxiliary nurses are currently work in various hospitals assisting other medical staff. Despite all this the Nurses and Midwives Council told the press that the auxiliary nurses are not under their body. The auxiliary nurses felt the punch of being sidelined when the health sector raised the salaries of the other medical personnel. The auxiliary nurses also expected to receive the twenty percent increase that the other nurses received. They were disappointed and the authorities have disputed this claim, saying auxiliary nurses are regarded as staff attendants and therefore cannot have increases similar to that of recognised nurses.

Although the use of Fansider in Malawi has been scrapped, the ministry announced that it is still buying the drug. Fansidar was discontinued after some people became resistant to the drug. Now reports have shown that the ministry will still be buying the drug for expectant mothers. This will ensure that pregnant women receive the drug in the first and second trimester of their pregnancy, the time when they are vulnerable to Malaria.

The issue of rabies continued to receive huge press coverage in October. As readers expected, Blantyre district is said to be leading in cases of rabid dogs biting people. Reports have disclosed that Blantyre receives 125 dog bite cases per month. This, however, is happening when treatment for rabid dog bites and vaccination against rabies are available. Recently a young girl lost her life after a rabid dog bit her. The Blantyre case is one of the many unreported incidents of people dying of rabies because hospitals do not have anti-rabies drugs which are very expensive.

ENVIRONMENT

Press reports have disclosed that Malawi should expect plenty of rain, which is expected to cause floods in some areas. The Metrological Services has predicted that some areas will experience floods because of the change in the rainfall pattern. With this in mind the department of disaster and preparedness is expected to conduct an awareness programme in areas that are flooded every year. With the advanced warning there needs to be other methods to help people avoid loss of life and damage to their property.

In Malawi one cannot mention environmental degradation without tackling deforestation. Wanton cutting down of trees has been a daily occurrence leaving some hills bare. In a democratic Malawi some people feel that they can do as they please with the natural resources. This belief is part of the reason why we have polluted rivers and for the wanton cutting down of trees. The effects of deforestation are also worrying Leopard Match Company. The company that makes safety matches has seen some of the effects of deforestation. Reports have disclosed that not even the trees the company planted at Chirimba have been spared.

Unnecessary dumping of wastes and company chemicals in rivers is one reason why some rivers are polluted. Pollution of rivers is also one of the problems that people in cities have to face each day. A river in Chirimba, Blantyre, has changed colour because of the chemicals that were dumped in the water. The pollution killed all living things that were in the river. With the fast urban growth it is not known if the situation of polluted rivers will ever be able to change. One thing is for sure, managing the environment and the natural resources requires concerted efforts from everyone involved if we are to conserve our natural resources.

In October environmentalists continued to speak of the effects of urbanisation on the environment. The high influx of people from rural areas means that the demand for water, trees, and other natural resources is rising. As more people flock to town there is a greater need for extra houses and, therefore, the demand for trees is increasing. For example, more houses will be built and, therefore, firewood to burn bricks will be needed. The families will also want to use charcoal and firewood for fuel. According to some experts two thirds of the world's population will be living in cities by the year 2050. The question remains, are our cities ready to support such a number of people?

GENDER

In October Malawians celebrated Mothers' Day. Gender activists observed the work that mothers do cannot go unnoticed. Although at times society takes women's achievements and contributions to the world for granted, others feel there is more that women have to offer. Others noted that it is a woman who should be praised for all other women who are very successful today. This is because previously mothers have toiled for years to raise such successful women. They should be saluted!

The media came under attack for the way they report issues that concern women. It was noted that at times the media portray women as inferior members of society. On many occasion journalists have portrayed women as sex objects. It is only when a woman is a victim of abuse and torture that the story is covered extensively. At the same time when a woman makes a blunder the issue is given a great deal of attention. An example of this is when a female minister is alleged to have delayed a graduation ceremony because she wanted the function to be beamed on television but TVM was not available. It is high time women had equal access to the media. All the positive contributions that women make should also be given due publicity.

After years of living without a domestic violence law, a bill was passed in parliament last year. With the domestic violence bill passed, people felt it was going to be the end of all sorts of abuse. To the surprise of many, some people continue to violate other people's rights despite them having full knowledge of the law. Cases of domestic violence have been in the press for many months and women and children have especially been the victims of abuse. One wonders if the law is being used effectively.

Although the government is trying to meet the SADC requirement of having thirty percent of women representation in decision making positions, the journey is far from over. Among other things women have to be educated and shown that they can make it to the top positions. Records show that only forty-nine percent of women are literate. This means that more than half of Malawian women are illiterate. With this scenario it is very difficult to reach the required figures even in parliament. Women empowerment has to start from the women themselves.

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