MALAWI PRESS REVIEW OCTOBER 2009
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

A section of the society is bitter with president Mutharika because of his recent pronouncements on some of the things in the country. Mutharika on one occasion said that he deserved a holiday having worked for the nation a thing that did not go down well with some quarters. His carefree speeches have made some people question his attitude towards the nation.

Others within the ruling democratic progressive Party DPP are bitter with Mutharika for openly challenging everyone in the party that his brother Peter Mutharika will contest in the 2014 general elections. Political analysts have warned that this could be a recipe for disaster.

Forex shortages should be expected to continue this year. This is because of the fact that government increases the number of beneficiaries of the fertilizer subsidy progamme. Therefore Malawi will need more forex to import the farm inputs from other countries.

The concerns by authorities in the agriculre ministry about food pricing are indeed a true reflection of what exactly is happening on the ground. Just when people expected prices of some farm produce to go down because the supply is very high, traders are doing the opposite.

The African Synod of the Catholic Church did not mince words when it lashed out at various African leaders who are corrupt. Being its members did not stop them from being corrupt. The bishops meeting in Rome stressed that leaders should lead by example by being corruption free.

Muhlakho wa Ahlomwe (the newly established cultural manifestation of the Alhomwe) 1st anniversary celebration raised a lot of debates among Malawians. The involvement of Bingu wa Mutharika as patron of the Muhlakho has left people with more questions than answers.

Education ministry announced a change in the school calendar. The current pattern is believed to be clashing with some cultural activities like initiations in some tribes. The new school calendar is expected to address these issues.

Malawi finally signed the SADC gender and development protocol. While the other countries in the region signed last year Malawi was saying they were still scrutinizing the protocol.

POLITICS

The utterances by president Bingu wa Muthrika in the month of October have left people wondering if at all the man has advisors. Mutharika has on several occasions told the nation that he is a very democratic man but his recent remarks do not match what he has been preaching about. In one of his speeches Mutharika warned his cabinet that they should not waste time with campaigning for his post in the 2014 general elections. To date it is not yet known to the public why he made such remarks. Just recently Mutharika told the nation that his brother Peter wa Mutharika who is also Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs is free to run for any position including that of presidency. For sure this statement made some Democratic Progressive Party DPP top officials uncomfortable because they also have some ambitions for the same post.

Some observers have taken Mutharika's statements with mixed reactions. While others feel there is nothing wrong with the president's position on his brother, some feel it is a clear confirmation that the young Mutharika will surely contest on a Democratic Progressive Party DPP ticket. But Peter has refuted such allegations saying he has never thought of becoming the county's president. The younger Mutharika insists that he is still learning politics and can certainly not become president. Political analysts have since warned the DPP to tread carefully if the issue of democracy is to be adhered to in the party.

One Harry Mkandawire found himself in the wrong when he publicly rebuked president Mutharika for some of the things he thought were not right. Mkandawire felt there was no problem in asking Mutharika to change his leadership style. But Mkandawire landed himself in troubles for washing Mutharika's dirty linen in public. Having contested in the last general election and lost, Mkandawire accused Mutharika of favouring people from the Lhomwe belt in his public appointments and disagreed with his position on the quota system. The former DPP Director of Political Affairs also questioned Mutharika's involvement in the Lhomwe celebration of culture called Muhlakho wa Alhomwe. While some observers commended Mkandawire for being brave other are of the view that the former DPP member should have tried to solve the issue in house. Being a senior member of the DPP, Mkandawire should not have rushed to the press. The DPP has since expelled Mkandawire from the party.

The president of the Malawi congress party MCP John Tembo in the month of October announced that he still has ambition to rule Malawi as a president. Tembo has made it clear that he is going to contest in the 2014 general elections on an MCP ticket. The announcement comes at a time Tembo is facing resistance from other members of the party. Tembo who has been contesting in all the past general elections, wants to do so again in 2014. It should be noted that the MCP president is 77.

Meanwhile the rebel group that has been pressurizing the MCP president to step down announced that it would fight Tembo's intention. The group that was being led by Late Ishmael Chafukira has since nominated Abel Ephraim Kayembe to be its leader. Like all groupings in Malawi it is already divided on what approach they should take when fighting the MCP leader John Tembo. While one group thinks they should form their own party and so deal with Tembo, the other members think it will only make sense if they fight from within the party. Whatever happens one thing is clear something needs to be done if the party does not want to break apart and disappear.

As parliament will be sitting there are a lot of unfinished issues that people expect the house debate. In the last meeting observers had different reactions to the way parliament was handled. One issue that is still outstanding is that of leader of opposition. Parliament operated without the leader of opposition. There were wrangles with the opposition side of the National Assembly because they failed to agree on who should be their leader. As some members felt the leader of opposition automatically is the leader of the largest party in the opposition side others felt they should include government side in voting for a leader.

ECONOMY

President Bingu wa Mutharika once again spoke in strongest terms about Malawi's position on the Economic Partnership Agreement EPAs. Mutharika has again and again made it clear that as long as he is president of this country, Malawi will not sign the EPAs. Malawi has not yet signed even the interim agreement but some countries have already done this. Mutharika has warned that the EPAs in their current form will not benefit Malawi. To the civil society organization Mutharika's stand is good news, because they have been advocating for the same position. On the other side is the private sector who feel Malawi should sign. According to them Malawi will benefit greatly if they sign the EPAs.

The shortage of forex will still continue in Malawi experts have warned. It is a fact that the tobacco auction has been closed amid the continued shortages of forex. Now that the country needs more fertilizers for the subsidy programme, economic analysts have warned that there is going to be a high demand of forex because of this. Government in its 2009/2010 budget increased the number of beneficiaries of the fertilizer subsidy programme. Against this background economic experts have predicted that there is going to be high demand for forex, as Malawi will now be importing a lot more farm inputs this year than the years before. In addition the fertilizer left over from last was bought at much higher prices than this year. This stock needs to be finished as fertilizer has a short shelf life.

Auction Holdings Limited AHL in the month of October closed the tobacco markets amid reports that a number of farmers were not happy with the outcome of the sales. This year's tobacco season was marred by suspension of sales after disagreement between the buyers and farmers. Reports have shown that although the quality of the leaf was excellent, at times the buyers were still offering low prices. Experts have shown that this year's proceeds are higher than last year's. This is perhaps because of the high volumes of the leaf that were on the markets. Earlier in the year reports have shown that many farmers resorted to growing tobacco this year because they felt the prices would be better this year being an election year.

Reports on the economy have shown that despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the previous years, Malawi has now slid down. It was good news to all Malawians when an American based organization Economy Watch rated Malawi as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Now that has changed because reports have indicated that Malawi has been overtaken by Botswana. The Southern African country is both politically and financially more stable compared to Malawi. Botswana is one of the leading countries of diamond mining. Still on the same issue the International Monitory Fund IMF has predicted that next year is going to another year of slow economic growth

FOOD SECURITY

It is not a secret that Malawi is enjoying yet another year of bumper harvests. Most households have at least enough maize, which is the staple food of the nation. With this harvest one would expect the prices of maize to be affordable but the situation is the opposite. Instead of having better prices press reports have shown that the prices are going higher. It should be noted that previously the price of maize was at K2000 per 50 Kg but it is now at K2500. According to a survey by the Centre For Social Concern CFSC's basic needs basket done in September but released in October the situation might even go worse in the lean months of December, January and February.

There is always some exiting news coming from various corners of the world about Malawi's food security status. In recent months a number of awards have been given to Malawi for the present food situation. As the world commemorated the World Food Day an international organization called Actionaid has released a list of countries that are really fighting hunger and Malawi was on position 5. This is no mean achievement and all stakeholders that assisted that Malawi should become a nation free from hunger should be applauded for this.

Sales of maize at ADMARC market have not run short of controversies. It all started with the announcement that ADMARC has no space for other crops in their warehouses and as such it would only buy maize. As if this is not enough the same ADMARC failed to open the markets in good time leaving farmers with their crops. Similarly some depots in very remote areas did not open. Just recently the national grain marketer announced that it had stopped buying maize. This situation will give more powers to the unscrupulous traders to exploit the farmers.

Government in the month under review launched the subsidy coupon distribution exercise. The current food situation in Malawi has been attributed to the availability of subsidized fertilizer and good rains. According to ministry officials the number of beneficiaries has gone up this year and the registration of beneficiaries was completed in the month of October. The fertilizer coupon distribution is one that is never short of controversies ranging from theft of coupons to late deliveries. Much as Malawians would want to have access to subsidised fertilizers, the thing is not everyone is eligible. It remains a targeted subsidy. As the distribution starts there is hope that there are going to be some improvements in this exercise.

An observation by the Principal Secretary of Agriculture about food prices came at a time when some traders are indeed are exaggerating in charging their commodities. Reports have shown that some people are selling rice at K200 per kilogram. Surprisingly the exorbitant prices do not match with reports that there is plenty of rice in Malawi this year. Earlier it had shown that we are in a year of plenty in all sectors of agriculture including rice farming and fish farming as well. What Malawi needs is close monitoring of traders so that consumers are not cheated.

 

CIVIL SOCIETY AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS

Although government promised to hold local government elections in the year 2010, press reports have shown that to date the Electoral Commission EC has not released a calendar for the elections. This has left some stakeholders wondering if at all the elections are going to be conducted. By this time the electoral calendar should have come out for the smooth running of preparatory activities prior to the elections. The Malawi Electoral Support Network MESN has on several occasions taken the EC to task for not being open enough to say if at all there will be local government elections or not. On its part government has not shown any commitments on the issue. MESN has since promised to take some legal action against the electoral body.

There was some shocking news in the press in the month of October about a Non Governmental Organization NGO in Salima. The organization was promising people jobs if they paid K20, 000.00. The organization has since been closed.

The Catholic Church in the month of October asked political and other leaders who are its members to clean their houses to avoid damaging the name of the church. At a meeting called the African Synod, the bishops asked Catholics who are in top government positions to either repent or quit. The warning by the Bishops is also extended to people who are not members of the Catholic Church. It comes at a time when cases of corruption in public offices are being reported in the press almost everyday in Malawi. But as usual the government of Malawi has told the nation that the warning by the bishops is not meant for Malawi because there is a fight against corruption in Malawi.

The announcement by president Bingu wa Mutharika that his bother Peter, is free to contest for any position even that of president in this country, has raised a lot of debate among observers. Some people feel the utterances mean nothing but others say it is a confirmation of rumours that have been circulating about his brother taking over the leadership of DPP. Meanwhile the Nkhoma Synod of the Church of Central African Presbyterian CCAP has cautioned Bingu to leave the issues of the next president for the DPP to a convention. Some civil society organizations have also shared the same sentiments.

Parliament in the month of October refuted an analysis by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace CCJP on the conduct of parliament in the last 100 days. The analysis faults the manner in which the Democratic Progressive Party DPP abused its majority in the National Assembly in the last sitting of parliament. It is reported that not much time is given to critically debate on issues no matter how important. Parliament passed the budget without wasting time a thing that has left people wondering if at all there is an opposition in the house. But parliament defended the parliamentary process this time around saying there is nothing wrong in having a majority government.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE

The press in the month under review exposed some acts of deep-rooted corruption at the Road Traffic Commission in Malawi. The fact that every now and then officials in public offices are demanding an extra pay for the public services means the Anti Corruption Bureau has a lot of work to do. It was reported that some officials at the Road Traffic department, a body that issues driving licenses, are giving out the licenses to people who have never driven a car not even once.

On the same note the press exposed some more shady deals at the same Malawi Road Traffic Commission RTD. This time around reports have shown that officials at the directorate are giving out Certificates of Fitness COF to vehicles that are not functioning. To add salt to the injury RTD officials issue the COF without examining the car physically. It should be noted that it is these unroadworthy vehicles that have been blamed for the escalating levels of accidents on the roads in Malawi. Reports have shown that Malawi has the highest rate of accidents in the SADC region. Observers have noted that this problem should be dealt with immediately to avoid accidents and deaths that occur on the roads of Malawi.

The mystery surrounding the attacks on women and students in some boarding schools in Ndirande Township in Blantyre has been solved following the arrest of Nachipanti. The young man whose real name is Innocent Bandawe admitted to have been responsible for the attacks. Bandawe was caught in the middle of the night after attacking a young boy and 2 teenage girls. One of the girls is still fighting for her life while the other girl and the young boy died. It is believed Nachipanti's acts are somehow connected to some kind of Satanism because of the way he attacked his victim most of whom were left either unconscious or dead. With Nachipanti in Police custody perhaps the people of Ndirande can now peacefully rest in their homes.

The Lhomwe tribe in the month of October commemorated the 1st Anniversary of the Muhlakho wa Ahlomwe at Chonde in Mulanje district. Led by President Bingu wa Mutharika, a Lhomwe, the commemoration saw the opening of a cultural school for the tribe where people will be learning the language and other Lhomwe activities. At the function Mutharika blasted at some commentators who were against the celebrations and assured everybody that the grouping is not political. Mutharika who is the patron of the grouping has come under heavy criticism for aligning himself with Lhomwes when he is supposed to be a president for every tribe in Malawi. Others feel there is currently a lot of favoritism towards people from the Lhomwe belt as evident by the number of people who hold senior position in public offices.

EDUCATION

Press reports in the month of October have disclosed that cheating among students during examination is still rampant and there is need for more efforts as the nation is trying to curb the malpractice. It is clear that the standards of education in Malawi are on the lower side and cheating has been dubbed as one of the reasons. As Form 4 students are writing the Malawi schools Certificate of Education Examinations reports clearly show that cases of cheating are rampant. Some candidates are reported to have had access to examination papers beforehand. The problem seems to be occurring during every other examination. Therefore MANEB should tighten the screws in the fight against cheating.

The revelation that some prominent ministers in the Mutharika administration are admitting students into government secondary schools illegally has left some people wondering if at all the fight against corruption is bearing any fruits. Recent reports have disclosed that the outspoken Minister of Gender, who is also Member of Parliament for Mulanje West Patricia Kaliati, illegally instructed the ministry of education to admit over 77 students to various secondary schools. To add salt to the injury Kaliati is not the only culprit because reports show that this is the trend among other top officials as well. Surprisingly it is the same government that promised Malawians that it would fight corruption with all its might. Kaliati is in Mutharika's cabinet. Observers have noted that it is high time authorities sorted this problem of illegal admissions in secondary schools so that places are awarded on merit to student.

Finally the issue of quota system in the University of Malawi seems to have been put to rest after President Bingu wa Mutharika's comments on the issue. The press announced that Mutharika was in favor of the system which has been given a new name 'equitable access to education'. The quota system issue has been dominating the press in recent times following the minister of education Dr George Chaponda's announcement that government will apply this format. Although Mutharika's words mean the University Council will from now follow this pattern, some quarters of the society feel government should do some thorough consultations on the issue. Meanwhile some education experts have taken the issue to court.

Government in October announced that it has changed the school calendar. Previously the school year started from January to November now the school will be starting in November and will end in June the other year. Government is of the view that this is a better arrangement because it will not interfere with some cultural practices. Reports have shown that during the previous school calendar some pupils were failing to attend classes because of some cultural practices like initiations that are normally conducted in the months of June and July. Observers have welcomed this arrangement, which will not only be applied to government schools only but private schools as well.

 

HEALTH

The dreams of some secondary school leavers who were nursing their ambitions of becoming future medical personnel are now shattered. This is because of the announcement the ministry of health made that it has stopped funding students in Christian Health Association Malawi CHAM training schools. Authorities in the ministry of health have made it clear that they have stopped funding the students and they will now be paying K335, 000.00 per academic year. Previously the students were paying K35, 000 only. Any efforts to talk about this issue have not yielded anything because the ministry is still maintaining its stand that it will not subsidize any nursing students. It should be noted that there are fewer medical personnel in Malawi compared to other countries in Africa.

Meanwhile the executive director of National organization of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi NONM Dorothy Ngoma has noted that if there is nothing done on the issue of school fees for students, there is going to be no improvement in the number of nurses trained. Ngoma noted that it would only be fair if government stopped giving out money to bail out Air Malawi but use the money to pay for the poor students. There are also fears that Malawi might not be able to achieve some of the Millennium Development Goals MDGs.

Months after the government banned Traditional Birth Attendants TBAs from practicing in the country some health organizations feel the attendants should come back. According to Dorothy Ngoma the TBAs should be allowed to operate because of the shortage of qualified midwife nurses in Malawi. Against a background of shortage of trained nurses Ngoma feels it is going to be very difficult for Malawi to deal with maternal deaths if the issue of shortage is not dealt with.

Abortion is illegal in Malawi. But then even though this is the case reports show that this is happening in Malawi. A recent survey has shown that the number of women who die of complications during abortion is increasing. According to reports young girls are also into unsafe abortions because they fall pregnant while in school. Some countries in the world have made strides in reducing deaths that occur due to unsafe abortion. In such countries they have legalized it and there are clinics that deal with this.

The United Nations Human Development report in October announced that the life expectancy of Malawians has risen to 52 years from 39. According to health experts this is the case because of the availability of free ARVs and good nutrition. This development has put Malawi on position 160 from 161 on the Human Development Index. If the development continues to increase Malawi is expected to go further down further on the human development index which has 181 countries.

 

ENVIRONMENT

As the farming season is getting closer the Meteorological Department MET has announced that people should expect rains in the months of November and December. The announcement comes at a time when many farmers are busying themselves in preparing the gardens ready for rains. Reports have shown that many parts of the country will receive normal rains. This is good news to the farmers most of whom rely on the rain pattern for their farming.

The cleanliness conditions in our cities have been a topic of discussion in the press. There is no doubt that there is a lot of filth on the streets in the cities. While its is true that the city and town assemblies are responsible for making sure that the streets are clean, some observers feel, dwellers should also play their part. It would make the work of assemblies much easier and better if dwellers assisted in dumping waste in proper places. In the current setup it seems the city and town dwellers are not too sure of whose duty it is to keep the streets clean. It all needs some concerted efforts if the cities are to become filth free.

There have been concerns from various environmental organizations over the conditions of our forests. According to observations by CURE Malawi the country's forests are on the verge of extinction. This could be because of the volume and speed at which people are using the forest products. Evidence has shown that not much is done to get back the trees. There is more cutting down of trees than planting. Sales of charcoal are on the increase among Malawians. It is reported that forests in Malawi are losing more and more forest cover a thing that puts the country at a risk. Perhaps with a lot of awareness the problem could be solved.

As issues about climate change are dominating press coverage and many discussions some people's future lies in balance as there are no laws that recognize exiles that migrate to other countries for this reason. People that leave their countries running away from effects of climate change will find it very hard to be accepted elsewhere because international laws on migration do not recognize such things. As usual countries that have not caused climate change will pay the price. The irony is that while forced to migrate because of climate change, the very same migrants will be send back to their countries of origin. There is no law that protects them.

GENDER

In the month of October the Malawi nation observed Mother's Day. During this day the society honours all women for the role they play in one's life. The national celebrations were held in Zomba with president Bingu wa Mutharika in attendance. Among speakers at the function was gender minister Patricia Kaliati who stole the show by asking men who abuse their wives what exactly they want.

Recent press coverage has shown an increase in domestic violence cases. A case in mind is that of a man in Mzuzu who burnt his wife over petty issues. It was reported that the man was overcome by jealousy and provoked his ex-wife over missing plates. The jealous man bought some paraffin, which he used to set his former wife alight. The woman was in hospital as the man was being kept under police custody. This is not the first time for husbands to act in such unloving manner towards their wives or former wives.

Although there have been good strides in making women take top positions in Malawi and Zimbabwe some observers feel there is a lot that these countries can still do. Observers have noted that women in the 2 countries need to be empowered so that they assist in the economic development of their nations. These sentiments were expressed at an agricultural fair that took place in Zimbabwe in early October.

Centre For Human Rights and Rehabilitation CHRR in the month under review observed that after winning the 2009 general elections, female parliamentarians should work hard. Undule Mwakasungula Executive Director of CHRR advised them to stop relaxing but instead to prove their salt by working hard. Among other things Mwakasungula says that the female legislators should conduct themselves well and perform in all the positions they are given in the National Assembly.

The month of October also featured a debate on who should be a guardian to patients. Should it be women all the time? Some observers feel while it is true that women make good guardians men should also try to do the job. In the event that a wife gets sick, men should be there and deal with the situation just like women. Evidence has shown that there is a larger number of women than men visiting patients in hospitals especially at Kamuzu Central Hospital.

Some gender and civil society organizations in Malawi have commended president Bingu wa Mutharika for signing the Gender and Development Protocol. According to Mutharika Malawi took time to sign the protocol because experts were still scrutinizing it. The other countries in the SADC region already signed the protocol in August last year. Among other organizations the Centre For Human Rights and Rehabilitation CHRR and has commended Mutharika for signing the protocol, which they say, will assist member states in their fight for women empowerment.

Fr. Bill Turnbull

Center for Social Concern (CFSC)
Box 40049 Lilongwe 4
Area 25
Next to St. Francis Parish
Tel: 01 715 632
billturnbull@cfscmalawi.org