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

Political analysts have expressed different opinions over President Bingu wa Mutharika's decision to prorogue parliament days after the 2007/2008. The observers feel Mutharika should have consulted widely before making such a decision. On the other hand some feel that is what the parliamentarians deserve for failing to use their time appropriately. For many Malawians this was a new word. It seems the king in England used to prorogue parliament whenever he was not sure which turn a power struggle between the executive and parliament would take.

As reports indicate a decrease in the inflation rate, some NGOs are surprised this does not translate in cheaper prices. Is the figure genuine, as it does not reflect what the situation on the ground really is? The prices of goods and services are still very high and this is out of sync with the said inflation rate.

Malawians should expect cheaper prices of fertilizers because of the coming in of a Taiwanese fertilizer company at Kanengo in Lilongwe. While this is sweet music to farmers who will at least save some Kwachas from the cheaper fertilizers, it does make it more difficult to look at more sustainable solutions.

As watchdog of democracy and the rule of law, the Civil Society asked government to recall the National Assembly so that members discuss the outstanding Section 65 issue. The organisations have spoken at length over the need for the house to debate on such a sensitive issue.

It seems some people never get it right. Issues of child employment have been in the press for some time now and evidence has shown that more and more children are working either in farms or people's homes. In either case it is not what children should be doing, cutting them off from school.

The Malawi National Examination Board MANEB announced a decrease in cheating among students during examinations. Could this be the beginning of the end of it all?

It is very strange that the whole Ministry of Health had to wait for a child to lose her life to rabies so that it realises there is no vaccine for the disease in the country? Surprisingly the number of people who have bee bitten by rabid dogs has been increasing of late. Does this mean that sit by doing nothing while negligence costs the life of our future leaders?

Malawi's efforts to minimise the use of ozone layer depleting substances have been recognised internationally. Perhaps this should motivate environmentalists to check on the environment more, lest we contaminate the natural resources in other ways.

The dream of having 50% of women representation in all decision making positions in the near future might as well be buried following the SADC leaders failure to sign a protocol on gender development.

POLITICS

After a long delay the Members of Parliament finally passed the 2007/2008 national budget. It is the first time in the history of Malawi that a national budget session has taken Four months to be passed. Press reports have shown that the entire session has seen government spending close to K309 million in the form of allowances to Members of Parliament and cabinet ministers. Although with some ups and downs the K176 billion budget was finally passed. Surprisingly the opposition Legislators refused to allocate money to state controlled Television Malawi TVM and Malawi Broadcasting Corporation MBC. It is a shock that the least the opposition members of parliament who are the majority in the house could give the two government institutions is K1 each, less than a dollar cent. While it understandable the opposition has axe to grind over national broadcaster, one wonders if the cure is in proportion with the illness. The national broadcasters are always accused of being partisan to ruler of the day. But this punishment may also effect the teaching role of the broadcasters on development and human rights. May be the root cause is that MACRA the media watchdog is doing a very poor job!

Some political analysts have noted that chairman of the United Democratic Front UDF Dr Bakili Muluzi risks splitting the party if he continues clinging to his ambitions of being the party's presidential candidate. Muluzi who is sidelining executive members of the UDF could cause divisions in the party. Already those that were willing to stand as presidential candidates shelved their ambitions after Muluzi who is the sole financier of the party announced his intention of coming back as president of this country. There have been talks of looking for Muluzi's running mate outside the party. Does this mean Muluzi cannot trust the present members of his party? One thing is sure the party could be heading for disaster. History has shown that some members left the UDF when Muluzi was clinging to power by trying to change the constitution so that he could be allowed stand for a third term.

Recent press reports have disclosed that the UDF is planning to hold a convention in November. Finally party members will have a daunting task of choosing the presidential candidate at such a gathering. But there also have been other reports showing that Muluzi is intending to change some sections of the UDF constitution so that it suits his ambitions. Muluzi who is planning to stand in the 2009 general elections is alleged to try and rape the party's constitution for his own benefit but at the expense of other members. This scenario has resulted into other members in the party to resort to the courts. Perhaps what Muluzi needs to do is consult with his members to avoid splitting the party further.

Both members of the UDF executive and the general public have expressed concerns over Vice President Cassimu Chilupha's absence at some of the party's functions. It has raised mixed feelings as some people feel Chilumpha who is also the Vice President of the UDF is deliberately keeping his distance from the party. Others have said Chilumpha is bitter because during a recent meeting Muluzi appointed some members into the executive committee and the Veep was not given any position. Muluzi's recent trip to Nkhotakota the home district of Chilumpha is evidence of the man's absenteeism at party functions. Could this mean Chilumpha is drifting away from the party or is he being sidelined?

Barely some days after the 2007/2009 national budget was passed president Bingu wa Mutharika closed down the National Assembly to the dismay of the opposition parties. Mutharika justified his decision to close parliament to stop members from wasting more money. Reports have shown that the recent sitting of parliament saw government spending close to K309 million. Mutharika further argued that there is no point in members continuing with the deliberation because it has proved too difficult for both sides of the house to agree on anything. It should be noted that the opposition had earlier on expressed their fears of the House being adjourned after the budget has been passed. Now they have been proved right. The opposition in the August House have always wanted to tackle the Section 65 issue. They feel they have been given a raw deal because government did not fulfil its earlier promise by discussing section 65 issues immediately after the budget. Meanwhile the opposition have vowed to revenge. Whatever this means.

Political analysts have warned that the recent appointments in the Malawi Congress Party MCP put the party at a great risk of becoming a regional party. President of the party Honourable John Tembo who comes from the central region appointed Rescipiscious Dzanjalimodzi and Benson Majoni as Publicity Secretary and Secretary General respectively. Both Dzanjalimodzi and Majoni are Chewa by tribe and come from the central region. Analysts have raised fears that the MCP might lose people's trust in the other remaining regions and they could start believing the party has started showing signs of tribalism. Although the party could claim that it has structures all over the country, it needs to do soul searching so that it does not fall into the same trap as the Alliance for Democracy AFORD.

ECONOMY

A Shocker! After spending some months without hearing of fuel increases the Petroleum Pricing Commission PPC announced new prices for fuel. This is what some people had predicted would come considering the long time it has taken to have such an adjustment. It is common knowledge that every time the prices of fuel are hiked some traders also increase the prices of their goods and services. For instance public transport operators automatically increased. It is announced that the prices of minibuses have been raised by 20%.

Following the announcement of fuel increases some organisations have expressed their concerns in the media. The Malawi Economic Justice Network MEJN feels the increase has happened at a wrong time when government has just raised the salaries of civil servants. This will mean part of the increased salary being used in the just revised prices of transport resulting from the fuel increases. So there will be no real change as it is going to be difficult to appreciate the salary increase. On the same note the Malawi Congress for Trade Unions MCTU has advised government to at least consider using part of the debt relief money in subsidising the prices of fuel. Perhaps if the money that government has saved by not servicing its debt could be put to such good use it will help Malawians enjoy the fruits of debt cancellation by accessing cheaper public services like transport. Reports have also disclosed that it is only the price of paraffin that has not been affected by the increase.

Some observers have noted that although the country's tax system is simply the best in Africa, there is a lot that needs to be done so that people enjoy the service. According to Goodall Gondwe who is the Finance Minister, Malawi is the only country that has a number of people that do not pay tax. Although a lot of taxpayers do not live a comfortable life calls to widen the tax margin of the low-income earners has always landed on deaf ears. The very same people that earn small amounts of money are the ones that feel the pangs of tax unlike those that receive a lot of money.

According to the August press reports the inflation rate has continued to go down. Thanks to the availability of maize the staple has become much cheaper and so influences the level of inflation strongly. This has greatly contributed to the current status of the inflation. Reports show that the inflation has currently gone down by 0.2%. It went down from 7.4% to 7.2 %. Experts have also predicted that the inflation rate will continue to go down further if the prices of food continue to decrease. However some critics feel the good inflation rate that has been announced is government spin because the situation on the ground does not change much except for maize. Other Non Governmental Organisations have also questioned the authenticity of such figures when the prices of basic needs have not decreased. But the National Statistics Office NSO has insisted that the figure is a true reflection of what is happening.

FOOD SECURITY

As the country is enjoying two successive years of bumper harvest, government has put in place a system that would make sure that Malawi continues to be a food secure country. With reports of food scarcity in some districts the National Food Reserve Agency NFRA announced that it is buying maize for the national silos. According to reports NFRA is buying the maize, which is going to be used when need arises. The agency feels there is need to have food in abundance so that Malawi does not experience the 2001/2002 food shortage once again. Although records have shown that Malawi exported 400,000 metric tonnes of maize to Zimbabwe food analysts are still confident that there is enough food surplus in the country.

Some observers have noted that despite the fact that people in the lakeshore areas might have a lot of fish for consumption, the situation is not good enough to call Malawi a food sufficient nation. Even if there was plenty of fish in people's homes it would not be a good reason to think that Malawi has defeated hunger. Former president Dr Bakili Muluzi questioned the construction of maize silos in Mangochi, which he said is a district that relies on fish. In Mangochi many people are in the fishing business. But traditional leaders have said maize is very important to the people in the district because it still remains the staple food for Malawi. On the same note experts have indicated that Malawi needs regional silos that would easily cater for people in all the three regions in times of hunger.

With a few weeks to the next growing season press reports on food security have given hope to the farmers over the prices of fertilizers. The coming in of a Taiwanese company called Coin-Tech at Kanengo in Lilongwe is expected to give farmers high hopes of accessing cheap fertilizers easily. As the company will use some of the materials that are found locally it is giving hope that the prices of fertilizers are going to be cheaper. A 50-kilogramme bag of fertilizer is sold at almost K4000.00 but people have to part with K850 to purchase a subsidised bag. The selling of the commodity at low prices would in one-way boost maize production. It should be noted however that chemicals only are the solutions. Some other, more sustainable ways need to be continued, to complement and eventually replace much of the fertilizer now used.

In preparing for this coming growing season reports disclosed 90,000 metric tonnes of fertilizers is going to be available. Coming from a year of coupon systems that was highly criticised, government is in a process of printing more coupons. Again this year's coupon distribution is going to be administered by students and village headmen, excluding the chiefs. This is one way of ensuring that there are no cases of favouritism in the distribution of fertilisers Last year's fertilizer subsidy programme was rocked with so many hiccups ranging from scarcity to theft. Opposition Members of Parliament took government to task over the way the whole exercise was handled.

CIVIL SOCIETY AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS

The civil society worked to the bone to make sure that Members of Parliament pass the 2007/2008 budget. For the first time the budget sitting of parliament lasted 4 months with the Speaker adjourning the House for more than 4 times. As watchdogs the civil society uttered statements that in a way could be said to have made the legislators pass the budget. Among other things some organisations went a step further to show their frustrations over the delays in passing the budget by camping near Late Kamuzu Banda's grave. The press also carried some press statements made by organisations like the Civil Liberties Committee CILIC that exhorted Members of Parliament to pass the budget. Now that the budget has passed the opposition awaits the same support the civil society showed to government. The Opposition would want the NGOs to be vocal in fighting for the Section 65 issue to be dealt with.

Some civil society organisations have added their weight in speaking against the immediate closing down of parliament. President Bingu wa Mutharika prorogued parliament barely some days after the National Assembly had passed the 2007/2008 budget. This turn up of events has left some parliamentarians mainly the opposition thinking of finding ways of making government pay for this. Press reports have shown that both sides of the House had agreed to tackle Section 65 soon after passing the budget. Now that the House has been closed before that is done, the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation CHRR has advised government to recall the House so that parliamentarians discuss Section 65.

Although the Mutharika administration has been praised for its good performance in the economy sector, some organisations still think government can do better in the way it has handled the judiciary. The civil society cautioned government over the way it has dealt with some of the judgements that came from the courts. In recent months it was reported that some judges were harassed emotionally and verbally by some of the officials in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party DPP. Despite swearing that he would defend the country's constitution, Mutharika is seen to be doing the opposite. It would have been proper if judges were given freedom to do their jobs.

The revelation that Malawi is not improving in as far as corruption is concerned is very disappointing to the Mutharika administration. President Mutharika made it clear that he would not condone corruption but recent events have indicated the opposite. Transparency International disclosed that Malawi is sinking deeper and deeper in corruption. This does not reflect a good picture of the current administration, but the same applies to all citizens who are indulging in corrupt practices. People expected the levels of corruption to go down because the president had promised a zero tolerance on corruption. But to the surprise of many corruption levels have gone higher in the past three years. There is a lot that the Mutharika administrating ought to do in the fight against corruption if they are to win back the people's confidence.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE

Despite the fight against child employment press reports have shown that a number of children in Phalombe are leaving the district. Malawi as one of the poorest countries has greatly been affected by child labour because people always want cheap labour. The effects of such a set up have left many children in Phalombe to trek to other districts to work in tobacco estates. Many families resort to sending their children to work in estates to make ends meet. Along the same lines some traders take advantage of this situation to make gains with these innocent poor children. This is where the issue of human trafficking comes in as traders allegedly resell the children to other people who are alleged to be operating brothels. Against this background some organisations like the Centre For Social Concern are sensitising the masses on human trafficking issues.

It seems some people are tired with witchcraft cases in their areas and have resorted to taking the law in their own hands. This is evidenced by reports that a suspected witch at Biwi in Lilongwe was stoned to death. This is not an isolated case as other cases involve houses of suspected witches being torched. People do this because they are don't fully understand what is happening and are full of fear. The fact that they are most o the times devoted Christians further complicates the situation. There is need for concerted efforts from both the religious groups and all stakeholders if the practice is to be eradicated.

Some experts have noted that the increasing number of land dispute cases has come about because of overpopulation in some areas. As families are getting bigger and bigger the areas become overpopulated but the land that people have at their disposal remains the same. To many villagers land ownership is a sign of wealth but then if one keeps all land to himself even if plenty-full the results have been disputes with others. Against this background the Young Politicians Union trained chiefs in Traditional Authority Malili in Lilongwe on conflict resolution management. As people who handle land dispute cases the traditional leaders certainly need such training.

Although the Ministry of Health recently conducted a one-week of Voluntary Testing and Counselling VCT, press reports have shown that the youth still need to be encouraged to go for testing. The youth who make up more than half of the country's population should certainly be encouraged to go for testing if we are to have an Aids free future generation. In this regard Senior Chief Kachindamoto of Dedza has urged the youth in her area to always go for VCT. Kachindamoto stresses the need for youngsters to comply. Earlier reports had shown that not too many men go for VCT.

Some experts have noted that it is not proper for chiefs who were once convicted to continue being heads of villages. Following reports of some chiefs being convicted of breaking the law, a political scientist from Chancellor College feels there is need to dethrone such traditional leaders. Experience has shown that not too many people would respect a former convict as their leader. Similarly it is very difficult for people to trust a leader who was once on the wrong side of the law.

EDUCATION

Although the education sector is one part of the civil service that employs a good number of staff, latest evidence has shown that it is still struggling with shortage of teachers. With this background government's efforts to have Education For All EFA are reported to be facing problems. For sure there is no way pupils can know how to read and write if there is no teacher. On the same note September press coverage also indicated that a good number of teachers are dying of AIDS. Death of such teachers is also contributing to the many days that other teachers have to spend attending sick colleagues and eventually funerals. At the same time the ministry has to deal with the fact that the students have to continue learning even when the number of teachers is going down. This problem needs an urgent solution.

Press reports have revealed that a good number of children with disabilities are not in school. According to Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi FEDOMA, 35% of disabled children are not in school. Much as government has all the will to have every child sent to school, there is need for parents to do their part. It calls for concerted efforts from all stakeholders if the problem is to be eradicated. Parents should also be encouraged to send such children to school.

It seems the cries about shortages of teaching and learning materials have fallen on deaf ears. The trimming down of the allocation to funding for special needs is evidence to this. Last month newspapers revealed that many students are failing to have access to education because of shortage of learning and teaching materials. Now the 2007/2008 national budget slashed the allocation for the special needs education. It is very surprising if the ministry would manage its goals in educating the masses if this section is given such small amounts of money. If with last year's allocation the education sector had shortages of materials it remains questionable whether the ministry will manage with the trimmed allocation.

As the secondary school students sat for their 2007 Junior Certificate examinations, the Malawi National Examinations Board MANEB disclosed that cheating among candidates seems to have lessened. In the late 1990s cases of cheating during examinations was the order of the day. But recent reports have shown that this trend has changed and candidates are solely depending on what they learnt in class. If the situation on the ground is what the examination board says then Malawi's education standards could possibly improve for the better. It is only people who pass their examination without cheating that can make good managers and leaders.

HEALTH

Malawi's hopes of attaining the World Health Organisation recommendations seem to sink lower every year when the latest media reports indicate there are only two doctors, 56 nurses and 58 health providers for 100,000 inhabitants. The World Health organisation recommends 20 doctors, 100 nurses and 228 health providers for the same number of people. Half of the small number of medical doctors in Malawi performs their work in urban and semi-urban areas leaving the rural areas with severe shortage.

An old wise saying says 'a sound mind in a sound body', which means Malawi cannot fare well in any field when most of its citizens are unhealthy. Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV related diseases are multiplying without a strong challenge, without a visible solution. The future of Malawi like of any other nation lies in the hands of its children. But when one reads the latest media reports claiming there are 82 babies born HIV positive everyday in the country, one wonders whether Malawians are serious enough in the fight against the pandemic.

An SOS message coming from Ekwendeni Mission Hospital in northern Malawi ought to receive urgent attention from well-wishers in view of the magnificent work it is doing. The hospital needs K7.5 million for renovating staff houses and K2.5 for extending the maternity wing. September media reports indicate the hospital caters for a catchment area of 600 square kilometres with a population of over 50,000 and serves a referral population of 220,000. It has an Orthopaedic Centre, which makes artificial limbs at affordable prices. The Orthopaedic Centre is only second in Malawi to the one at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre. If this isn't splendid work worth supporting, then one wonders what is!

A wakeup call to the Malawi government to take immediate steps to deal efficiently with the victims bitten by rabid dogs requires no further reminder. The cause for worry here is not the scarcity of the vaccine but rather the long procedure it takes to bring the victims to the health centres. It is during the process of travelling to and fro that patients often lose their lives. Malawi where illiteracy and economic levels are very low needs to prioritise requirements of its citizens, and the faster this is done the better for us all.

Recent reports that male circumcision is a safeguard against acquiring HIV and Aids have been misunderstood by some people who are hurrying to circumcise children. The result is that the wounds so infected take long to heal and sometimes force the doctors to amputate the genitals. It is clear here that the law must take its course when some people forcefully circumcise boys against their will. And if the circumcision must at all costs take place, those who know how must do it.

Latest media reports say the world has achieved a record decline of under-five mortality rate of 9.7 million from 13 million in 2000. Malawi too has its share and has reason to celebrate because its under-five mortality rate stands at 29 deaths per 100 live. In addition to this report another decline in the mortality of children under the age of five as indicated in a 2006 survey stands at 104 to 69 per 1,000 live births. This is encouraging news and gives a hopeful glimpse into the future that despite huge challenges Malawi can still attain some of its Millennium Development Goals.

ENVIRONMENT

Press reports in August disclosed some good news on Malawi's efforts in making sure that the air is not contaminated by ozone depleting substances. Among other things the country's environmentalists were lobbying for the phasing out of hydrochloroflurocarbon and methyl bromide in the tobacco industry. The use of the two substances was successfully phased out as tobacco farmers now have some new ways of treating their tobacco. Similarly the use of refrigerators with gases that contaminate the ozone layer has been reduced according to reports. The importation of such fridges and air conditioners has greatly been minimised. It is not surprising that an international organization has applauded Malawi for all these efforts. It is worth to note that Malawi has been recognised for these efforts alongside Nigeria and Mauritius.

As the majority of Malawians continue to use charcoal and firewood for fuel some organisations have called for Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi ESCOM to consider introducing prepaid meters. They have noted that many households would prefer to use electricity for both cooking and lighting but the cost is expensive. At the same time some households find difficulties in looking for firewood because it is becoming scarce. The use of firewood has now and again not been favoured by environmentalists who feel it should be discouraged because it encourages deforestation. Again the long effects of the soot that women inhale when cooking with firewood are also a cause for concern.

Other communities should surely emulate the good example that people surrounding Mulanje and Michesi mountains have set in safeguarding products from the two mountains. After realising that if not guarded the products from the mountain forests would vanish completely the inhabitants came up with a programme that would ensure that the trees are not carelessly cut. The involvement of the police in guarding the forest would perhaps scare off some people with evil intentions. This would at least keep the mountains covered for a while.

GENDER

Press reports on gender in the month under review have disclosed that although more than half of the country's women are abused very few report their cases. Much as gender activists would want the abusers to be brought to book evidence has shown that only 4% of all the victims report their cases to the Police. All this is happening despite the fact that a Prevention of Domestic Violence law was passed in the National Assembly in May 2006. What is more painful is the fact that more and more women continue to suffer at the hands of their husbands with 68% being abused sexually. It is time for women to open up and report on such issues.

Some observers have expressed concern over the SADC leaders' failure to sign a protocol on gender and development. At a SADC meeting that was held in Lusaka Zambia national leaders failed to sign the protocol that would have seen more women empowered. Evidence has shown that although the SADC leaders had agreed in 1997 to have 30% of women in decision-making positions by the year 2010, ten years down the line the dream is far from being achieved. Now the women organisations from SADC member states would want to have their targets, which they want to achieve by the year 2015. This time around the women have targeted to achieve 50% of women representation in decision-making positions. All this could just be a mere dream because the leaders did not sign the protocol.

Another Malawian woman has made the country and fellow women proud by grabbing a top job at the ActionAid international. Just when the country is dreaming of having 30% of women in decision-making positions by the year 2010. Action Aid International in Kenya has appointed Julita Nsanjama who will be looking after Tanzania and Nigeria' girls education programmes. Her appointment is a source of inspiration to some other women. Indeed Juliet Nsanjama is a role model to girls who look forward to becoming leaders.

Press reports on gender have disclosed that the status of women in Malawi continues to worsen despite many efforts by government to turn things around. Malawi's involvement in signing many various notable declarations that advocate for gender equality seem not to have had an impact on women in the country. Observers have noted that the status of women is very pathetic, as every day seems to come out with new forms of domestic violence. The level of domestic violence continues to get higher a thing that leads to many women having their rights violated.

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