Apparently, Bingu wa Mutharika is not the learned fellow we all thought he is. An economist by training, Malawi’s once highly esteemed president has shown himself to be anything but the bright spark we tend to ascribe to holders of PhD degrees in Development Economics. It is a dubious distinction, I am told.
In any event, bright sparks are not known for taking a nation two steps forward only to take it ten steps backwards. It runs counter-current to so called development economics which are premised on sustaining growth; not reversing it.
All things considered then, it would seem that the president has not benefitted Malawi’s economic development in any way, shape or form. Instead, he has unleashed a reign of terror on the peace-loving citizens of the warm heart of Africa. Malawians who endured decades of iron fisted rule under Hastings Kamuzu Banda, have to do it all over again as they face heightened repression under Mutharika. International condemnation has come thick and fast starting with the suspension of aid by Britain.
All is not well in Malawi as fear and anxiety grip the nation amid speculation that August 17 will see yet another round of violent protests. Already 19 people have died in the last protests on July 20. Unmoved by the tragedy, an unrepentant Mutharika has vowed to “smoke out” those behind the protests. The president remains deaf to the cries of the nation and blind to the plight of his people. By all accounts, it seems the tyrant has made a pact with the devil. He has chosen to flirt with death itself.
In a season of popular uprisings which have seen the overthrow of dictatorships notably in Egypt and Tunisia, it is pertinent that Malawians should use this time to reflect on the change they want to see in their country. It is an opportune moment to take stock of the last 47 years of independence and ask why they find themselves more or less in the same place they were during Banda’s three decades in power. To replace a Kamuzu Banda with a Bingu Wa Mutharika is nothing short of a classical exercise in insanity — doing the same thing every single time and expecting different results.
For decades Malawians lived up to their stereotype as a meek and pliant people. It was a stereotype entrenched in their psyche by a culture of oppression and political isolation. It is a much different world now; a world of satellite television, Facebook and Twitter. A world where dissent is relayed in kilobytes per second at lightning speeds across the globe. A world where sentiment is digitised and protest movements are mobilised in less time than it takes to convene a town hall meeting. It is a world undergoing dramatic change; the kind of change the likes of Bingu fear and yet underestimate. The kind of change whose force the people dare not underestimate lest they be thrust back into the clutches of dictatorship. It is a world Malawians inhabit and must embrace wholeheartedly so that they can be assured of a better future.
In April this year, Africa bade goodbye to Ivorian strongman Laurent Gbagbo after he was captured from his underground hideout in the presidential palace. Shortly after his capture, Gbagbo appeared in a white vest sweating profusely and looking disoriented. He was displayed like a hunted animal in a show of humiliation that could have been avoided. It was an undignified scene. Others have fared much worse. Next door to Ivory Coast, Samuel Doe of Liberia suffered a much terrible fate in 1990 when upon his capture, he was tortured and assassinated. His corpse was then mutilated and paraded about town in a wheelbarrow. That is hardly a fitting way for a leader to bid farewell.
Mutharika need not tempt fate. History is replete with examples of the terrible demise meted against power mongers who saw the writing on the wall but chose to ignore its warnings. Malawians soon to be engulfed in the coming tsunami of the double dip recession, will no doubt restrain their pent up fury. After all, they are a people not given to a culture of violence. Without the restraint however, it is feared that the end of those bent on restraining their freedom and prosperity, could be brutal. Given all of this, we can only hope and pray that the learned fellow in the presidential palace will of necessity, redeem himself, correctly interpret the mood of the people and muster the resolve to do the right thing. The wrong thing is just too ghastly to contemplate.
Source: http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/jeremiahkure/2011/08/10/malawi-on-the-precipice-too-ghastly-to-contemplate/
Showing posts with label Democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Democracy. Show all posts
Friday, August 12, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Demo Post Mortem by Rajik Hajat, IPI
I am proud to report that Civil Society in Blantyre had no hand in the riots, looting and violence that ensued during our 'peaceful' demonstration.
It was provoked by Political parties who seized the opportunity to hijack our peaceful march and turn it into a battleground by misdirecting the crowd,
I also hold the following people responsible because:
a) Chiza Mbekeani who applied for the injunction to prevent us from demonstrating for reasons best known to himself;
b) The lawyer who applied for that injunction was later found to be unregistered in Malawi and thus not eligible to apply for injunctions; This should be investigated and punished!
c) The Judge (Kachale) who granted the ex parte injunction at night without checking into the salient facts and/or the eligibility of the applicants; This should be investigated and punished!
d) The Police - for setting up road blocks in various locations to deter people from coming for the demo thereby raising temperature from the start.
e) The Police - for preventing the pickup carrying our PA system from entering into town - thereby denying us the means with which to communicate with the crowd and exert control;
f) The Police - for keeping us bottled up on Victoria Ave for 5 hours in the hot sun without food or water, because of an alleged injunction which did not bear our names and was never served on us. As a result the initial good humour of the crowd soon turned ugly and uncontrollable;
g) The Political Parties - who tried to hijack the peaceful demonstration by whipping the crowd into a frenzy and misdirecting them into a confrontation with the Police that soon became a battleground; It was a disgusting spectacle and visibly demonstrated to me why our beloved country is suffering in this way. There will be no hope unless these parties cease to be 'personality driven' and change their modus operandi completely. Otherwise, we are well and truly doomed to another 50 years of the same treatment we've suffered for the last 47 years and our children will chant the same litany - hunger, disease, envy, and the inexorable dehumanization that has robbed us of our dignity.
Today I have been keeping track of the incidents taking place in Bt, and I can truthfully swear innocence for the despicable acts that have taken place. It appears that these 'thugs' have been incited by the DPP to destabilise Malawi into such a sens of insecurity that the President can declare a state of emergency and thus continue to rule with even more powers than he can presently wield. What a tragedy!
Which goes to show that the demonstration was not an end in itself, but rather the beginning of a long turbulent, tiresome, trek to regain the human dignity that has been lost by every Malawian!
--
Rafiq Hajat
IPI
It was provoked by Political parties who seized the opportunity to hijack our peaceful march and turn it into a battleground by misdirecting the crowd,
I also hold the following people responsible because:
a) Chiza Mbekeani who applied for the injunction to prevent us from demonstrating for reasons best known to himself;
b) The lawyer who applied for that injunction was later found to be unregistered in Malawi and thus not eligible to apply for injunctions; This should be investigated and punished!
c) The Judge (Kachale) who granted the ex parte injunction at night without checking into the salient facts and/or the eligibility of the applicants; This should be investigated and punished!
d) The Police - for setting up road blocks in various locations to deter people from coming for the demo thereby raising temperature from the start.
e) The Police - for preventing the pickup carrying our PA system from entering into town - thereby denying us the means with which to communicate with the crowd and exert control;
f) The Police - for keeping us bottled up on Victoria Ave for 5 hours in the hot sun without food or water, because of an alleged injunction which did not bear our names and was never served on us. As a result the initial good humour of the crowd soon turned ugly and uncontrollable;
g) The Political Parties - who tried to hijack the peaceful demonstration by whipping the crowd into a frenzy and misdirecting them into a confrontation with the Police that soon became a battleground; It was a disgusting spectacle and visibly demonstrated to me why our beloved country is suffering in this way. There will be no hope unless these parties cease to be 'personality driven' and change their modus operandi completely. Otherwise, we are well and truly doomed to another 50 years of the same treatment we've suffered for the last 47 years and our children will chant the same litany - hunger, disease, envy, and the inexorable dehumanization that has robbed us of our dignity.
Today I have been keeping track of the incidents taking place in Bt, and I can truthfully swear innocence for the despicable acts that have taken place. It appears that these 'thugs' have been incited by the DPP to destabilise Malawi into such a sens of insecurity that the President can declare a state of emergency and thus continue to rule with even more powers than he can presently wield. What a tragedy!
Which goes to show that the demonstration was not an end in itself, but rather the beginning of a long turbulent, tiresome, trek to regain the human dignity that has been lost by every Malawian!
--
Rafiq Hajat
IPI
Malawi: Arab Spring Spreading South of the Sahara?
Written by Steve Sharra
It's winter in Africa, south of the Equator, but the temperature in Malawi feels more like Spring - particularly that of the recent Arab pedigree. The Malawian air is rife with tension and anxiety over what is expected to be a clash between civil society and the Malawi government on Wednesday July 20, 2011.
Civil society activists have set that date as a day for the beginning of a series of mass demonstrations aimed at expressing their displeasure with the Malawian leadership.
Rife with tension
Malawi is currently undergoing a severe fuel shortage, which began at the beginning of June, one of a recurrent number of crippling shortages since 2009. The country has had severe foreign exchange (forex) shortages, at a time when it is supposed to have plenty of from tobacco sales, currently in season.
On Thursday, July 14, the British Government announced [2] it had stopped giving budgetary support to the Malawi government, citing concerns with the suppression of demonstrations, the intimidation of civil society organisations, and an injunctions bill that prevents citizens from obtaining court injunctions against the government.
The British Government also said Malawi’s currency, the Kwacha, was overvalued, resulting in chronic forex shortages “which are having a serious impact on the Malawian private sector’s ability to drive future growth. There are now daily fuel queues, tobacco exports have deteriorated and Malawi is off-track with its IMF programme.” The IMF has also suspended its support to the Malawi government.
The political landscape has been tense since December 2010 when the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expelled [3] the Right Honorable Joyce Banda, the country's vice president, for what is widely believed to be a ploy for President Bingu wa Mutharika to pave a political path for his brother, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika. The vice president has since formed her own party [4], although officially she remains in her government position.
President Bingu wa Mutharika has recently signed law bills that have been met with widespread criticism and resistance, including one empowering the Minister of Information to ban any publication [5] deemed not to be in the public interest. A more recent law makes it impossible for individuals to obtain a court injunction [6] and seek judicial redress against the government.
The University of Malawi [7] has had two of its constituent colleges, Chancellor College and The Polytechnic, shut down [8] since February 2011 when lecturers started refusing to enter classrooms for fear of spies. The saga started in February this year when the Inspector General of Police, Peter Mukhito, summoned a Chancellor College political science lecturer, Dr Blessings Chinsinga, to question him for mentioning the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt during a lecture.
The University of Malawi governing council is currently engaged in a court battle with the Chancellor College Academic Staff Union (CCASU), who are challenging the Council's firing of four Chancellor College lecturers, including Dr Chinsinga and Dr Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula, the union's acting president.
Fear of violent protests
There are fears that the July 20 mass demonstrations may turn violent. Supporters of President wa Mutharika and the DPP have announced a counter-demonstration on the same day. There are reports that 800 police officers are being specially trained to stop the demonstrations “with zero casualties” according to online newspaper Malawi Voice [9].
On Thursday July 14, the United States Embassy in Malawi issued an alert to US citizens in Malawi about about the demonstrations and the possibility that they could turn ugly. Titled “Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens – Possible Demonstrations”, the alert first appeared [10] on the discussion site Nyasanet on Friday, and later on the online newspaper Nyasatimes [11].
One member on the Nyasanet forum observed [12] that the mere fact that the US Embassy issued such a statement meant that there was something serious brewing underground:
The Statement from the US Embassy means that the Chief of Station (Head of the CIA in Malawi) has done his/her homework. They are rarely off target.
As the air grew tense with the countdown to Wednesday, there were reports on Sunday [13], which first surfaced on a Google forum, that a vehicle belonging to Zodiak Broadcasting Station [14], an independent radio station, had its windows smashed by men wearing face masks.
Much of the news of the demonstration has appeared online, whereas the government's response has used state media with government spokespersons holding press conferences on television and radio stations. A Facebook event page [15] has been created for the demonstrations with the title ‘DEMO YA TIYENI TONSE PA 20 JULY', roughly translating as a demonstration of one and all on 20 July. As of writing, 2,422 people have indicated they will attend the demonstration; the date on the event's page says 20 October instead of the July 20 event that everyone is talking about.
The Facebook page gives a detailed description of when and where people should assemble for the demonstrations, a programme that has appeared in other online newspapers [16] and in print newspapers. Comments on the page range from the biblical to the profane.
A Bible-quoting commenter writes [17]:
There4,let us follow aftar the things dat mek 4 peace & things by which 1 may edify another” Roman 14:19
One bordering on the profane goes [18]:
It's our right to demonstrate, that is the only way we can ring a bell in to an obstinate and gullible this stupid fool called ngwazi. Let us show him that Malawi does not belong to one tribe neither his family, gogogogogo! DEMO.
Another comment sounds rather militant [19]:
It Has to be done…Malawians Stand Up and Be Counted! No One Should Abuse Our Hard Fought For Freedom!
A more reflective commenter quotes [20] Nelson Mandela:
It always seems imposible until its done-Nelson mandela.
Interest in the impending mass action appears to be spreading outside Malawi. A Malawian landing at Kamuzu International Airport on Sunday posted on their Facebook page [21] about a group of foreign journalists aboard the same plane they were on:
Had a contingent of foreign media in the same flight this afternoon coming into Lilongwe, looks like the Demos have attracted the attention on the international media!” One passenger even asked a question the Malawian chose not to answer: “Some one asked me, is it true Malawians are changing regime on 20th July? I didnt give hima any answer.
But an observer of Malawian politics posted on Twitter about there not seeming to be a lot of international media attention on the looming demonstrations: “still nothing shows up in international news feeds on upcoming #Malawi demonstrations #20July”.
The Twitter hashtag for the demonstration is #20July [22], says @chiume [23].
Response from the top
President wa Mutharika appears to have been aware of the mood amongst many Malawians, and has been planning a response. On arrival from a trip to the United States towards the end of June, he announced that he was going to give a public lecture, in which he would address the many concerns Malawians are expressing.
No date was set for the public lecture, but immediately as the organizers of the July 20 demonstration announced their date, government announced the same date of July 20 for the public lecture. Government spokesperson Honorable Vuwa Kaunda, Minister of Information and Civic Education, and presidential spokesperson Dr Heatherwick Ntaba held a press conference, urging Malawians not to go to the demonstration, but to the president's lecture instead.
Among the many reasons the two cited as to why Malawians need to listen to the president, Hon. Vuwa Kaunda performed his trademark praise song to President wa Mutharika, listing the many achievements of the DPP-led government. Hon Kaunda has become known for rattling off, in rapid style, President wa Mutharika's achievements: an end to chronicle food shortages, new tarred roads across the length of the country, six new universities being planned for the next ten years, new parliament building, a new five star hotel and international conference center in the capital city Lilongwe, and Nsanje World Inland port connecting Malawi to the Indian Ocean, among others.
Up to until his re-election to a second term in May 2009, President Bingu wa Mutharika enjoyed broad support locally, and wide admiration abroad. Civil society activists held demonstrations in support of his policies against a majority opposition which was seen as only bent on frustrating his development plans. He introduced a farm input subsidy, which is credited for having turned Malawi from a food importer to a food exporter. He was Malawi's first president to become chairperson of the African Union for the year 2010, a development that added to his international credentials which earned him attention on the front pages of major newspapers in the United States [25], Britain [26] and elsewhere [27]. There was renewed hope and pride amongst many Malawians, and President wa Mutharika was seen as the new face of a new Africa.
Compared with the mood in the country today, a lot has changed in a space of two years. A Malawian development economist observed [28] on Nyasanet in May this year:
I was at the world economic forum last month. Only two years [ago] bingu was a hero. Now Malawi was a source of bewilderment.
In an attempt to dissuade Malawians from attending Wednesday's planned demonstrations, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation has carried news bulletins, on three consecutive evenings, claiming that Malawians are being duped about the demonstrations, whose real aim, the state broadcaster claims, is to show support for gay rights, for which civil society groups have received millions of kwacha. The bulletins have been saying organizers of the demonstrations want to use photographs of demonstrators to show to donors that Malawians support gay rights and same-sex marriages.
Reactions to the government's story have been derided as bordering on the desperate. One reaction posted on Twitter [29] said:
Malawians urged not to listen to MBC TV & Radio on 20 July - coz of its tendency to misinform in news coverage
Another tweet [30] sought to identify a possible irony in a television anchor's attire:
MBC TB news anchor, Nyang'wa in a red tie - maybe in some dress rehearsal for the July 20 demo (dress attire is red)
On February 14 earlier this year civil society organizations planned a demonstration to protest against fuel shortages, but it was stopped by police. According to online newspaper Malawi Voice, the demonstrators were hugely outnumbered by the police [31], who were over 250, against a few dozen protesters, numbering about 30, according to print newspaper The Nation [32].
The leader of that foiled demonstration, Mabvuto Bamusi, has since made a 180 degree turn. He is now frequently invited on national television to provide analysis and commentary that supports government and lambasts his former colleagues in civil society.
Article sourced from Global Voices: http://globalvoicesonline.org
URL to article: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/07/19/malawi-arab-spring-spreading-south-of-the-sahara/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169916843073956
[2] announced: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Press-releases/2011/Government-to-suspend-general-budget-support-to-Malawi/
[3] expelled: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/12/21/malawi-citizens-take-on-vice-presidents-dismissal/
[4] her own party: http://www.nyasatimes.com/politics/malawi%E2%80%99s-vp-socialist-party-launches-in-march.html
[5] ban any publication: http://www.misa.org/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?category=2&id=1303122817
[6] court injunction: http://www.nationmw.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22790:bingu-signs-injunctions-bill&catid=1:national-news&Itemid=3
[7] University of Malawi: http://www.unima.mw/
[8] shut down: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/04/14/a-blog-post-that-closed-the-university-of-malawi/
[9] Malawi Voice: http://www.malawivoice.com/latest-news/800-police-officers-undergoing-special-training-to-counter-20th-july-demonstrations-as-mdf-waits-in-wings/
[10] first appeared: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A2=NYASANET;abb904c6.1107C
[11] Nyasatimes: http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/americans-warned-of-malawi-demo.html
[12] observed: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A2=NYASANET;47f3ca3.1107C
[13] reports on Sunday: http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/zodiak-car-smashed-by-bingu-thugs.html
[14] Zodiak Broadcasting Station: http://zodiakmalawi.com/zbs%20malawi/
[15] Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=169916843073956
[16] online newspapers: http://www.malawidemocrat.com/national/programme-of-july-20-demonstrations/
[17] writes: https://www.facebook.com/penjani.gondwe/posts/172021052863535
[18] goes: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=172046599527647&id=100000106964805
[19] militant: https://www.facebook.com/Ngwizzy/posts/172039956194978
[20] quotes: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=171942982871342&id=100002368908313
[21] posted on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150234330889094&id=522839093
[22] #20July: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=+%2320July
[23] @chiume: https://twitter.com/#!/chiume/status/92695188207706113
[24] Image: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/07/19/malawi-arab-spring-spreading-south-of-the-sahara/malawi1-4/
[25] United States: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/world/africa/02malawi.html
[26] Britain: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/81059fb4-0e02-11dc-8219-000b5df10621.html
[27] elsewhere: http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol22no3/223-harvest-of-hope.html
[28] observed: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A2=NYASANET;96c316cc.1105D
[29] posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Malawi2014/status/92645360350146560
[30] tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/Malawi2014/status/92658583682031616
[31] outnumbered by the police: http://www.malawivoice.com/latest-news/malawians-not-keen-on-fuel-protest-police-out-number-protesters/
[32] The Nation: http://www.nationmw.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14460:malawi-police-foil-fuel-protest&catid=1:national-news&Itemid=3
It's winter in Africa, south of the Equator, but the temperature in Malawi feels more like Spring - particularly that of the recent Arab pedigree. The Malawian air is rife with tension and anxiety over what is expected to be a clash between civil society and the Malawi government on Wednesday July 20, 2011.
Civil society activists have set that date as a day for the beginning of a series of mass demonstrations aimed at expressing their displeasure with the Malawian leadership.
Rife with tension
Malawi is currently undergoing a severe fuel shortage, which began at the beginning of June, one of a recurrent number of crippling shortages since 2009. The country has had severe foreign exchange (forex) shortages, at a time when it is supposed to have plenty of from tobacco sales, currently in season.
On Thursday, July 14, the British Government announced [2] it had stopped giving budgetary support to the Malawi government, citing concerns with the suppression of demonstrations, the intimidation of civil society organisations, and an injunctions bill that prevents citizens from obtaining court injunctions against the government.
The British Government also said Malawi’s currency, the Kwacha, was overvalued, resulting in chronic forex shortages “which are having a serious impact on the Malawian private sector’s ability to drive future growth. There are now daily fuel queues, tobacco exports have deteriorated and Malawi is off-track with its IMF programme.” The IMF has also suspended its support to the Malawi government.
The political landscape has been tense since December 2010 when the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expelled [3] the Right Honorable Joyce Banda, the country's vice president, for what is widely believed to be a ploy for President Bingu wa Mutharika to pave a political path for his brother, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika. The vice president has since formed her own party [4], although officially she remains in her government position.
President Bingu wa Mutharika has recently signed law bills that have been met with widespread criticism and resistance, including one empowering the Minister of Information to ban any publication [5] deemed not to be in the public interest. A more recent law makes it impossible for individuals to obtain a court injunction [6] and seek judicial redress against the government.
The University of Malawi [7] has had two of its constituent colleges, Chancellor College and The Polytechnic, shut down [8] since February 2011 when lecturers started refusing to enter classrooms for fear of spies. The saga started in February this year when the Inspector General of Police, Peter Mukhito, summoned a Chancellor College political science lecturer, Dr Blessings Chinsinga, to question him for mentioning the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt during a lecture.
The University of Malawi governing council is currently engaged in a court battle with the Chancellor College Academic Staff Union (CCASU), who are challenging the Council's firing of four Chancellor College lecturers, including Dr Chinsinga and Dr Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula, the union's acting president.
Fear of violent protests
There are fears that the July 20 mass demonstrations may turn violent. Supporters of President wa Mutharika and the DPP have announced a counter-demonstration on the same day. There are reports that 800 police officers are being specially trained to stop the demonstrations “with zero casualties” according to online newspaper Malawi Voice [9].
On Thursday July 14, the United States Embassy in Malawi issued an alert to US citizens in Malawi about about the demonstrations and the possibility that they could turn ugly. Titled “Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens – Possible Demonstrations”, the alert first appeared [10] on the discussion site Nyasanet on Friday, and later on the online newspaper Nyasatimes [11].
One member on the Nyasanet forum observed [12] that the mere fact that the US Embassy issued such a statement meant that there was something serious brewing underground:
The Statement from the US Embassy means that the Chief of Station (Head of the CIA in Malawi) has done his/her homework. They are rarely off target.
As the air grew tense with the countdown to Wednesday, there were reports on Sunday [13], which first surfaced on a Google forum, that a vehicle belonging to Zodiak Broadcasting Station [14], an independent radio station, had its windows smashed by men wearing face masks.
Much of the news of the demonstration has appeared online, whereas the government's response has used state media with government spokespersons holding press conferences on television and radio stations. A Facebook event page [15] has been created for the demonstrations with the title ‘DEMO YA TIYENI TONSE PA 20 JULY', roughly translating as a demonstration of one and all on 20 July. As of writing, 2,422 people have indicated they will attend the demonstration; the date on the event's page says 20 October instead of the July 20 event that everyone is talking about.
The Facebook page gives a detailed description of when and where people should assemble for the demonstrations, a programme that has appeared in other online newspapers [16] and in print newspapers. Comments on the page range from the biblical to the profane.
A Bible-quoting commenter writes [17]:
There4,let us follow aftar the things dat mek 4 peace & things by which 1 may edify another” Roman 14:19
One bordering on the profane goes [18]:
It's our right to demonstrate, that is the only way we can ring a bell in to an obstinate and gullible this stupid fool called ngwazi. Let us show him that Malawi does not belong to one tribe neither his family, gogogogogo! DEMO.
Another comment sounds rather militant [19]:
It Has to be done…Malawians Stand Up and Be Counted! No One Should Abuse Our Hard Fought For Freedom!
A more reflective commenter quotes [20] Nelson Mandela:
It always seems imposible until its done-Nelson mandela.
Interest in the impending mass action appears to be spreading outside Malawi. A Malawian landing at Kamuzu International Airport on Sunday posted on their Facebook page [21] about a group of foreign journalists aboard the same plane they were on:
Had a contingent of foreign media in the same flight this afternoon coming into Lilongwe, looks like the Demos have attracted the attention on the international media!” One passenger even asked a question the Malawian chose not to answer: “Some one asked me, is it true Malawians are changing regime on 20th July? I didnt give hima any answer.
But an observer of Malawian politics posted on Twitter about there not seeming to be a lot of international media attention on the looming demonstrations: “still nothing shows up in international news feeds on upcoming #Malawi demonstrations #20July”.
The Twitter hashtag for the demonstration is #20July [22], says @chiume [23].
Response from the top
President wa Mutharika appears to have been aware of the mood amongst many Malawians, and has been planning a response. On arrival from a trip to the United States towards the end of June, he announced that he was going to give a public lecture, in which he would address the many concerns Malawians are expressing.
No date was set for the public lecture, but immediately as the organizers of the July 20 demonstration announced their date, government announced the same date of July 20 for the public lecture. Government spokesperson Honorable Vuwa Kaunda, Minister of Information and Civic Education, and presidential spokesperson Dr Heatherwick Ntaba held a press conference, urging Malawians not to go to the demonstration, but to the president's lecture instead.
Among the many reasons the two cited as to why Malawians need to listen to the president, Hon. Vuwa Kaunda performed his trademark praise song to President wa Mutharika, listing the many achievements of the DPP-led government. Hon Kaunda has become known for rattling off, in rapid style, President wa Mutharika's achievements: an end to chronicle food shortages, new tarred roads across the length of the country, six new universities being planned for the next ten years, new parliament building, a new five star hotel and international conference center in the capital city Lilongwe, and Nsanje World Inland port connecting Malawi to the Indian Ocean, among others.
Up to until his re-election to a second term in May 2009, President Bingu wa Mutharika enjoyed broad support locally, and wide admiration abroad. Civil society activists held demonstrations in support of his policies against a majority opposition which was seen as only bent on frustrating his development plans. He introduced a farm input subsidy, which is credited for having turned Malawi from a food importer to a food exporter. He was Malawi's first president to become chairperson of the African Union for the year 2010, a development that added to his international credentials which earned him attention on the front pages of major newspapers in the United States [25], Britain [26] and elsewhere [27]. There was renewed hope and pride amongst many Malawians, and President wa Mutharika was seen as the new face of a new Africa.
Compared with the mood in the country today, a lot has changed in a space of two years. A Malawian development economist observed [28] on Nyasanet in May this year:
I was at the world economic forum last month. Only two years [ago] bingu was a hero. Now Malawi was a source of bewilderment.
In an attempt to dissuade Malawians from attending Wednesday's planned demonstrations, the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation has carried news bulletins, on three consecutive evenings, claiming that Malawians are being duped about the demonstrations, whose real aim, the state broadcaster claims, is to show support for gay rights, for which civil society groups have received millions of kwacha. The bulletins have been saying organizers of the demonstrations want to use photographs of demonstrators to show to donors that Malawians support gay rights and same-sex marriages.
Reactions to the government's story have been derided as bordering on the desperate. One reaction posted on Twitter [29] said:
Malawians urged not to listen to MBC TV & Radio on 20 July - coz of its tendency to misinform in news coverage
Another tweet [30] sought to identify a possible irony in a television anchor's attire:
MBC TB news anchor, Nyang'wa in a red tie - maybe in some dress rehearsal for the July 20 demo (dress attire is red)
On February 14 earlier this year civil society organizations planned a demonstration to protest against fuel shortages, but it was stopped by police. According to online newspaper Malawi Voice, the demonstrators were hugely outnumbered by the police [31], who were over 250, against a few dozen protesters, numbering about 30, according to print newspaper The Nation [32].
The leader of that foiled demonstration, Mabvuto Bamusi, has since made a 180 degree turn. He is now frequently invited on national television to provide analysis and commentary that supports government and lambasts his former colleagues in civil society.
Article sourced from Global Voices: http://globalvoicesonline.org
URL to article: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/07/19/malawi-arab-spring-spreading-south-of-the-sahara/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169916843073956
[2] announced: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Press-releases/2011/Government-to-suspend-general-budget-support-to-Malawi/
[3] expelled: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/12/21/malawi-citizens-take-on-vice-presidents-dismissal/
[4] her own party: http://www.nyasatimes.com/politics/malawi%E2%80%99s-vp-socialist-party-launches-in-march.html
[5] ban any publication: http://www.misa.org/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?category=2&id=1303122817
[6] court injunction: http://www.nationmw.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22790:bingu-signs-injunctions-bill&catid=1:national-news&Itemid=3
[7] University of Malawi: http://www.unima.mw/
[8] shut down: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/04/14/a-blog-post-that-closed-the-university-of-malawi/
[9] Malawi Voice: http://www.malawivoice.com/latest-news/800-police-officers-undergoing-special-training-to-counter-20th-july-demonstrations-as-mdf-waits-in-wings/
[10] first appeared: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A2=NYASANET;abb904c6.1107C
[11] Nyasatimes: http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/americans-warned-of-malawi-demo.html
[12] observed: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A2=NYASANET;47f3ca3.1107C
[13] reports on Sunday: http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/zodiak-car-smashed-by-bingu-thugs.html
[14] Zodiak Broadcasting Station: http://zodiakmalawi.com/zbs%20malawi/
[15] Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=169916843073956
[16] online newspapers: http://www.malawidemocrat.com/national/programme-of-july-20-demonstrations/
[17] writes: https://www.facebook.com/penjani.gondwe/posts/172021052863535
[18] goes: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=172046599527647&id=100000106964805
[19] militant: https://www.facebook.com/Ngwizzy/posts/172039956194978
[20] quotes: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=171942982871342&id=100002368908313
[21] posted on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150234330889094&id=522839093
[22] #20July: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=+%2320July
[23] @chiume: https://twitter.com/#!/chiume/status/92695188207706113
[24] Image: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/07/19/malawi-arab-spring-spreading-south-of-the-sahara/malawi1-4/
[25] United States: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/world/africa/02malawi.html
[26] Britain: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/81059fb4-0e02-11dc-8219-000b5df10621.html
[27] elsewhere: http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol22no3/223-harvest-of-hope.html
[28] observed: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A2=NYASANET;96c316cc.1105D
[29] posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Malawi2014/status/92645360350146560
[30] tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/Malawi2014/status/92658583682031616
[31] outnumbered by the police: http://www.malawivoice.com/latest-news/malawians-not-keen-on-fuel-protest-police-out-number-protesters/
[32] The Nation: http://www.nationmw.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14460:malawi-police-foil-fuel-protest&catid=1:national-news&Itemid=3
Monday, July 18, 2011
Programme of July 20 demonstrations
This is to inform all Malawians that Concerned Malawians and various stakeholders have organised peaceful demonstrations to take place on 20th July 2011 in all the regions of the country.
The peaceful demonstrations have been organized as part of our constitutional right to express alarm regarding the current economic and democratic crises facing Malawi, with the aim of calling for an end to the current poor economic and democratic governance being advanced by the current administration.
These demonstrations are the first phase towards the grand mass demonstrations set for 17th August 2011 national wide.
The Theme of the Demonstrations is: Uniting For Peaceful Resistance Against Bad Economic and Democratic Governance – “A Better Malawi Is Possible”
Outline of the Demonstrations is as Follows:-
SOUTHERN REGION
Starting point:-: – Blantyre District Office through Kamuzu Highway to Kamuzu Stadium to Civic Offices
We are calling all Malawians from Ndirande, Chilomoni, Chilobwe, Bangwe, Zingwangwa, Machinjiri, Mbayani, Chileka, Ludzu and all areas to join the demonstration on 20th July.
CENTRAL REGION
Starting Point: - From Community Centre Ground through Old Town then Kasungu Highway then to City Centre.
We are calling all Malawians from Area 25, Kawale, Biwi, Mchesi, Chitsapo, Area 23, 33, 49, 39, Bunda, Likuni,Mugona and all areas to join the demonstration on 20th July.
NORTHERN REGION
Starting Point: - From Katoto Ground through Town to City Assembly Office.
We are also calling on all Malawians from Zolo Zolo, Katawa, Chiwanja, Mzilawayingwe, Chasefu ndi all Areas to join the demonstration on 20th July.
Colour: – We are appealing to all Malawians to put on anything RED on 20th July wherever they are.
If you can’t join and you’re a Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director , in the Police, Army, and a Civil Servant please release your house servant/gardener on that day.
Note: This is a peaceful demonstration and we would appeal to all Malawians to be DISCIPLINED during the demonstrations. Lets us show the authorities that much as they are oppressing us we are peaceful and constructive Citizens.
This is your chance to make the difference by being heard and be counted on 20th July. COME ONE COME ALL!
ITS A RED ATTIRE DAY FOR JULY 20 DEMO
Viva Democracy! Viva Struggle for Freedom!
The peaceful demonstrations have been organized as part of our constitutional right to express alarm regarding the current economic and democratic crises facing Malawi, with the aim of calling for an end to the current poor economic and democratic governance being advanced by the current administration.
These demonstrations are the first phase towards the grand mass demonstrations set for 17th August 2011 national wide.
The Theme of the Demonstrations is: Uniting For Peaceful Resistance Against Bad Economic and Democratic Governance – “A Better Malawi Is Possible”
Outline of the Demonstrations is as Follows:-
SOUTHERN REGION
Starting point:-: – Blantyre District Office through Kamuzu Highway to Kamuzu Stadium to Civic Offices
We are calling all Malawians from Ndirande, Chilomoni, Chilobwe, Bangwe, Zingwangwa, Machinjiri, Mbayani, Chileka, Ludzu and all areas to join the demonstration on 20th July.
CENTRAL REGION
Starting Point: - From Community Centre Ground through Old Town then Kasungu Highway then to City Centre.
We are calling all Malawians from Area 25, Kawale, Biwi, Mchesi, Chitsapo, Area 23, 33, 49, 39, Bunda, Likuni,Mugona and all areas to join the demonstration on 20th July.
NORTHERN REGION
Starting Point: - From Katoto Ground through Town to City Assembly Office.
We are also calling on all Malawians from Zolo Zolo, Katawa, Chiwanja, Mzilawayingwe, Chasefu ndi all Areas to join the demonstration on 20th July.
Colour: – We are appealing to all Malawians to put on anything RED on 20th July wherever they are.
If you can’t join and you’re a Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director , in the Police, Army, and a Civil Servant please release your house servant/gardener on that day.
Note: This is a peaceful demonstration and we would appeal to all Malawians to be DISCIPLINED during the demonstrations. Lets us show the authorities that much as they are oppressing us we are peaceful and constructive Citizens.
This is your chance to make the difference by being heard and be counted on 20th July. COME ONE COME ALL!
ITS A RED ATTIRE DAY FOR JULY 20 DEMO
Viva Democracy! Viva Struggle for Freedom!
Does Bingu not believe in the rule of law?
Written by RAPHAEL TENTHANI
It seems President Bingu wa Mutharika is trying to redefine our form of government. Malawi chose multiparty democracy on June 14, 1993 but it seems Bingu is experimenting on a mish-mash of some wacky form of democracy that is teetering between democracy and autocracy where some fundamental principles of democracy are not respected.
There is one word for that: ANARCHY.
Look, we all know Bingu has not hidden his disquiet at the way the judiciary is conducting itself. He has this paranoid feeling that the judiciary is out to get him; that it has issues with him. He is on record as having pleaded for dialogue with the judiciary as if anybody had told him that somebody on the bench had scores to settle with him.
Our good president has made it clear that he does not like the way injunctions against government are being granted in Malawi. He believes Malawi has the largest per capita injunctions in the whole of the SADC region. But he conveniently forgets that he is still President today courtesy of the very injunctions he is frowning upon now.
Perhaps before he raises the ruckus at the way the judiciary is issuing injunctions he should take a sober look at why such is the case. The many injunctions the courts are granting against his government means his government is not conducting its affairs well. Look at the way Bingu fires people; remember Ralph Kasambara, Gustave Kaliwo and Ishmael Wadi, three young men he proudly dubbed his "three young bright minds"? He expended them like used condoms with complete disregard that they might have saved his very life.
So is asking for an injunction in such circumstances a crime?
Bingu can chide the judiciary the way he likes but disregarding its rulings is going beyond the Rubicon of good governance.
Look, there is an injunction stopping him from assenting to the infamous 'Injunctions Bill' which some sober minds in his own party have boldly described as a 'bad law'.
For him to go ahead and assent to the same is very, very scary. Not once but twice did Bingu swear to not only uphold but protect and defend the Constitution. What he did by assenting to the bill runs counter to that solemn oath.
From the time he was elected president in 2004, Bingu has shown traits that he hates acting within the set laws of the country. During his first term he defied several court rulings but we ignored him because we understood the opposition was vengefully out to get him. But this dangerous trait becomes pronounced when we gave him an overwhelming mandate to rule in 2009. Within months after getting the overwhelming mandate he created some new laws whose purpose were suspect.
Take Section 46, for example, where a minister can wake up one morning and ban a publication he or she does not like. With the Protected Names and Emblems and Defamation laws still intact one wonders why such an undemocratic law was necessary.
Despite the public outcry, Bingu still went ahead and made the amendment to Section 46 become part of our laws. But he was not done. After making sure that the irritant media was now at his mercy, he crafted another law that made him the sole decider of whether or not to hold local government elections. From the beginning Bingu has not hidden the fact that he loathes ward counselors. Why he hates them nobody knows. That notwithstanding he created laws that empowers him to pick and choose whether local government elections are held or not and - if they are to be held at all - when.
To show that the only reason why he tinkered with the local government laws was that he hates counselors he changed the laws again to make sure that if we are ever to hold the elections it should be when he is out of State House in 2014! Now Malawian cities have this queer uniqueness of having no mayors!
Back to Bingu's phobia with the judiciary, simple civics tells us that our government comprises the Executive, which is composed of the President and his cabinet, Parliament where the Speaker rules the roost, and the Judiciary where the Chief Justice is the boss. All these arms must complement each other. Anything outside this arrangement smells anarchy.
If he did not like the injunction on the 'Injunctions Bill' Bingu should have asked his Attorney General to try to stay or vacate it. Disregarding the injunction militates against the oath he took. Unless he is trying to abolish the judiciary, what he did by assenting to a bill that had an injunction hanging over it is an impeachable offence. Bingu is president of a democratic Malawi. He does not have the luxury to pick and choose what aspects of our democracy to respect. He is the president, yes, but no law empowers him to outlaw any arm of government.
It seems President Bingu wa Mutharika is trying to redefine our form of government. Malawi chose multiparty democracy on June 14, 1993 but it seems Bingu is experimenting on a mish-mash of some wacky form of democracy that is teetering between democracy and autocracy where some fundamental principles of democracy are not respected.
There is one word for that: ANARCHY.
Look, we all know Bingu has not hidden his disquiet at the way the judiciary is conducting itself. He has this paranoid feeling that the judiciary is out to get him; that it has issues with him. He is on record as having pleaded for dialogue with the judiciary as if anybody had told him that somebody on the bench had scores to settle with him.
Our good president has made it clear that he does not like the way injunctions against government are being granted in Malawi. He believes Malawi has the largest per capita injunctions in the whole of the SADC region. But he conveniently forgets that he is still President today courtesy of the very injunctions he is frowning upon now.
Perhaps before he raises the ruckus at the way the judiciary is issuing injunctions he should take a sober look at why such is the case. The many injunctions the courts are granting against his government means his government is not conducting its affairs well. Look at the way Bingu fires people; remember Ralph Kasambara, Gustave Kaliwo and Ishmael Wadi, three young men he proudly dubbed his "three young bright minds"? He expended them like used condoms with complete disregard that they might have saved his very life.
So is asking for an injunction in such circumstances a crime?
Bingu can chide the judiciary the way he likes but disregarding its rulings is going beyond the Rubicon of good governance.
Look, there is an injunction stopping him from assenting to the infamous 'Injunctions Bill' which some sober minds in his own party have boldly described as a 'bad law'.
For him to go ahead and assent to the same is very, very scary. Not once but twice did Bingu swear to not only uphold but protect and defend the Constitution. What he did by assenting to the bill runs counter to that solemn oath.
From the time he was elected president in 2004, Bingu has shown traits that he hates acting within the set laws of the country. During his first term he defied several court rulings but we ignored him because we understood the opposition was vengefully out to get him. But this dangerous trait becomes pronounced when we gave him an overwhelming mandate to rule in 2009. Within months after getting the overwhelming mandate he created some new laws whose purpose were suspect.
Take Section 46, for example, where a minister can wake up one morning and ban a publication he or she does not like. With the Protected Names and Emblems and Defamation laws still intact one wonders why such an undemocratic law was necessary.
Despite the public outcry, Bingu still went ahead and made the amendment to Section 46 become part of our laws. But he was not done. After making sure that the irritant media was now at his mercy, he crafted another law that made him the sole decider of whether or not to hold local government elections. From the beginning Bingu has not hidden the fact that he loathes ward counselors. Why he hates them nobody knows. That notwithstanding he created laws that empowers him to pick and choose whether local government elections are held or not and - if they are to be held at all - when.
To show that the only reason why he tinkered with the local government laws was that he hates counselors he changed the laws again to make sure that if we are ever to hold the elections it should be when he is out of State House in 2014! Now Malawian cities have this queer uniqueness of having no mayors!
Back to Bingu's phobia with the judiciary, simple civics tells us that our government comprises the Executive, which is composed of the President and his cabinet, Parliament where the Speaker rules the roost, and the Judiciary where the Chief Justice is the boss. All these arms must complement each other. Anything outside this arrangement smells anarchy.
If he did not like the injunction on the 'Injunctions Bill' Bingu should have asked his Attorney General to try to stay or vacate it. Disregarding the injunction militates against the oath he took. Unless he is trying to abolish the judiciary, what he did by assenting to a bill that had an injunction hanging over it is an impeachable offence. Bingu is president of a democratic Malawi. He does not have the luxury to pick and choose what aspects of our democracy to respect. He is the president, yes, but no law empowers him to outlaw any arm of government.
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