Statement by the Leader of Opposition, Botsalo Ntuane,
delivered on Tuesday 26 July 2011 in the National Assembly
on developments in Malawi and how the Botswana government should respond.
The Opposition Collective in the Parliament of Botswana joins the rest of the democratic community in condemning the cold blooded massacre, on 20th and 21st July 2011 of 18 demonstrators by the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika. This terrible act of violence against unarmed civilians, protesting the escalating cost of living, fuel and foreign exchange shortages, as well as repression and violation of human rights, is unprecedented in the history of Malawi. We note that even during the one party dictatorship of Hastings Kamuzu Banda, nothing on this scale was ever visited on the civilian population by the government. The economic problems in Malawi which precipitated the demonstrations have been authored by a stubborn President Mutharika whose deteriorating human rights record has forced donors to cut off much needed aid.
As the Opposition Collective, we can rightly proclaim we saw this coming.
The nation will recall that on 1 April 2011, the Chairman of the Botswana Movement for Democracy(BMD) and also Member of Parliament for Lobatse addressed a press conference in the precincts of Parliament announcing a boycott of the official opening of the Lobatse Stadium facility by President Mutharika. Hon Modubule’s stance which reflected the indignation of the Opposition Collective was premised on well founded concerns at a disturbing trend of developments in Malawi.
In a pattern of behaviour which suggested that state violence will soon be perpetrated against the citizenry, President Mutharika has in the past incited the youth cadres of his Democratic Progressive Party to assault opposition supporters who dared criticize him.
Another consideration which informed our boycott of President Mutharika was his display of intolerance to critical views, when he assented to Section 46 Penal Code Amendment Bill which grants the Minister for Information the power to arbitrarily close down publications, outside due process. To us this assault on the press, which we consider a critical guardian of democracy and good governance was unacceptable.
The delinquent conduct of President Mutharika knows no bounds. We noted with concern the sustained attacks on the Non Governmental Organisations, leading to some activists fleeing into exile because they fear for their lives.
Like the proverbial bull in a china shop, immediately after his departure from Botswana, President Mutharika expelled the ‘British High Commissioner for describing him in a diplomatic cable as ‘autocratic and intolerant of criticism”
We contend that President Mutharika is being aided and abetted in his campaign of repression by the government of Botswana which continues to treat him like a distinguished statesman when many in the international community are shunning him. It should be a source of shame that President Khama, in a display of bad judgment, and against our counsel, invited this dictator to our country. In its unbridled contempt for the Opposition, this government disregards all our advice, the consequence of which is a situation where our country is today associated with rogues like President Mutharika. It is shocking to many that a government with a predilection for playing to the international gallery on issues of democracy and human rights has remained silent in the face of the unfolding tragedy in Malawi. To us this silence means the government of Botswana condones the deplorable actions of President Mutharika.
We pose this question, how different is President Mutharika from Muammar
Gadaffi in Libya, Bashar Al Assad in Syria, Omar Al Bashir in Sudan, and all the other dictators that have attracted the sanctimonious wrath of the Botswana government over rights violations and atrocities against their own citizens?
The deafening silence, which can only be ascribed to the embarrassment felt by the Botswana government, amounts to a betrayal of the people of Malawi, particularly victims of the state sponsored violence. Indeed contrary of the grandstanding characterizing previous statements about how the Botswana government sides with the people against repressive regimes, the simple truth is that these expressions of support are mere lip service; and just like those it condemns, the Botswana government practices double standards, and will side with its friends in power, hence the tacit support given to President Mutharika on account of the ‘see no evil, hear no evil’ posture.
To this end the Parliamentary Opposition Collective demands the following from the Botswana government;
1. An unequivocal statement condemning the actions of the government of President Mutharika.
3. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon Phandu Skelemani to summon the High Commissioner of Malawi to Botswana for a meeting at which he will convey the statement of condemnation.
4. To demand an immediate end to the ongoing harassment, detention and torture of opposition and civil society activists; many of whom are now in hiding.
5. To support an investigation by the International Criminal Court on the killings in Malawi, and for such support to be extended to prosecutions that will follow.
6. To apologise to both the people of Botswana and Malawi for hosting President Mutharika in April 2011.
7. To undertake to listen to the counsel of the Opposition Collective in future and undertake not to invite any dictators to Botswana.
Failure to do any of the above will give true meaning to the idiom that we judge you by the company you keep.
Botswana and the international community should henceforth judge this government by the friends it keeps in the form of President Mutharika and his murderous regime.
End.
Showing posts with label Demonstration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Demonstration. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 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!
Mukhito, protect Bingu's people
Written by RAPHAEL TENTHANI
WHY do some Malawians want to be more Malawian than others? Why do some Malawians think their way is good and everyone must follow them?
I am posing these questions because of a shadowy group dubiously calling itself 'Concerned Citizens' that wants to disrupt peaceful demonstrations members of the civil society, joined by some religious groups and opposition parties, are planning to hold across the country this Wednesday to register their dismay at the many problems Malawi is currently facing. The issues range from the twin problems of fuel and foreign exchange (forex) reserves to the dwindling rule of law.
This is nothing criminal in a democracy. In fact protests are the bedrock of democracy as citizens use them to awaken elected leaders who seem to be sleeping on the job. On June 14, 1993 Malawians voted to regain their freedoms. Nearly 20 years later no one should be allowed to unmake what some people risked their lives for.
What the so-called 'Concerned Citizens' are planning to do is a recipe for trouble for the two sides are likely to clash. If our police is truly professional this is time to act. Peter Mukhito, whom President Mutharika dubbed as the best police chief ever, has to rise above politics and reign in these people who want to bring chaos in Malawi.
If the 'Concerned Citizens' disagree with the planned demonstrations they have all the rights to express their views. But, if they want to express their views through demonstrations, they should choose another date for July 20 has already been booked. Otherwise what they are planning to do is criminal.
I believed Bingu when he said Mukhito is the best police chief ever. Let the police chief prove the president right by making sure Bingu's countrymen freely express themselves in the streets without anybody hijacking their democratic right. After all nobody will be breaking any law for protesting against things they think are not right. Those who are planning to disrupt them will fall afoul of the 'Conduct Likely to Breach the Peace' laws and I know my good police chief, Mukhito, will be alert to stop that.
WHY do some Malawians want to be more Malawian than others? Why do some Malawians think their way is good and everyone must follow them?
I am posing these questions because of a shadowy group dubiously calling itself 'Concerned Citizens' that wants to disrupt peaceful demonstrations members of the civil society, joined by some religious groups and opposition parties, are planning to hold across the country this Wednesday to register their dismay at the many problems Malawi is currently facing. The issues range from the twin problems of fuel and foreign exchange (forex) reserves to the dwindling rule of law.
This is nothing criminal in a democracy. In fact protests are the bedrock of democracy as citizens use them to awaken elected leaders who seem to be sleeping on the job. On June 14, 1993 Malawians voted to regain their freedoms. Nearly 20 years later no one should be allowed to unmake what some people risked their lives for.
What the so-called 'Concerned Citizens' are planning to do is a recipe for trouble for the two sides are likely to clash. If our police is truly professional this is time to act. Peter Mukhito, whom President Mutharika dubbed as the best police chief ever, has to rise above politics and reign in these people who want to bring chaos in Malawi.
If the 'Concerned Citizens' disagree with the planned demonstrations they have all the rights to express their views. But, if they want to express their views through demonstrations, they should choose another date for July 20 has already been booked. Otherwise what they are planning to do is criminal.
I believed Bingu when he said Mukhito is the best police chief ever. Let the police chief prove the president right by making sure Bingu's countrymen freely express themselves in the streets without anybody hijacking their democratic right. After all nobody will be breaking any law for protesting against things they think are not right. Those who are planning to disrupt them will fall afoul of the 'Conduct Likely to Breach the Peace' laws and I know my good police chief, Mukhito, will be alert to stop that.
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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