Tuesday, July 19, 2011

MCTU add their support to the 20 July CivSoc Demonstrations

Below is a press release from MCTU in support of the Demonstrations by Civil Society scheduled to take place tomorrow on the 20th July 2011. In this Press Release they have justified the reason for this decision.


PRESS ISSUE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dated: 18th July, 2011

MALAWI CONGRESS OF TRADE UNIONS (MCTU), a federation of 22 trade unions in Malawi which represent workers in all sectors of the economy, is hereby calling all workers in Malawi to join the civil society organizations and the noble citizens of Malawi in the peaceful demonstrations nationwide scheduled for the Wednesday 20th of July 2011.

The participation of workers in the peaceful demonstrations is of their constitutional right as members of the general public to express deep concerns regarding the socio-economic crisis facing Malawi ie Chronic fuel and forex shortages; Unilaterally hatched Zero deficit budget; Lack of good governance; infringements of human rights; Worsening of diplomatic relations etc. All these have had a bearing on the welfare of the workers and the general public at large in a number of ways which include:

• Declining of productivity due to acute shortages of fuel and forex for the private sector. This is compelling the private sector to lay off or retrench workers.
• Introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) under the unilaterally hatched Zero Deficit Budget has resulted into the price hikes thereby eroding the purchasing power of workers and the general public.
• Ordinary citizens and the private sector have been severely sanctioned with taxes and fee hikes for public services amidst the withholding of aid by some development partners in light of critical human rights and good governance issues.

We have issued various statements to the government to express workers’ views and concerns on the above mentioned issues and other related matters. It is very unfortunate that as of late the Executive and other branches of government have failed to listen to the voices of reason from the civil society, workers through MCTU and other key stakeholders. This then justifies the need for all workers across the country to participate in the peaceful demonstrations to express our points of views to the government as enshrined in the Republican Constitution.

All workers and noble citizens are asked to converge at the Community Centre ground in Lilongwe; Kamuzu Upper Stadium in Blantyre; and Katoto Freedom park in Mzuzu in the morning, and then march together to the City Assemblies to present the official statement of concerns. There are also demonstrations which will take place in all the districts country wide.

To this effect, Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU) humbly requests employers across the country to allow their employees willing to participate in the scheduled demonstrations to be excused for a few hours in order for the workers to dully exercise their constitutional right.


SOLIDARITY FOR EVER AND EVER!

Signed

ROBERT MKWEZALAMBA
SECRETARY GENERAL

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!

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.

Disability activist Chitimbe dies at 53

BLANTYRE--Disability rights activist and former banker Susan Chitimbe died on Saturday and was buried Sunday at her Lunzu home in Blantyre.

It wasn’t clear what she was suffering from.

Chitimbe was presidential assistant on disability affairs in the Pres Bingu wa Mutharika admin until her death.

Before this appointment, former president Bakili Muluzi picked her as minister of state responsible for persons with disabilities.

She once worked for the National Bank of Malawi as a telephone operator and later for Disabled Women in Development.

Chitimbe was 53.

Source: Maravipost

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.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

UK Government to suspend general budget support to Malawi

UK Government to suspend general budget support to Malawi

Malawi will no longer receive general budget support from the UK Government, Andrew Mitchell announced today.

The International Development Secretary took the decision after the Government of Malawi repeatedly failed to address UK concerns over economic management and governance.

General budget support, which is used to allow governments to deliver their own national strategies for poverty reduction against an agreed set of targets, has been suspended indefinitely.

On governance, demonstrations have been suppressed, civil society organisations intimidated, and an Injunctions Bill passed that would make it easier for the Government to place restrictions on opponents without legal challenge.
On the economy, the UK is concerned that Malawi’s overvalued exchange rate has created chronic foreign exchange 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 Development Secretary’s decision is in line with international concern over Malawi’s current position. The World Bank, the European Union, the African Development Bank, Germany and Norway have all suspended or ended general budget support to Malawi.

Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, said:
"The UK provides development assistance in order to help communities lift themselves out of grinding poverty, whether that’s through getting children into school, ensuring women survive childbirth or helping farmers grow enough food to feed their families and communities.

"But poor people in Malawi and British taxpayers alike have been let down. In these circumstances I cannot justify the provision of general budget support for Malawi.
"In the meantime we will use other means to ensure that programmes to protect poor Malawians, amongst the poorest people in the world, and deliver basic services like health and education are able to continue.

"The UK has a long and deep commitment to the people of Malawi and we are keen to see the country resume the good progress it has made in recent years. I remain willing to reconsider our approach as and when our concerns are addressed."

The UK has helped improve food security in Malawi for over seven million people a year by providing them with high yielding maize and legume seeds via the Farm Input Subsidy Programme.

UK support to strengthen the health service has helped save the lives of 3,200 pregnant women and 40,000 children since 2004. UK funding has built over 3,200 primary school classrooms and 4,800 toilets since 2001, helping keep more girls in school.

This comes as the Government reduces general budget support across the world by 43% and tightens up the principles on which budget support agreements are made.

All budget support is tightly monitored against a strict set of expected results and can be reviewed by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact at any time.