It Is Not President Peter Mutharika S Fault That Malawi Is in the Present Economic Mess

PREVIEW

It is not President Peter Mutharika’s fault that Malawi is in the present economic mess. This is what the United Democratic Front said in response to the calls for the Malawi president to resign. The calls are getting louder each passing day as some quarters feel Mutharika has failed Malawians and should resign.

It has not been a smooth ride for President Mutharika who become president in the middle of the Cashgate scandal that saw millions of government resources squandered at Capital Hill. This scenario has contributed to the loss of donor confidence and no budgetary support.

On the economic front it is still the same old story that shows no improvement at all. Malawi’s economy continues to sail through troubled waters. This time around it is even worse off because the poverty line is now too much for many Malawians. Coupled with high inflation levels, lack of budgetary support, it is going to be difficult for many Malawians.

Food security reports continued to show food shortages at household and national levels. Some households are now relying on Mangoes which are in season. This shows how big the problem of food shortage is.

Civil society organizations seem to be divided at a time they should stick together in meeting their role as watchdogs and giving government checks and balances. CSOs need unity and the numbers to make their advocacy work count. Division is the last thing that the grouping needs.

The debate on scrapping off Junior Certificate Examinations continues with a number stakeholders sharing their views on the issue. The Public Service Reforms saw a number of changes directed at the Education sector and the dissolution of JCE is one. To date the debate for and against continues and is highly covered in the press.

Ministry of health issued a directive to all District Health Offices never to grant any interviews on the situation in hospitals. At a time various district hospitals are facing problems day in day out, the media need to inform the masses about the development, therefore gagging the DHOs is the last thing that people need.

There are rewards to communities that are conserving the environment. Such a grouping deserves recognition especially with evidence that people do not really care for the environment. It also a good example to other communities

POLITICS

Some sectors of the society seem not to be too amused with the President’s conduct in recent months. On several occasions Mutharika had raised his voice at people during conferences to an extent of banging the table. This tendency has not pleased some individuals who feel the president must try and work on this. Upon his return from United Nations General Assembly in the United States of America president Mutharika shouted at journalists at a press conference at the State House in Lilongwe. This did not please a number of people who want Mutharika should change this tendency.

As calls for Peter Mutharika’s resignation continue the United Democratic Front UDF has dismissed the reasons for asking the president to do so. Political parties in the opposition have again asked Mutharika to resign for failing to take Malawi out of the present scenario. Malawi is facing an economic crisis following heavy plunder of resources in the government in recent years. The country lost donor confidence and is operating on no budgetary support due to the mismanagement of government resources.

It is against this background that the opposition parties are asking Mutharika to reign as president of Malawi for failing to bring back the economy in good shape. But the United Democratic Front who are in a working relationship with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party DPP have said president Mutharika is not to be blamed for the woes Malawi is facing now. According to the UDF Mutharika is not the reason there are these problems. The UDF therefore feel Mutharika should not be punished for this. And therefore there should be no calls for his resignation.

The National Assembly in October led by example when it took to task two deputy speakers for abuse of office. The two are reported to have been receiving house allowances as if they are living in rented houses. The fact that parliament after making investigation did what was right, acts as a good example to other institutions. Such cases may also be happening in other public institutions, it therefore will help to minimize these abuses as would be perpetrators may have to think twice.

Report that Zimbabwe is better than Malawi in terms of adhering to governance policies have met some stiff resistance by a number of sector who feel Malawi is better off. Coming from a backgroundof not so good terms with international community many expected Zimbabwe to be worse off when it comes to adhering to political governance. According to Mo Ibrahim Foundation report Malawi has shown a slight decline in overall governance. Meanwhile some analysts have said this is not a true reflection of what is on the ground. The fact that this report shows that Zimbabwe is better than Malawi, it will set all stakeholders thinking on ways to work on improving this standards.

While a number of people have welcomed the reforms in the public services, others are still skeptical if they will do the nation any good. For a nation that has been operating with the public service in the current form, it looks like an uphill task to change that all of a sudden. It is a challenge for the government to implement all these changes as it may not be easily welcomed by some quarters in the public service. But it is a challenge government is taking. Observers have however warned government that the reforms should be for everyone not just a few individuals.

A number of changes that have been announced by the government have been overwhelmingly welcomed by the society. Many are of the view that reforms in some sectors are a necessary evil. Malawi needed to make some changes for example in the education sector like introduction of fees in teachers training colleges will go a long way to assist government in shedding off the responsibilities of paying fees for the students.

ECONOMY

As many local investors are crying out loud for the tax measures in Malawi so are potential investors. These also feel Malawi’s tax measure are not investor friendly. Much as there may be good security for new investors for Malawi the tax policies are prohibiting. As if this not enough, other factors as well make it difficult for investors to come to Malawi. For example Malawi’s economy is fragile as it keeps changing at times making it difficult for any investment risky to operate in Malawi . Investors also have to face the problem of unreliable power supply.Although this is the case Malawi is a growing economy which desperately needs many investors as possible and should therefore work on gaining and attracting more investors.

At a time Malawi is struggling to source revenue because there is no budgetary support from the donors, it does not mean the tax policies should be prohibiting for both international and local investors. If the tax measures are too much for investors, they may choose to take their investment elsewhere and this is a loss for Malawi. International investors do not only bring business they bring employment and infrastructure development and therefore need to be guarded jealously.

It seems there was not much good news in the economy sectors in the month of October. If it is not the weak Kwacha it is the poor tax policies that are hitting hard on both local and international investors. All these and many more things point out to a state with an ailing economy that needs urgent resuscitation.

Recently it was announced that the poverty line has been adjusted upwards from K750/ day to K1140/ day. The irony of it is that Malawi’s minimum wage is K667 which is way below the new poverty line. According an economic expert Mathias Kafunda of Centre For Social Concern this scenarios spells doom for many low income earners because if they were failing to meet the poverty line the way it was previously, it is doubtful if they will make it with the new one. The fact that the poverty line has gone up means the number of people who will not make it will be increased meaning more Malawians will be poorer.

Meanwhile press reports have shown that the World Bank has blamed Malawi’s policies for the failing economic growth. With a few means of realizing revenue, there seems to be no way out at present for Malawi. According to the World Bank, Malawi’s wage bill and the FISP eats too much into the Malawi’s revenue . This has largely contributed to Malawi’s failure to make it on the economic front. The World Bank has since offered tips on how Malawi can increase revenue.

FOOD SECURITY

It is very obvious that the future of the Fertilizer Subsidy Input Programme FISP is not as the beneficiaries expected it to be this farming season. Government recently announced it had scrapped off the seed subsidy on the FISP programme. Even after a number of experts and stakeholders had cried foul over government’s decision to trim the number of beneficiaries, the government still went ahead to remove the seed on the package.

Coming from a background of no budgetary support, and intense calls to finding an exit strategy for the programme, scrapping of part of the FISP package seems to be the best thing that government could have done. Already some experts have contributed the current shortage of forex and other economic woes to the country is currently facing. Therefore anything done to the FISP that will ease the budget to this programme will be highly welcomed by stakeholders.

On the other hand those on the opposing hand have lamented these developments saying this is in one way killing the poor farmers further more. At present they have to face the increased prices of fertilizers, and the scrapping off of the seeds makes matters worse. Past government have implemented the FISP amid a lot of opposition from various stakeholders. At a time Malawi is facing food and economic crises, perhaps the changes in the FISP will go a long way to help in easing the budget funding woes.

Meanwhile there have been increased calls for more reforms on the subsidy programme. Against a background of a number of reforms in various sectors of the government, the FISP surely needs to be reformed. Despite receiving subsidised fertilizer and seeds for some years some families still are not food secured. It is baffling to note that even with a lot of resources going into the programme year in year out with the aim of making Malawi a food secured nation, some households still have no food. This is the more reason calls for reforms on FISP are getting more louder each day.

Press reports have shown continued cases of food shortage in many districts. Just like the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee MVAC said that only three districts out of 27 will, evidence is coming out that some households now have no food at all. Press reports have disclosed that the situation on food shortage is so bad that some households are surviving on Mangoes. It has also been reported that in some areas people have come up with coping mechanisms where some have changed patterns with some families cutting on the number of meals per day. It is this bad for some families and households

CIVIL SOCIETY AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS

Two notable demonstrations took place in October. One staged by Billy Mayaya a wellknown activist and the other by Citizen Alliance. It is alleged government sponsored the march but Citizen alliance to counter Mayaya’s demonstrations against government. Strangely the two demonstrations took place on the same day and at the same time. This must have been a first at least going back into the history of demonstrations in Malawi.Press reports show that on the same day the civil society demonstration was slated, it is the same day the government also did their own to advocate for implementation of the Sustainable development Goals adopted recently.Reports have revealed that the Civil society organization presidential advisor Mabvuto Bamusi is the one who sponsored the Citizen Alliance march to counter attack the one by the Billy Mayaya group.

With possibilities of activists going into the streets to demand explanations over some of the issues happening in Malawi, government organized a meeting with CSOs to engage into negotiations. But as it was to be the CSOs did not show up at the meeting. Government felt it would have been better for the government and CSOs to discuss issues and get input from the NGOs. The CSOs are demanding answers on foreign trips, decent housing lack of electricity and water and many mere things.

CSO leaders have now and again questioned government’s tendency of taking large entourages on foreign trips in the middle low economic performances. According to the CSOs it is better to have reforms that will target all Malawians not just a few individuals. The cabinet ministers should also be seen to be working towards implementation of reforms.

National Initiative for Civic Education NICE asked youths to resist the temptation of being used by politicians to ignite political violence. Past records show that it is mainly the youths that are easily taken to be used in political violence and when things go ugly they are victims. On the same hand NICE also warned politicians to run away from paying the youth to ignite violence.

On the religious front Pope Francis appointed Father George Desmond Tambala as Bishop of Zomba Diocese. Fr Tambala replaced Bishop Thomas Msusa who is now Bishop of Archdioceses of Blantyre. Till the time that Bishop elect Tambala will be consecrated, Bishop Msusa will be in charge of Zomba Diocese.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIVES

As the fight to end human trafficking continues, it has shown that such cases are under reported. This is because very few cases appear in the press and yet there is too much that is going on. Civil society organizations have noted that since 2012 only 73 cases were rescued. This however does not mean that these are the only cases. With not much reports on the cases of human trafficking there is not much that the authorities can do to rescue the victims. People need to do their part in reporting the cases so that authorities also do theirs in rescuing those trafficked

Despite all the efforts some local NGOs are giving to eliminate abuses of the eldery, some communities are still on it. Press reports show that in Nsanje elderly women are facing humiliation from one reason or the other. Goearge Thindwa of Secular Humanism has also been in the forefront of sensitizing the masses about the evils of alleging that the elderly are practicing witchcraft. Though the campaign was received with mixed reactions a number of the elderly who were in custody are now free people.

But in Nsanje people are still on it mistreating elderly women for suspecting they are practicing witchcraft. According to Thindwa police should be in the fore front to protect elderly women. Evidence has shown that every time issues of witchcraft come out in a village, it is the elderly that are suspects. Thindwa therefore is pleading for protection for the elderly who are always have to face the humiliation.

The Police Headquarters is the last place where people would think of going to steal. But recent media reports show that some men in Lilongwe did the most daring scandal by posing as Interpol police in order to steal which they did successfully. What is more alarming is the fact that these robbers were right in the Police headquarters compounds and pretending to be using the offices as law enforcers. The fact that the three robbers managed to steal the car from the compounds of the Police headquarters tells us of how security issues are in Malawi.

Issues of wrangles over chieftaincy continued to happen in Malawi going by latest media reports. This time around villagers have taken the law into their hands to eliminate a chief. In Karonga reports show that villagers brutally murdered a chief who was once suspended but was reinstated by the Kyungu. The villagers say the Kyungu did not consult them when he reinstated the chief.

EDUCATION

The abolition of the Junior Certificate Examinations continues to receive massive press coverage evidence has shown. The moment government announced this, the issue has attracted a lot of debates from various sectors of the society. Just like all the cases there are two sides with one welcoming the development and the other opposing it. For starters a number of organisations feel by abolishing JCE government is in one way belittling the examination. Others feel government has rushed to come up with such a big change in the education sector and should have widely consulted before doing so.