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■THINGS WE OUGHT TO HAVE DONE TOGETHER AS MALAWIANS TO FIGHT COVID 19 AS ONE UNITED COUNTRY AGAINST A DEADLY PANDEMIC.
The understanding is that the fight against Coronavirus calls for unity as a country against the Virus but also taking into account our local unique situation.
1. Top level meeting attended by His Excellency President Mutharika, Her Excellency Joyce Banda, Hon. Lazarous Chakwera, Hon. Saulosi Chilima, Hon. Khumbo Kachale, Hon. Atupele Muluzi, Hon. Cassim Chilumpha, Hon Justin Malewez, George Mnesa, Mark Katsonga Phiri, Enock Chihana and all leaders of political parties in one room. In that meeting Malawian Epidemiologists, Virologists, Bacteriologists, Public Health Experts, Researchers and Academicians ought to have made presentations on COVID 19, the likely impact in Malawi and options for Malawi. In that Meeting they could have called for united political will to fight the Virus. Many countries have done that based on their local contexts.
2. The Emergency Meeting of Members of Parliament. The first part of the meeting ought to have been that of Parliamentary Committees on Health, Legal Affairs, Women Caucus, Social and Community Affairs where Epidemiologists, Virologists, Bacteriologists, Public Health Experts needed to provide a picture of COVID 19 in Malawi and the options for Malawi. The second part could been the normal chamber meeting where the focus could have been the passing of relevant laws to help in the fight against COVID 19 including stimulus packages and the cautioning of the poor. USA, RSA, Kenya, Spain, U.K have been or are doing that.
3. The high level meetings of Bishops, Heads of Religious Bodies, Heads of Religious Institutions, Chiefs and Traditional Leaders. The meetings could have focused on presentations by experts. Those meetings could have focused on commitments by these bodies to fight the virus including commitment to suspend religious gatherings as part of social distancing. RSA and others countries have done that and we could have done that too.
4. Setting up of National Task Force of Experts on COVID 19 whose headquarters ought to have been at College of Medicine or Public Health Institute. This Task Force ought to be headed by an expert in Infectious Deases. This team could have been briefing Malawians on the available options to combat the virus including emerging options. Their briefings ought to start with 'looking at the evidence available....'
5. National Committee on COVID 19 with representation from Government, Opposition Parties, international partners, Religious Bodies, National Security Institutions, National Human Rights Institutions, Malawi Chamber Of Commerce, Chiefs Council, NGOs, Academicians and Researchers. Secretary for Health needed to head this team. This committee could have been focusing on what we as a country are agreeing on through different options. Their briefings ought to start with 'having heard from experts...we have agreed as representatives of different institutions....'
6. Then the Cabinet Committee on COVID 19. Most of the briefings ought to start with 'after consultations we have.....' This committee ought to have one or three experts during briefings especially on statistical presentations of the Malawian situation. Briefings ought to be led by the President or Cabinet Minister as the situation may demand.
7. These committees could have been doing joint meetings where necessary. They can also do joint briefings to the public where necessary.
8. What we could have been seeing in the public is that everybody is included in the process and procedure of doing things and all voices are counting.
Just some thoughts in the spirit of freedom of expression and opinion.
The understanding is that the fight against Coronavirus calls for unity as a country against the Virus but also taking into account our local unique situation.
1. Top level meeting attended by His Excellency President Mutharika, Her Excellency Joyce Banda, Hon. Lazarous Chakwera, Hon. Saulosi Chilima, Hon. Khumbo Kachale, Hon. Atupele Muluzi, Hon. Cassim Chilumpha, Hon Justin Malewez, George Mnesa, Mark Katsonga Phiri, Enock Chihana and all leaders of political parties in one room. In that meeting Malawian Epidemiologists, Virologists, Bacteriologists, Public Health Experts, Researchers and Academicians ought to have made presentations on COVID 19, the likely impact in Malawi and options for Malawi. In that Meeting they could have called for united political will to fight the Virus. Many countries have done that based on their local contexts.
2. The Emergency Meeting of Members of Parliament. The first part of the meeting ought to have been that of Parliamentary Committees on Health, Legal Affairs, Women Caucus, Social and Community Affairs where Epidemiologists, Virologists, Bacteriologists, Public Health Experts needed to provide a picture of COVID 19 in Malawi and the options for Malawi. The second part could been the normal chamber meeting where the focus could have been the passing of relevant laws to help in the fight against COVID 19 including stimulus packages and the cautioning of the poor. USA, RSA, Kenya, Spain, U.K have been or are doing that.
3. The high level meetings of Bishops, Heads of Religious Bodies, Heads of Religious Institutions, Chiefs and Traditional Leaders. The meetings could have focused on presentations by experts. Those meetings could have focused on commitments by these bodies to fight the virus including commitment to suspend religious gatherings as part of social distancing. RSA and others countries have done that and we could have done that too.
4. Setting up of National Task Force of Experts on COVID 19 whose headquarters ought to have been at College of Medicine or Public Health Institute. This Task Force ought to be headed by an expert in Infectious Deases. This team could have been briefing Malawians on the available options to combat the virus including emerging options. Their briefings ought to start with 'looking at the evidence available....'
5. National Committee on COVID 19 with representation from Government, Opposition Parties, international partners, Religious Bodies, National Security Institutions, National Human Rights Institutions, Malawi Chamber Of Commerce, Chiefs Council, NGOs, Academicians and Researchers. Secretary for Health needed to head this team. This committee could have been focusing on what we as a country are agreeing on through different options. Their briefings ought to start with 'having heard from experts...we have agreed as representatives of different institutions....'
6. Then the Cabinet Committee on COVID 19. Most of the briefings ought to start with 'after consultations we have.....' This committee ought to have one or three experts during briefings especially on statistical presentations of the Malawian situation. Briefings ought to be led by the President or Cabinet Minister as the situation may demand.
7. These committees could have been doing joint meetings where necessary. They can also do joint briefings to the public where necessary.
8. What we could have been seeing in the public is that everybody is included in the process and procedure of doing things and all voices are counting.
Just some thoughts in the spirit of freedom of expression and opinion.
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