TITLE: MALAWI-MOZAMBIQUE RELATIONS: ARGUE FOR, OR AGAINST, THE VIEW THAT MALAWI ENDED UP AS THE PARIAH STATE IN HER RELATIONS WITH MOZAMBIQUE FROM THE 1960S TO THE EARLY 1990S

TITLE: MALAWI-MOZAMBIQUE RELATIONS: ARGUE FOR, OR AGAINST, THE VIEW THAT MALAWI ENDED UP AS THE PARIAH STATE IN HER RELATIONS WITH MOZAMBIQUE FROM THE 1960S TO THE EARLY 1990S

BY RICHARD CHIROMBO

MALAWI-MOZAMBIQUE RELATIONS FROM THE 1960S TO EARLY 1990S: HOW MALAWI ENDED UP AS THE KEY, RATHER THAN PARIAH, STATE

INTRODUCTION
Two momentous developments took place between 1960 and the late 1980s, namely: Malawi’s attainment of independence from Britain in 1964 and the end of the Cold War between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. This changed the course of Malawi’s foreign policy. Under the leadership of Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Malawi’s foreign policy position was inclined towards the western capitalist states. This stance was viewed as realism (Patel and Hajat in Patel and Svasand 2007:379). With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the communist ideology, Malawi’s foreign policy entered a phase of accommodation. While much has been written about the country’s foreign policy approaches, much of the focus has been put on the country’s relationship with apartheid and colonial regimes such as South Africa and Portugal. It has further been suggested that Malawi’s collaboration with South Africa fuelled the civil war in Mozambique, leading to assertions the country ended up as a pariah state, especially for supporting the activities of RENAMO,a proxy of the South Africa apartheid regime. However, the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines a pariah as an outcast, a person who is not acceptable to society and is avoided by everyone. This paper attempts, in the context of this definition, to argue that Malawi ended up as the key, rather than pariah, state, in Southern African Development Coordination Committee (SADCC) peace and economic initiatives. We also consider foreign policy practices of most African states at the time, characterized by African states eager to get rid of the colonialism hangover and fast track development initiatives to live up to the term ‘independence’, capitalized on economic rather than political diplomacy, or both. Tangible social-economic benefits were, during the period spanning from early 1960s to early 1990s, the millionaire’s cabbage around which the victorious nationalist leaders built people’s confidence and ensured their political survival. This was a period when most African leaders, including those belonging to the Front Line States, lived under the fear of being overthrown or undermined. Like all African states, Malawi did not inherit a silver spoon from the colonialists. Instead, Africa’s victorious nationalists inherited blank development cheques and maps. Malawi utilized foreign policy practices that were commonplace, including in developed countries, raising the big question of how, of all the countries employing similar strategies, only Malawi should be singled out and name-called. From the evidence presented, it is clear that Malawi was not a pariah state through out the period in question. In fact, the country was the key state in crucial regional development programmes. Whenever needed, Malawi played noble roles, including during the formation of a joint security committee to tackle armed bandits in both Malawi and Mozambique. It is unlike the work of a pariah state.

An examination of the relationship between Malawi and neighbouring countries shows that it was realistic. In other words, it was based more on benefits and costs than camaraderie. As in every nation state, Malawi’s foreign policy worked as an instrument that aimed at maximizing actual benefits in the relationship. Such purposeful approach by a state is what led Hans Morgenthau (1965: 8) to argue that political realism considers a rational foreign policy to be good foreign policy; for only a rational foreign policy minimizes risks and maximizes benefits and, hence, complies both with the moral precept of prudence and the political requirement of success. In Malawi, one finds a rational government working with countries that could facilitate quick-fire development without affecting relationships with neighbouring states. Banda, knew this pretty well and made sure that, if not in good terms, at least the lines of communication were kept open. This is the opposite of a pariah state.
It can be argued that Banda’s perception of foreign policy was enshrouded by the drive to overcome Malawi’s land-locked status challenges through efficient transportation links, soft loans on infrastructural development, and cooperation as one way of expanding the country’s access to foreign markets. The Front Line States could not provide this. Again, Malawi was not the only nation to benefit from South Africa. A good case in point is that of Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana. In 1963-64, South Africa developed the idea of a commonworth of independent states in southern Africa under South Africa’s leadership. Through the new Bantu Homelands Development Corporation, these countries were in 1965 offered South African aid. Relations proved closest with the new government of Lesotho under Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan, but this did not make these states pariah. From 1965, South Africa provided state development loans for industrial development in the Portuguese southern African colonies and Malawi. Both South Africa and SADCC states were craving for Malawi’s attention, which turned the country into a key, other than pariah, state.

Malawi’s conception of bilateral relations then was in line with the realist theory of international politics in which interest becomes the defining factor of relations between states (Morgenthau, 1965). In the same vein, the Rational Actor Model supports Banda’s choice of expanding and improving Malawi’s development standing in Southern Africa. As has been alluded to above, an environment of suspicion and mistrust existed among the new states, to the effect that nations were doing in darkness what they were condemning in broad daylight. Zambia is a good case in point.

After the 1986 meeting of Front Line States, which run from August 21-22 in Luanda, the states demanded that Malawi adopt a new position on peace in Mozambique. On September 11, Mozambican president Samora Machel, Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda and Zimbabwean Prime Minister Robert Mugabe traveled to Blantyre to explain to president Banda that the fundamental interests of the Malawian people were no different from those of other SADCC states, and that possible retaliation of the Front Line States would seriously affect Malawi’s land and air communication. Despite being part of this delegation, which only warned Malawi and never imposed any sanctions to turn it into a pariah state, Zambian president Kaunda sent a secret envoy to Pretoria in 1967, beginning a dialogue by private correspondence. Thus the understanding of foreign policy is made difficult by the discrepancy between what statesmen say they are doing and what they actually do (Morgenthau, 1962:1). However, what is wanted in foreign policy is realism and imagination, flexibility and firmness, vigour and moderation, continuity of policy when policy is good and the ability to change direction when international conditions make new departures desirable, adaptability of policy without destruction of its coherence or dependability (Waltz, 1967). Kaunda’s decision is a sign that Malawi made the right choice.

As has been observed, there are many aims that diplomacy has to pursue, one of which is political. The state must ensure peace and good relations with neighbouring countries. The visit of Mugabe, Machel and Kaunda on September 11, 1986 shows that Malawi was open to discussions. Then comes the issue of traditional or political diplomacy. According to Deputy Minister in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Nicholas Dausi, traditional or political diplomacy was the reason behind Malawi’s choice to forge relationships with South Africa and Portugal. Dausi said the trait of traditional diplomacy helped in bringing development to other countries such as Mozambique. He cited the railway to Beira as one of the examples, saying it was Malawi which convinced Portugal to go ahead with it despite its high costs. His sentiments were echoed by historian Desmond Dudwa Phiri, who said Malawi played a crucial role to end the Mozambique war and deserved better than being labeled a pariah state.

It must also be noted that though Malawi and Mozambique are neighbours (Mozambique lies on the East Coast of Africa, bordered to the North by Tanzania, to the West by Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, and to the South by Swaziland and South Africa), the two nations came from different backgrounds. Mozambique had been a Portuguese colony since the 19th century (Europa, 1990) while Malawi had been a British colony. Mozambique only got independence in 1975. The two nations’ priorities were bound to be different, more so when Malawi leaned towards capitalism while Mozambique favoured socialism as evidenced by the fact that the ruling FRELIMO party in that country benefited greatly from Marxist intellectuals, especially after Samora Machel took over from Eduardo Mondlane (Europa, 1990), who was murdered in Dae es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1969.

Diplomacy, defined as the conduct of business or the application of intelligence and tact to the conduct of official relations between Governments of independent States, played a huge role in making sure that the country did not become a pariah state, as witnessed by visits from regional leaders such as Mugabe, Kaunda and Machel. In the study of international politics, foreign policy encompasses the substance and content of external relations while diplomacy entails the methodology for implementing foreign policy (Krishnamurty, 1980; Bull, 1977; Satow, 1966). More over, Malawi’s policies fitted those used in international politics of the time, which leads to the conclusion that Malawi could not be branded as a pariah state when it was merely applying commonly used theories to spearhead development. It must also be noted that by the early 1950s, theoretical battles were being fought over “idealism” versus “realism” with keystones of the gospel of realism centering on nation power, nation interest and balance of power as two major approaches to how states control themselves in their interactions (Rourke and Boyer, 2004; Kegley, JR., 1995; Bennett, 1991; Rosenau, 1969; Morgenthau, 1965).

Idealism or neo-idealism is the expression of the ultimate values of freedom, peace, welfare, justice, and security, although these goals are not accepted in the same manner and with the same meanings by all states (Padelford and Lincoln 1967:49) but is a tool to increase state wealth and power(Morgenthau,1965). Thus through idealism states basing on their realist conception compete with each other for limited goods: territory, status, prestige, access to raw materials and markets, and control over strategic points. Thus the reality of diplomacy is that the gains of one state are at the expense of the others, and no state can afford to rely on others for its security and welfare (Holsti, 1995:6). The problem, however, is that studies that show how diplomacy shape the peoples’ mindsets in safeguarding the national sovereignty and resources against foreign exploitation in Malawi are rare.

Christopher Clapham (1996) argues that the foreign policy behaviour of different African states varied enough to indicate that the rulers could make real choices, for example as between ‘Capitalist’ and ‘Socialist’ strategies of economic development, and the international alignment that went with them. He argues that from the view point of rulers such as Houphouet-Boigny in Cote d’Ivoire or Kamuzu Banda in Malawi, the search for economic support dictated a clientelist approach. Until the failure of African economies brought about the imposition of structural adjustment programmes, and with the end of the Cold War revealed the vulnerability of African states to direct external intervention (Clapham 1996:65, 245). However, what approach dictated Malawi’s foreign policy between early 1960s to early 1990s has not been seriously analysed by scholars of Malawian foreign policy and diplomacy. But, definitely, it did nor lead to Malawi’s exclusion,

As it were, the end of the Cold War marked the death of the Banda doctrine of sticking to capitalist rather than socialist approaches for economic support. The world without the Cold War presented countries such as Malawi an opportunity to spread their diplomatic nets to non democratic allies and accommodated countries such as South Africa. The only problem in Malawi position could be national consultation. While most analyst of foreign policy and diplomacy argue that (it) foreign policy must be controlled by the people (Palmer & Perkins, 2004; Waltz, 1967; Nicolson, 1963) and that its conduct must adhere to certain sound principles and rules, prove its consistency with democratic tradition and the imperative effective negotiation (Palmer & Perkins, 2004; Krishnamurty, 1980; Nicolson, 1963 Macridis, 1962). However, diagnosis of the execution of foreign policy and conduct of diplomacy in Malawi as evidenced by the embracing of apartheid regimes all feed into agreed conduct of diplomacy and that clear Malawi from allegations of being a pariah state. In all this, Malawi managed to harmonise the theoretical and practical conceptions on the conduct of diplomacy, which should be aimed at the fulfillment of the national interest and secure protection of the citizenry from vulnerability of external forces (Palmer &Perkins, 2004; Rourke and Boyer, 2004; Krishnamurty, 1980; Keohane & Nye, 1977; Morgenthau, 1962).

It could be argued that those who claim that Malawi ended up as a pariah state do so for lack of other terms. After all, one of the problems countries have had with Malawi’s foreign policy has been their inability to separate political from economic or ideological determinants or what could be termed as acting in national interest. For instance, it is difficult to identify and differentiate what is acting on national, political and economic interest since Malawi got independent. This challenge is well highlighted by Larkin (1971) and Hutchinson (1975). Both authors cite the example of China as one of the victim’s of Malawi’s policies from 1964 to 2007. They argue that Dr. Banda is said to have rejected Chinese economic assistance of £6 million or £18 million to support the Chinese in the United Nations rather than recognize Taiwan (Larkin 1971, Hutchinson, 1975). Banda had told the United Nations in 1964 that, since the People’s Republic of China exercised effective authority over his territory Malawi had no choice but extent diplomatic relations. However, in twist of events, on 12 July 1966, Malawi extended de jure recognition to Taiwan (Larkin, 1971: 185). Examining Banda’s behaviour through his foreign policy actions becomes complex to categorize his kind of diplomacy as either economic diplomacy or development diplomacy or political diplomacy. The diplomatic strategies of African leaders such as Banda generated analytical problems in African foreign policy. This led Cowan to argue that foreign policies of African states have been to a degree characterized by ad-hoc decision-most of which owing to the absence of foundations on which to base an overall foreign policy, which tended at times to be contradictory and often confusing to the outside observer (Mckay 1966:119).

When Malawi applied these ideals in terms of her economic development needs, observers mistook it for the signs of a pariah state. Yet Malawi kept the channels of communication open to Mozambican officals, resulting into that joint committee to deal with bandits. Malawi that housed Mozambican refugees, a sure sign of good neighbours. Differing in diplomatic partners does not turn a country into an isolated state. Take for instance countries such as Zambia and Zimbabwe. The two had China as their ally, Mozambique still looked up to Portugal and Malawi Britain, South Africa and Portugal. Why is it that it is only Malawi that is being singled out for being different. Observers seem to forget that there is unity in diversity.

Another example could be the tendency of countries that were in SADCC, most of which could openly grant political asylum to exiled individuals from member states. It was like harbouring bandits because the exiled leaders could plan against their governments. But did did not make such states pariah. Mayall (1971) argues that in Southern Africa there was a tendency for the opposition to move abroad and identify itself with the foreign policy aims of the neighbouring state. He points out that following the Malawi cabinet crisis in September1964, six former ministers fled into exile in neighbouring Tanzania and Zambia where they were granted political asylum and, according to Malawi’s President Banda, official support in plotting his overthrow. Thus, since the Tanzanian government was deeply committed to the liberation struggle and had provided training and base facilities for nationalist freedom fighters engaged in Mozambique, and since Zambia was generally believed to be following a similar, if less openly provocative policy the presence of political exiles from Malawi inevitably led to the conflict between the three states. Both Larkin (1971) and Hutchinson (1975) point out that Banda had alleged that the political exiles camping in neighbouring countries to Malawi and plotting his assassination were aided by the People’s Republic of China. They further contend that when the Chinese realized that Banda could not succumb to the blandishment of six million or eighteen million pounds to recognize China, there was all possibility that the Chinese could sponsor his overthrow in favour of the opposition. In rejecting Chinese aid, Banda argued that the overpopulated China was looking enviously at Africa’s huge resources and if the Africans were blind and not careful the Africans would be served up as Chinese soup (Hutchinson, 1975: 272).

In conclusion, we have seen from this paper that, rather than playing isolationist politics that would have turned Malawi into a pariah state, the country utilized foreign policy strategies available between early 1960s to early 1990s, most of whom policies are still highly valued by United Nations member states. We have also seen that, other than being isolated, Malawi engaged in a sustained programme of dialogue with Front Line States as well as SADCC members, a development that helped avert disaster, bring the civil war in Mozambique to an end, promoted regional integration, increased turned the Southern Africa region into one powerful voice in terms of inter-regional negotiations. In all this, Malawi played a crucial role. This role was further appreciated by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on May 23, 2009, when he thanked Malawi for her efforts in aiding the guerrillas in Zimbabwe. Some three month earlier, former Mozambican President Joachim Chissano told former Ghanaian President, John Kufuor, about how Malawi allowed them to operate in Chilobwe, Blantyre. A host of African heads of state attended the funeral of Malawi’s former President, Dr. Banda. All these point to the fact that Malawi ended up as a key, rather than pariah, state in the region.








REFERENCE
Deutsch, Karl, W (1989) The Analysis of International Relations. New- Pentice-Hall, Inc.
Europa World Year Book , Volume 11: Kenya-Zimbabwe London: Europa Publications Limited pp1670-1671
Frankel, Joseph (1979). International Relations in a changing World. New Edition New
York. Oxford. University Press
Hedges, D, (1989) “Notes on Malawi-Mozambique Relations, 1961-1987” Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol.15,No.4. Taylor&Francis Limited, pp 617-644
Kegley, Charles, W.JR., (1995) Controversies in International Relations Theory:
Realism and the Neoliberal Challenge. New York. ST. Martin’s Press
Krishnamurthy, G.V.G., (1980) Modern Diplomacy: Dialectics and Dimensions. New
Delhi. Sagar Publications.
Mayall James (1971) Africa : The Cold war and After. London Elek Books
Mazrui Ali, A. (1977) Africa’s International Relations: The Diplomacy of Dependency
and Change. Boulder. Westview Press
Robinson, D (2009) “Renamo, Malawi and the struggle to succeed Banda: Assessing theories of Malawian interventions in the Mozambican civil war”. Eras Edition 11 available onhttp://www.arts.monash.edu.au./publications/eras

Malawi gets tough on adoption before World Cup

Malawi has stepped up efforts to stop any international adoption attempts, at least until after the World Cup in South Africa.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) member state has, since September 2009, upped up its efforts to curb incidences of child trafficking, in the process putting the spanners in all adoption attempts in the hope that Malawian children would be safe.
Justice Edward Twea, a High Court judge and also Chairperson for the Juvenile Justice Forum, confirmed the development to Zachimalawi, saying, "As it were, the World Cup can only be described as a danger zone" for Malawian children.
"The thing is, we have just put in place mechanisms aimed at ensuring that our children are safe. As we approach the time of the World Cup (In June this year), we anticipate that there may be some people from the international community who may wish to traffic our children in the name of inter-country adoption. We are just on guard," said Twea.
He said there was need for Malawians to be careful with people who would wish to foll them into offering their children up for adoption when, in fact, they want to traffic them for commercial sex work in South Africa.
Child Justice Magistrate Esmie Tembenu concurred with Twea, saying the country anticipates an increased number of people wishing to adopt children from the country for purposes of trafficking and commercial sex work.
"Actually, we fear that our courts may be overstretched with such adoption attempts.The best we can do is wait until the World Cup is over," said Tembenu.
Malawi is yet to ratify international protocols on inter-country adoption, rendering the country ill-prepared.

World Press Freedom Day: Commission launches 2010 Lorenzo Natali Prize for development journalism

Lilongwe, 30 April 2010

Press release

…/for immediate release

World Press Freedom Day: Commission launches 2010 Lorenzo Natali Prize for development journalism

On World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, the European Commission will officially launch the Lorenzo Natali Prize for 2010, an international prize awarded in partner-ship with Reporters Without Borders and the World Association of Newspapers to the best journalism on development, democracy and human rights.

Interested journalists have until 31 August 2010 to apply. The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in Brussels in December, in the presence of the European Commis-sioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs. Prizes worth a total of € 60,000 (approximately MWK 12.3 million) will be awarded to 17 journalists in Africa, Europe, the Arab World/Middle East, Asia and Latin America/Caribbean.

Information on how to apply is available at: http://www.nataliprize2010.eu.

Contact:
Ulf Jakobsson, Press and Information Officer, EU Delegation to Malawi, tel. 01 773 199, ulf.jakobsson@ec.europa.eu

MEDIA ALERT: Statement by Catherine Ashton, High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, at the occasion of Europe Day 2010 on 9th May

Exactly 60 years ago on 9 May 1950 the declaration of the great European Robert Schuman laid the ground for a united, stable and peaceful Europe, that would emerge from the ashes of two devastating world wars.

This historical declaration and its great significance continue to lead the integration project on the European continent and inspire partnerships we forge beyond the borders of Europe.

Europe Day has become the symbol of a new beginning, of a free and successful way of peaceful cooperation between sovereign nations, based on shared values and common interests such as peace, solidarity, democracy, welfare of people and the rule of law.

On the occasion of Europe Day 2010 I would like to emphasize the high importance that Europe is giving to its partners around the world. Only together will we be able to create policies and initiatives to tackle the challenges the world is facing in the 21st century.

We have to find effective answers on a wide range of risks and threats: the fragility of states, terrorism, organised crime as well as the wider issues that affect our citizens: energy, climate change and the competition for natural resources, pandemics, illegal migration and human trafficking, financial and economic issues, trade, health and demography.

Europeans are united in the way they perceive foreign policy and the external action. There is consensus for more cooperation, coherence, visibility and joint action. The European Union is reshaping its institutional capabilities to respond adequately to the new challenges.

At the heart of these institutional changes is the European External Action Service (EEAS), one of the central innovations of the Lisbon Treaty that came into force on 1st December 2009. After I presented the proposal for the setting up of the service at the end of March 2010, I would like to see it up and running by the end of this year.

The EEAS will strengthen the impact of EU values and interests around the globe. It will enable the EU to have a more ambitious, effective, coherent and visible foreign policy.

The EEAS will be our principal interface with international partners; i.e. Europe’s “eyes, ears and face” in our day-to-day dealings abroad. It will promote comprehensive policies in a strategic manner.

I am aware that current institutional developments are watched closely by our partners around the world. I am convinced that the EEAS will bring new level of comprehension and cooperation in our partnerships, to the benefit of all of us.
The EEAS will be set up 60 years after the adoption of the Schuman declaration, but very much in its spirit.

Happy Europe Day!

Malawi 'gay trial' prisoners speak out

Write to Steven and Tiwonge - Send them a letter



London - 27 April 2010



Two men on trial on charges of homosexuality in Malawi, Steven Monjeza (26) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga (20), have issued a defiant message from their prison cell, affirming their love for each other and thanking their supporters in Malawi and worldwide.



Tiwonge said: "I love Steven so much. If people or the world cannot give me the chance

and freedom to continue living with him as my lover, then I am better off to die here in prison. Freedom without him is useless and meaningless."



"We have come a long way and even if our family relatives are not happy, I will not and never stop loving Tiwonge," said Steven.



The two men's messages were relayed from inside Chichiri Prison in Blantyre, Malawi, to Peter Tatchell of the LGBT human rights group OutRage! in London, England.



Tiwonge and Steven have stressed their gratitude for the support they have received from fellow Malawians and from people around the world:



"We are thankful for the people who have rallied behind us during this difficult time. We are grateful to the people who visit and support us, which really makes us feel to be members of a human family; otherwise we would feel condemned," said Tiwonge.



Steven added: "All the support is well appreciated. We are grateful to everybody who is doing this for us. May people please continue the commendable job. Keep sending some small contribution. The money you send to us is so valuable and it makes such a huge difference between life and death, as prison life is very difficult. With the money we are able to buy some extra food to supplement our intake of the much needed vitamins and proteins."



Peter Tatchell expressed his admiration of the two men:



"Steven and Tiwonge are showing immense fortitude and courage. They declared their love in a society where many people - not all - are very intolerant and homophobic. This was a very brave thing to do. Although suffering in prison, they are unbowed. They continue to maintain their love and affirm their human right to be treated with dignity and respect," said Peter Tatchell.



"They have taken a pioneering stand for the right to love. They love each other, have harmed no one and believe that love should not be a crime. It is nobody's business what they do in the privacy of their own home. There is no evidence that they have committed any crime under Malawian law. They should not be on trial or in prison. Although not convicted of an offence, they have already spent four months behind bars.



"OutRage! is supporting Steven and Tiwonge. For the last three months, we have arranged extra food to supplement the men's meagre, poor quality prison rations.



"We pay tribute to the other people and organisations who are giving legal and medical assistance to the detained men. This is a huge help. Steven and Tiwonge have asked me to communicate their appreciation," said Mr Tatchell.



Until quite recently Steven and Tiwonge did not realise that they had been adopted as Prisoners of Conscience by Amnesty International. When this news was relayed to them in prison they were, to quote one source: "Very happy with the effort made by Amnesty International to accord them this status. They offer their thanks to Amnesty."



Tiwonge and Steven have also expressed appreciation for the protest on their behalf in London on 22 March.



See photos of the protest here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/outrage/sets/72157623672689772/



See videos of the protest here:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Malawi+protest+london&aq=f



The two men thanked London-based African and British activists who have lobbied the Malawian Ambassador and the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Human Rights Unit to seek their release and to secure medical treatment for Steven.



Steven's condition has stabilised but he remains very ill. He is thin and weak and has jaundiced eyes, according to an eye-witness who saw him last weekend.



Tiwonge and Steven are urging continued protests to "get our release and the dropping of charges by the Malawi government."





Write a letter to Steven and Tiwonge



Help boost their spirits. Show them you care. Send a letter or postcard of support to Steven and Tiwonge:



Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, Prisoners, Chichiri Prison, P.O.Box 30117, Blantyre 3, Malawi



Further information: Peter Tatchell + 44 (0)207 403 1790



ENDS

PLEASE DO NOT RELY DIRECTLY TO THIS EMAIL



To contact Peter, please email him at his personal email address - peter@petertatchell.net



You can follow Peter on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PeterTatchell or join the Peter Tatchell Human Rights Campaign Facebook group at http://tinyurl.com/cj9y6s



www.petertatchell.net



PETER TATCHELL HUMAN RIGHTS FUND (PTHRF)



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Peter depends entirely on donations from supporters and well-wishers to finance his campaigns. Please donate generously to the PTHRF.



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TEARS ARE FOR BABIES....WORRIES ARE FOR FOOLS...

When a man lifts you up, it's definitely to the height of his hands, but when GOD lifts you up its limitless, seek HIM now and forsake all else and be uplifted forever!!! Tell me about the law of gravity that states anything that goes up must come down and I will introduce you to the law of aerodynamics that states that it is possible that something can go up and remain there. Before this year runs out, u shall find yourself somewhere that u can't even bring yourself down. Your blessings shall never come down, u shall never fail, the law of gravity will never work in your finances, business, family, all area of your life, etc. The devil is a liar. You may be going through a tough time right now but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith. The love of God is like the ocean, You can see its beginning, but not its end... This message works on the day you receive it. Let us see if it is true.. Pass this on to your true friends. Something good will happen to you; something that you have been waiting to hear. . Do not break this prayer; send it to a minimum of 15 including the person who sent it to you. May the Almighty Lord never cease to favor you, Amen! God Bless You.

Hi, Professor without students, Sir!!

One Malawian musician, of course unknown, lamented in one song that 'everything has gone China' (Chilichonse Chalowa China).

I thought it was a silly joke.

Now what? It's true, even our President, Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika,has gone China (even Bingu walowa China!)

After all, munaona kuti munthu akukhala Professor opanda students! (Where the hell have you seen a Professor without students!).

And Bingu is one.

So I, Mr. Richard Leviano Simon Chirombo, greet my Professor-President without students: Muli bwanji, Sir, lero!

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!!!

No Electricity at Blantyre's Main Markets

Shame, there is no electricity at Blantyre's main markets, including Blantyre City Centre Market and Blantyre Flea Market.
Officials say the two places were wrongly wired.
Meanwhile, electric vendors have cried foul saying they continue to pay market fee despite 'living' in perpetual black out.

Well...

This was posted by someone else on the website, and Zachimalawi has found it worthy to remove it as it is not original material.
Fata viam invenient.

Richard Chirombo Notes on Climate Change

CLIMATE CHANGE NOTES
• This term is commonly used interchangeably with "global warming" and "the greenhouse effect," but is a more descriptive term. Climate change refers to the buildup of man-made gases in the atmosphere that trap the suns heat, causing changes in weather patterns on a global scale. ...
www.green-networld.com/facts/glossary.htm
• The term "climate change" is sometimes used to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency, but because the Earth's climate is never static, the term is more properly used to imply a significant change from one climatic condition to another. ...
www.natsource.com/markets/index.asp
Climate change is the result of changes in weather patterns due to increases to the Earth's average temperature. This is caused by increases in greenhouse gases from activities such as burning fossil fuels, land clearing and intensive agriculture. Climate change is also often referred to as global warming.

Climate change will alter both global and regional climates. In Victoria, this means a warmer and drier future, with the increasing likelihood of more extreme events such as heatwaves, bushfires and storm surges.

The Earth's climate has changed over the last century and there is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed in the last 50 years is due to human activities.

While climate change is a global issue, it will affect us all. Climate change has the potential to adversely affect our environment, our communities and our economy unless we take action now - to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts.

This section explains climate change science in simple terms and where Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions come
For Concerned Citizens
If you’re a committed Christian and you care about creation, we believe that addressing climate change is one of the most critical moral issues facing the church today. There are resources on this site to help equip you as you seek to protect the least of these and care for the Lord’s creation.
Learn about the science behind global warming, and discover its impact on everyone, and especially on the poor and vulnerable abroad. There are some important domestic impacts as well.
Pray for God to help us find effective, just, and compassionate solutions to the problem of climate change. Pray that the Christian church is united in its witness to the glory of Christ.
Act Once you have learned about the impacts and the basic science and have agreed to pray earnestly and regularly before God, then it is time to act. Do what you can in your own life, in your household, church, community, and business. Contact your elected representatives to tell them you’re playing your part, and they should play their part by enacting prudent, cost-effective measures that start us down the road to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In particular ask them to protect the most vulnerable among us at home and abroad in any domestic legislation.
vEvangelical Climate Initiative
Ccall to Action
Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action
Preamble
As American evangelical Christian leaders, we recognize both our opportunity and our responsibility to offer a biblically based moral witness that can help shape public policy in the most powerful nation on earth, and therefore contribute to the well-being of the entire world.1 Whether we will enter the public square and offer our witness there is no longer an open question. We are in that square, and we will not withdraw.
We are proud of the evangelical community’s long-standing commitment to the sanctity of human life. But we also offer moral witness in many venues and on many issues. Sometimes the issues that we have taken on, such as sex trafficking, genocide in the Sudan, and the AIDS epidemic in Africa, have surprised outside observers. While individuals and organizations can be called to concentrate on certain issues, we are not a single-issue movement. We seek to be true to our calling as Christian leaders, and above all faithful to Jesus Christ our Lord. Our attention, therefore, goes to whatever issues our faith requires us to address.
Over the last several years many of us have engaged in study, reflection, and prayer related to the issue of climate change (often called “global warming”). For most of us, until recently this has not been treated as a pressing issue or major priority. Indeed, many of us have required considerable convincing before becoming persuaded that climate change is a real problem and that it ought to matter to us as Christians. But now we have seen and heard enough to offer the following moral argument related to the matter of human-induced climate change. We commend the four simple but urgent claims offered in this document to all who will listen, beginning with our brothers and sisters in the Christian community, and urge all to take the appropriate actions that follow from them.
Claim 1: Human-Induced Climate Change is Real
Since 1995 there has been general agreement among those in the scientific community most seriously engaged with this issue that climate change is happening and is being caused mainly by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels. Evidence gathered since 1995 has only strengthened this conclusion.
Because all religious/moral claims about climate change are relevant only if climate change is real and is mainly human-induced, everything hinges on the scientific data. As evangelicals we have hesitated to speak on this issue until we could be more certain of the science of climate change, but the signatories now believe that the evidence demands action:
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s most authoritative body of scientists and policy experts on the issue of global warming, has been studying this issue since the late 1980s. (From 1988—2002 the IPCC’s assessment of the climate science was Chaired by Sir John Houghton, a devout evangelical Christian.) It has documented the steady rise in global temperatures over the last fifty years, projects that the average global temperature will continue to rise in the coming decades, and attributes “most of the warming” to human activities.
• The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, as well as all other G8 country scientific Academies (Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy, and Russia), has concurred with these judgments.
• In a 2004 report, and at the 2005 G8 summit, the Bush Administration has also acknowledged the reality of climate change and the likelihood that human activity is the cause of at least some of it.2
In the face of the breadth and depth of this scientific and governmental concern, only a small percentage of which is noted here, we are convinced that evangelicals must engage this issue without any further lingering over the basic reality of the problem or humanity’s responsibility to address it.
Claim 2: The Consequences of Climate Change Will Be Significant, and Will Hit the Poor the Hardest
The earth’s natural systems are resilient but not infinitely so, and human civilizations are remarkably dependent on ecological stability and well-being. It is easy to forget this until that stability and well-being are threatened.
Even small rises in global temperatures will have such likely impacts as: sea level rise; more frequent heat waves, droughts, and extreme weather events such as torrential rains and floods; increased tropical diseases in now-temperate regions; and hurricanes that are more intense. It could lead to significant reduction in agricultural output, especially in poor countries. Low-lying regions, indeed entire islands, could find themselves under water. (This is not to mention the various negative impacts climate change could have on God’s other creatures.)
Each of these impacts increases the likelihood of refugees from flooding or famine, violent conflicts, and international instability, which could lead to more security threats to our nation.
Poor nations and poor individuals have fewer resources available to cope with major challenges and threats. The consequences of global warming will therefore hit the poor the hardest, in part because those areas likely to be significantly affected first are in the poorest regions of the world. Millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors.
Claim 3: Christian Moral Convictions Demand Our Response to the Climate Change Problem
While we cannot here review the full range of relevant biblical convictions related to care of the creation, we emphasize the following points:
• Christians must care about climate change because we love God the Creator and Jesus our Lord, through whom and for whom the creation was made. This is God’s world, and any damage that we do to God’s world is an offense against God Himself (Gen. 1; Ps. 24; Col. 1:16).
• Christians must care about climate change because we are called to love our neighbors, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, and to protect and care for the least of these as though each was Jesus Christ himself (Mt. 22:34-40; Mt. 7:12; Mt. 25:31-46).
• Christians, noting the fact that most of the climate change problem is human induced, are reminded that when God made humanity he commissioned us to exercise stewardship over the earth and its creatures. Climate change is the latest evidence of our failure to exercise proper stewardship, and constitutes a critical opportunity for us to do better (Gen. 1:26-28).
Love of God, love of neighbor, and the demands of stewardship are more than enough reason for evangelical Christians to respond to the climate change problem with moral passion and concrete action.
Claim 4: The need to act now is urgent. Governments, businesses, churches, and individuals all have a role to play in addressing climate change—starting now.
The basic task for all of the world’s inhabitants is to find ways now to begin to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels that are the primary cause of human-induced climate change.
There are several reasons for urgency. First, deadly impacts are being experienced now. Second, the oceans only warm slowly, creating a lag in experiencing the consequences. Much of the climate change to which we are already committed will not be realized for several decades. The consequences of the pollution we create now will be visited upon our children and grandchildren. Third, as individuals and as a society we are making long-term decisions today that will determine how much carbon dioxide we will emit in the future, such as whether to purchase energy efficient vehicles and appliances that will last for 10-20 years, or whether to build more coal-burning power plants that last for 50 years rather than investing more in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
In the United States, the most important immediate step that can be taken at the federal level is to pass and implement national legislation requiring sufficient economy-wide reductions in carbon dioxide emissions through cost-effective, market-based mechanisms such as a cap-and-trade program. On June 22, 2005 the Senate passed the Domenici-Bingaman resolution affirming this approach, and a number of major energy companies now acknowledge that this method is best both for the environment and for business.
We commend the Senators who have taken this stand and encourage them to fulfill their pledge. We also applaud the steps taken by such companies as BP, Shell, General Electric, Cinergy, Duke Energy, and DuPont, all of which have moved ahead of the pace of government action through innovative measures implemented within their companies in the U.S. and around the world. In so doing they have offered timely leadership.
Numerous positive actions to prevent and mitigate climate change are being implemented across our society by state and local governments, churches, smaller businesses, and individuals. These commendable efforts focus on such matters as energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy, low CO2 emitting technologies, and the purchase of hybrid vehicles. These efforts can easily be shown to save money, save energy, reduce global warming pollution as well as air pollution that harm human health, and eventually pay for themselves. There is much more to be done, but these pioneers are already helping to show the way forward.
Finally, while we must reduce our global warming pollution to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, as a society and as individuals we must also help the poor adapt to the significant harm that global warming will cause.
Conclusion
We the undersigned pledge to act on the basis of the claims made in this document. We will not only teach the truths communicated here but also seek ways to implement the actions that follow from them. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we urge all who read this declaration to join us in this effort.
Understanding the science

About half of the Sun’s energy reaching the top of our atmosphere penetrates to the Earth’s surface as short wave radiation. The rest is either reflected back into space by the atmosphere or absorbed by gases and dust particles. The solar energy that does reach the Earth's surface warms the land and oceans. In turn, the land and oceans release heat in the form of infrared radiation or long wave radiation. See Figure 1

Figure 1: The greenhouse effect


Greenhouse gases absorb some of this radiation, acting like a blanket and keeping the planet warm enough to sustain life. This is called the natural greenhouse effect.

Throughout history, the Earth’s climate has fluctuated naturally– from seasonal variations to sweeping shifts on geological time-scales, like ice ages. However, human activities, predominately the burning of fossil fuels, intensive agriculture and land clearing, are causing greenhouse gas concentrations in the lower atmosphere to rise above natural levels. In effect, the Earth’s blanket is becoming thicker, trapping extra heat and further warming the planet. This is called the enhanced greenhouse effect, often referred to as global warming or climate change.

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas, are higher now than at any time in the last 420,000 years. These higher concentrations correspond closely to increased rates of fossil fuel consumption and land clearing.

Earth's average temperature might increase by up to 5.8°C over the next 100 years, if greenhouse gas concentrations continue to increase. As the average global temperature rises, it will lead to other changes in weather. Storm patterns and severity might increase, sea levels will rise, and floods and drought may become more frequent and more severe.

Some changes to the climate are inevitable – even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases now, the gases we have already released will have an effect. However, we must do everything we can to avoid further changes, and to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The scientific consensus

A majority of the world's scientists agree that human activities have resulted in observed increase in global average temperatures, particularly since the middle of the 20th century.
Recent data indicates that the global mean temperature has increased by between 0.2 and 0.6°C since the late 19th century, while Australian average temperatures have increased by 0.8°C. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) releases a statement each year on the status of the global climate. For 2008, the global mean temperature was 14.3°C, making it the tenth warmest year on record that dates back to 1850.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the WMO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.

The IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report (2007) concludes that global warming has accelerated in recent decades, and there is new and stronger evidence that warming over the past 50 years is attributable to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions associated with human activities.

Updates in climate change science

The Victorian Government regularly monitors updates in climate change science through the Victorian Climate Change Adaptation Program.The most recent synthesis for Australia is ‘Climate Change 2009: Faster Change and More Serious Risks, often referred to as the Steffen Report, produced by the Australian National University on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change.

Key findings from the report show that:
• The earth’s climate is changing faster than expected and while climate change science is still evolving and some areas remain uncertain, it appears that climate change impacts will be more rapid and severe.
• It is clear that greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced urgently because long term impacts are starting to develop now such as melting of snow and ice in the Antarctic.
• Large scale changes, such as melting of glaciers and ice sheets or significant changes to the global carbon cycle, once started cannot be stopped or reversed by human interventions in the short term and may take thousands of years to recover.
Critical risks for Australia include:
• Sea level rise
• Ocean acidification (when carbon dioxide reacts with water to create carbonic acid)
• Severe recurring droughts and drying trends
• Increase in extreme weather events such as heatwaves, bushfires and floods.
The Copenhagen Synthesis Report was released earlier in 2009 and updates the findings of the 2007 Fourth Assessment by the IPCC and was published in preparation for the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled to take place in December 2009 in Copenhagen. It takes a more global perspective of the implications of new developments in climate change science. Highlights of global risks identified include:
• Current estimates show that global warming is around 50 per cent greater than was reported in 2007
• Small increases in average temperature could lead to impacts on human well-being in the future
• Heat extremes will increasingly have serious implications for food production and security
• If carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, climate change will become irreversible (for example, reduced rainfall in some regions and global sea level rise).
The Department of Sustainability and Environment has prepared a 2-page fact sheet summarising both of these reports which can be downloaded below.
Why and how Christians care about the Climate, key note lecture by Claire Foster at the "Climate Change: How Christians Respond" conference
Introduction
Having heard the facts about climate change, may I invite you to take a step back in order to reflect on a proper Christian response? I offer the analogy of the bow and arrow by way of justification. The further back the bow is drawn, the further and truer the arrow will fly. Non-governmental organisations involved in the environment have become very interested in the role that Faiths can play, not only because they offer large constituencies of concerned people, but also because they are familiar with the realm of human experience where perceptions can change. When perceptions change action can follow.

Human ingenuity and creativity has shown itself to be capable of having a profound and lasting effect on the elements of this world. There is something about humans - us - isn't there, that just can't bear to leave things along. We want to `pass everything through our hands' as John Zizoulis wrote. We want to experiment, alter, improve, adapt our environment. Unlike other creatures, which on the whole adapt to the environment they find themselves in, or if they can't, go and find a different environment, we have been pretty good at changing the world we live in to suit our wishes and needs, and this tendency has grown with the growing sophistication of our technology. Some prophets see a time coming where this tendency is taken to its logical limit, where we create an entirely artificial environment. EO Wilson predicts this. He calls it the `eremezoic era' - the era of loneliness. For it will happen, he argues, not through our desire or free choice, but through necessity. Humanity will have so poisoned the natural environment, the environment that Rowan Williams calls a gift, that we cannot any longer exist in it.
Growth without limit
Part of the reason for our tampering with the environment is, I would argue, entirely natural. We like doing it, and we can be exceptionally creative about it. Look at the great buildings and sculptures and paintings and other works of art that are the things of the natural world transformed by human hands. Much of the rural landscape we love and enjoy has been shaped by humans. Look at the acts of productivity and trade that people quite naturally engage in with each other, forming communities of shared effort such that everyone doesn't have to do everything for him or her self.
Economic activity, understood in this broad sense, can easily get out of hand, however, and others have written about the causes and consequences of the project of growth without limit, with no end in view except that of growth itself. I'm thinking particularly of the Bishop of London, who's book Tree of knowledge, tree of life (Continuum) has just been published. He deals with this subject most persuasively. We can see in our own lives what a governing idea growth for its own sake is, and how exhausting it can be. Just as speed and competition and busyness wear our own bodies out, so they wear out the planet. See the heat that is created from so much rushing about. Today we are focussing on one particular cost to the environment of such excess, namely climate change. In this address, I should like to offer some suggestions for a proper Christian response to this glorious creation in which we find ourselves. My suggestions are first of all spiritual, contemplative and to do with perception. My hope is that such suggestions will elicit a change of heart, a metanoia, that will ensure an openness to the advice on practical action that much of the rest of the day will provide. We don't want, in our own haste to help, to miss the silence in which wisdom can speak and direct our actions.
I have four principles to discuss. These are also treated in the report Sharing God's Planet.
The creation covenant
The first principle is the covenant that God made with Noah and the whole creation. This was not just with human beings but with all creatures, the web of relationships that makes our living planet. “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations… When the bow is in the clouds I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Gen 9.12,16).
The Hebrew word for covenant, berith, is very similar to the special word used for divine creative activity, bara. The root of these words conveys the sense of binding. Creation is bound to the invisible God and to itself in a web of interrelationship. Sever one part and every other part is affected. Sever enough parts and the whole web falls apart.
Scientists tell us that it is not possible to separate human beings - or any other beings - from the environment in which they developed. That is, living beings did not find their abode on the earth and adapt. Rather the environment and organisms evolved together, so that it is not really possible to separate them and think of one existing despite the other, or as a tenant of the other, or on the face of the other. Theologians and mystics concur with this perception. Hildegard of Bingen wrote:
God has arranged all things in the world in consideration of everything else.
In her description of the first stage of contemplation, Evelyn Underhill takes her readers through a process that leads them to an awareness that `St Francis was accurate as well as charming when he spoke of Brother Wind and Sister Water'.
Jacques Lusseyran, blinded as a young boy, describes his experience of the universe thus:
Yet there was something still more important than movement, and that was pressure. If I put my hand on the table without pressing it, I knew the table was there, but knew nothing about it. To find out, my fingers had to bear down, and the amazing thing is that the pressure was answered by the table at once. Being blind I thought I should have to go out to meet things, but I found that they came to meet me instead. I have never had to go more than halfway, and the universe became the accomplishment of all my wishes… If my fingers pressed the roundness of an apple, each one with a different weight, very soon I could not tell whether it was the apple or my fingers which were heavy. I didn't even know whether I was touching it or it was touching me. As I became part of the apple, the apple became part of me. And that was how I came to understand the existence of things…
Before I was ten years old I knew with absolute certainty that everything in the world was a sign of something else, ready to take its place if it should fall by the way. And this continuing miracle of healing I heard expressed fully in the Lord's Prayer I repeated at night before going to sleep.
This deeply shared history is why we experience nature as restorative, and why the eremezoic era would be so very terrible, so very lonely. We would miss our relations!
The sacrament of creation
Closely allied with the notion of the cosmic covenant is the second Lambeth principle of the sacredness of creation. Creation is sustained and given life continually by the Holy Spirit. It is the expression of God. It is not to be mistaken for God but because God is its true inwardness and being no part of it is without God's sacred presence. Therefore no part of it can be thought of as other, or outside. There is no “away” where we can throw things, no “other” whom we can exploit for our own ends.
Julian of Norwich wrote:
See, I am God: see, I am in all things: see, I do all things: see, I never lift my hands off my works, nor ever shall, without end: see, I lead all things to the end that I ordain it to, from without-beginning, by the same might, wisdom and love that I made it with. How should anything be amiss?
This principle echoes “Word made flesh”. `Manichees despise matter; pagans worship matter; materialists are largely indifferent to matter. It is Christians who, because of the Incarnation, revere matter as it leads them to God' said Richard Chartres in his opening address in the recent debate in General Synod. The very corporeality of Christ and his identification with the cosmos means that we can experience him and his redeeming power through this material world. Similarly, our responsibility is to all of creation; “the least of these my brothers and sisters” of the parable in Matthew 25 did not just mean other humans.
The role of humanity
Some argue that the human species is at best irrelevant and at worst a rogue species of rapacious bipeds that has dominated the planet to terrible effect. A great king went to a priest to ask for spiritual guidance. The priest said immediately, `sleep as long as possible'. The king was astonished. How would that help his faith to grow? `It would limit the damage you are doing to others', was the priest's reply.
What is the proper place of humanity on the planet? The Bible offers three roles: prophets, priests and kings (Hart p 3).
A prophet is a seer: one who perceives things as they truly are, that is, shown by God, and who speaks of what he or she sees.
When people see the world as independent, objective and separate from its Creator, they are like the prodigal son who takes his share of the universe and turns his back on his Maker. After he has finished investigating it and using it for himself he is left with the empty husk of old knowledge, knowing that there is something missing, the most important thing, which is not his material well-being.
To be a prophet is to be primarily receptive. Simone Weil, writing about prayer as attention, said:
Attention consists of suspending our thought, leaving it detached, empty, and ready to be penetrated by the object… Above all our thought should be empty, waiting, not seeking anything, but ready to receive in its naked truth the object that is to penetrate it… The love of our neighbour in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him: “What are you going through?”... This way of looking is first of all attentive. The soul empties itself of all its own contents in order to receive into itself the being it is looking at, just as he is, in all his truth.
(Weil p 62)
Once the prophet sees, s/he stands in awe. When asked what he was doing in a place, a monk simply said, `keeping it' (Chryssavgis p 33). The prophet understands the power of silent observation. Intelligent contemplation of things as they really are, restraining the urge to experiment, interfere, change or improve, is a service humanity can offer the whole created order, and its effects cannot be underestimated. What is seen is understood, and what is understood is loved. If no time is made simply to see what is, it will not be missed it until it has gone forever, and then it will be too late. Starets Zosima says in The Brothers Karamazov:
Love all of God's creation, love the whole, and love each grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love animals, love plants, love every kind of thing. If you love every kind of thing, then everywhere God's mystery will reveal itself to you. Once this has been revealed to you, you will begin to understand it ever more deeply with each passing day. And finally you will be able to love the whole world with an all-encompassing universal love.
(Doestoyevsky p 399-400)
Once s/he sees, the prophet must speak. Christ exemplified this. His programme of work, as declared in Luke 4, can be understood in a way that is directly relevant to this theme:
The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)
It is a prophetic role to speak of the beauty and goodness of the creation; to make people see things as they really are; and to free the earth (in this context) from the oppression of exploitation, ignorance and plunder.
The priest is primarily active, and this role recognises the human tendency to pass everything that exists through our hands. We may choose to do this in order to transform it, acting as God's servants, and this is to become a priest of creation. Standing between earth and heaven, the priest can bring God's blessing on all the earth, by caring for it as God's steward, not its master. The priest's hands become God's hands, and through Him what is touched is transformed. For some, this is most clearly demonstrated in the eucharistic feast. The elements of earthly reality, the bread and wine, become a means of grace for human beings and also themselves receive new meaning and status as they are offered to God. The offertory prayer acknowledges the balance between what has been given by God and what part humanity has played in transforming it:
Blessed be God through whom we have this bread to offer which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life.
The third human role is that of kingship. The servant-king defends the rights of the poor and disadvantaged, but kingship also implies dominion:
And God blessed them, and God said to them, `Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.'
(Gen 1:28)
A wrong understanding of human dominion over the earth has had devastating consequences. What might the proper meaning of the verse be? Does it imply, if not tyrannical lordship, at the very least some sort of pivotal leadership role in relation to the earth? Does the earth depend on humans in any way?
Dominion should be an exercise of viceregency: lordship under God. The biblical term for humanity's relationship with creation is `steward'. A steward is a servant who relates to God, on whose behalf s/he exercises dominion. S/he is also called to render an account to God of his/her stewardship of tilling and keeping.
St Paul calls Christ the Second Adam. Remember that the first Adam was created to `till and keep' - to serve and preserve - the Garden before the Fall. In Romans 8 St Paul says that creation was caught in bondage to decay - futility, going nowhere - waiting for the Sons of God, disciples of Christ, to set it free. These `Second Adams' are called to till and keep the land, to restore the fertility of the earth. This is real kingship.
The sabbath feast of enoughnes
The fourth and last Lambeth principle is that of the Sabbath - the feast of enoughness. In the roaring voracity of desire that can so consume our waking hours and even our sleep in dreams, our religion calls us to stop. Completely, properly, for a period of time. Not just to pause for breath before carrying on consuming, but to take a deep dive into God's peace. In the Genesis description of the creation, the crown of all creation is not man, created on the sixth day, but the Sabbath, in which God himself took a rest - and one does not imagine he did so because he was tired. Such a rest is to be offered not only to humans but to all creation. Leaving land fallow, forgiving debts and returning goods are all part of the jubilee call to stop awhile and be still. Have you noticed how unbelievably hard that is for us these days?
Conclusion
I hope I have shown that a thoughtful Christian understanding of God's creation and our place in it helps us to see how to respond to its needs. We need to get our facts right, and we need to study our own rich Christian tradition to understand why this is an issue for us to address. First of all, though, what is needed is a change of heart, a shift in attitude, an inner realisation or clearing of perception. With a distorted perception we cannot see what is there. With true perception we can, and we can respond truly. The biggest obstacle to true perception and sincere response is self-interest, born of fear and desire. These are hardly Gospel imperatives.
(Claire Foster kindly sent us the text of her talk)\
Adaptation action

Over the coming decades in Victoria climate change is expected to mean:
• increased temperatures
• drier conditions
• more frequent extreme events such as extreme rainfall, bushfires and droughts.
Despite global and local efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, some level of climate change is now inevitable, and we will need to adapt the way we do things to maintain Victoria's social, environmental and economic wellbeing.

Adapting to climate change is about taking deliberate and considered actions to avoid, manage or reduce the consequences of a hotter, drier and more extreme climate and to take advantage of the opportunities that such changes may generate.

Adaptation can take many different forms. It includes education and training about climate change; revising emergency planning responses for more severe extreme weather events; revised planning standards for more vulnerable areas; or it may require more technical and scientific solutions such as developing drought-resistant crops, increasing thermal performance standards for buildings.

Adaptation may also involve managing and assisting our natural assets to improve their resilience to climate change impacts, for example working to identify and establish migration corridors or ‘bio-links’ that join up suitable habitat fragments.

Benefits of early action may help reduce the need for and the cost of remedial action and may also provide some additional benefits in the interim. For example, improving water efficiency will have immediate benefits, but also better prepare us for times in the future when there is less water available.

Preparing for climate change is not something that governments can do alone – it is a shared responsibility that requires partnerships across the community so that individuals, businesses, communities and governments can make to prepare effectively and efficiently. Mitigation action

In climate changes terms, "mitigation" generally refers to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Victoria faces some particularly difficult challenges in reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to our heavy reliance on brown coal. To do this, we need to transform our energy sector to access new and cleaner sources of energy and maximise energy efficiency.

We also need to change the shape of our urban environments to maximise building energy efficiency, reduce car dependence and encourage transport modal shifts.

The carbon stored in forests and other natural systems help reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions. Changes in the way we manage and use land will increase potential for biosequestration - the process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and absorbed by living plants.

The establishment of a carbon price at the national level will also be a key driver for emissions reductions across the Victorian economy.

This section outlines the challenges in greater detail as well suite of approaches the Government is taking to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Emissions trading
The establishment of a national carbon price will drive emissions reductions

Energy
To move to a lower carbon future, we need to transform our energy sector and the shape of our urban environments

Land-based carbon
Information how trees help offset greenhouse gas emissions and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector

Key projects and activities - mitigation
A summary overview of some areas of action being undertaken by the Victorian Government on mitigation

Government operations
Ways in which the Victorian Government is working to improve its greenhouse performance
MALAWI: Climate Change Is Changing Farming Methods
By Claire Ngozo

LILONGWE, Mar 5, 2010 (IPS) - As they slept soundly on the night of Feb. 28, a family of four was killed when their house collapsed over their heads in Malawi’s southern district of Chikhwawa.

Christopher Ganizani, 27, his wife Grace, 29, and their children Rymon, six, and Christian, who was only nine months old, were buried alive under the rubble of their house, according to Chikhwawa police spokesman Sunday Ngulube.

"The house, made of unbaked mud bricks, buckled under the intensity of the heavy rains that have been falling in the area recently," he explained.

Heavy and stormy rains started hitting the area last month. They followed a drought the district experienced since October, a time of the year when the country usually receives rain. Chikhwawa is one of the districts in the country facing harsh effects of climate change, according to a 2010 Government of Malawi report to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).

Malawi has experienced extreme weather events, the report states, ranging from droughts in the 1991/92 growing season to floods in the 1996/97 season and flash floods in 2000/01. Such extreme weather events "clearly show that there are large temporal and spatial variables in the occurrence of climate-related disasters and calamities", according to the authors of the report.

This has caused irreversible damages to crop and livestock production. In Chikhwawa and Nsanje districts, farmers have been forced to plant more than twice because crops were destroyed, while others did not plant at all by mid-February, according to the report.

Ganizo Nyandoro, 39, a subsistence farmer from Chikhwawa, says she has stopped growing maize, the country’s staple food. "With the unpredictable weather patterns, I have had to start growing drought-resistant crops and early maturing crops because the rains the country is getting at the moment are no longer conducive to growing maize," she told IPS.

Nyandoro says she now grows cassava, sweet potatoes, cotton and rears goats. "For the past eight years, as far as I can remember, my area has been affected by droughts and floods. Most people in my community are moving away from growing maize," she added, explaining that her community still buys maize after selling the produce from their farming activities. "We are so used to eating the staple food that we have to buy it."

Malawi’s economy is highly dependent on agriculture, with up to 85 percent of the country’s 13.1 million citizens relying on the land for their livelihoods. Like in other southern African countries, the harvest of staple crop maize has dropped severely. In Malawi, president Bingu wa Mutharika, who is also the country’s minister of agriculture, said he expects a 30 percent reduction this year, down from last year’s maize production of 3.7 million metric tonnes.

Throughout the country, communities are highly vulnerable to different climate risks, including flooding, shorter rains, dry spells, late rains, drought, strong winds and hail storms, according to a September 2009 study conducted by Bunda College, a constituent college of the University of Malawi.

"Floods and drought were mentioned by all vulnerable communities as being the most climate change risks affecting their adaptation efforts," noted Dr. David Mkwambisi, one of the researchers.

He says, as a result, crops die before maturity, crop are damaged by floods and there is soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, siltation of fields, shortage of water, loss of land and reduction in yield. Loss of productive land has led to lower family income, hunger, diseases and malnutrition.

Those that are already disadvantaged will suffer most from the effects of climate change. "Although all households are affected, the most affected households are female-headed households, child-headed households, the physically disabled and the elderly. Since impacts are high and adaptive capacity is low, the communities are highly vulnerable," explained Mkwambisi.

Communities have tried their best to devise resourceful ways to cope with and adapt to the adverse impacts of extreme weather events. They have started to diversify crops, adjust the timing of farm operations, change tillage practice, store grain, irrigate, use indigenous genetic resources, utilise wetlands for winter production and raise smaller livestock, especially goats.

"Off-farm strategies include food rationing, casual labour, selling household assets and migration. Other options related to rural livelihoods include shifting homes to higher ground, hunting small animals, gathering and eating wild fruits and vegetables," said Mkwambisi.

Such local level interventions have been supplemented by initiates from government and development partners, he adds, such as food and material donations, shallow well and borehole installation, construction for bridges and irrigation schemes, provision of medicine and other drugs.

But until such adaptation methods kick into gear, the adverse effects of climate change continue to wreck havoc on the lives of people in the country. In Nkhotakota in central Malawi, a 35-year-old pregnant woman, Grace Rajab, and her seven-year-old daughter, Alice, died in early January after lighting struck them during a storm. Grace’s son Henry sustained serious burns during the accident, which happened as the family was sitting down for dinner.

In December last year, stormy conditions displaced 500 families in Dedza, also in central Malawi, while another 177 families were left homeless and two people were injured by storms in lakeshore district Salima. Last November, seven people were injured and 25 houses collapsed during a powerful hailstorm that hit another lakeshore district, Mangochi.

From Livingstonia Synod to Bingu wa Mutharika

PETITION TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE STATE PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI ON THE QUOTA SYSTEM (31st DECEMBER 2009)

Preamble

The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), Synod of Livingstonia (hereinafter referred to as the Synod), dates back to 1875 with the arrival of Scottish missionaries. The Synod believes in openness, mutual trust, respect and true love as it carries out its mandate. It strives to reach out to all the people with the message of hope and love in this world of disorder, moral decay and political turmoil. Apart from evangelical work, it provides education, health and relief services to people, regardless of faith affiliation, that fall under its jurisdiction.

The Synod recognizes that education is a good force that develops human qualities, intelligence, talents and conscience for satisfaction of physical, social, economic and spiritual needs. Thus, education has the potential to lift citizens out of their poverty and increases their capacity to participate in the development process. Through this inherent power, education is an important tool for development.

The Synod also recognises that good governance and respect for the rule of law are critical to the political, economic and social development of a country. Accordingly, the Synod has the moral responsibility of speaking on matters that threaten the well-being of the voiceless and the marginalized.



Our Concerns

The Synod realizes that Malawi is currently grappling to address a number of national issues like fuel and forex shortage, the quota system and the devastating effects of earthquakes in Karonga and some parts of Chitipa. While concerted efforts have been registered on helping victims of the earthquakes, the quota system of selecting students into public learning institutions seem to be getting entrenched. Government’s resolve is evident from its communication dated 3rd September 2009 from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. This marked an official declaration putting quota system back into play irrespective of its illegality as challenged in 1993 country courts.

While the Synod’s stand on the quota system had already been clearly stated and communicated through a press statement, we are startled that the practice has been extended to the selection of pupils into secondary schools at the expense of the merit system. We are reliably informed that 2009 initial Form One selection was based on merit as had been the case in the past. However, that selection was discarded on instructions from ‘above’ in order to accommodate the quota system. This, unfortunately, has resulted into glaring disparities in the allocation of spaces in national secondary schools between and among the country’s three regions.

Concerned with this development and other issues, the Synod held an emergency meeting at Ekwendeni on 30th December 2009. The meeting critically reflected on the issues and made a number of observations.

1. The Synod is surprised and concerned that the government is blatantly misinforming the general public that the Synod boycotted the interdenominational prayers for earthquake victims held in Blantyre. The truth of the matter is that our representative, Rev. Maurice Munthali, was rejected by State House for undisclosed reasons. The Synod views such government machinations as irresponsible.

2. The Synod reiterates and reifies its position of opposing the quota system of selecting students into public learning institutions; including secondary schools as has been the case with this year’s Form One selection. Without fear of repetition, the Synod fails to appreciate the reintroduction of the quota system on the following grounds:

a) Quota system was outlawed in 1993

The Synod of Livingstonia believes that it is out of question to reintroduce the system or policy when it was successfully outlawed in 1993 when Charles Mhango, Ambokire Salimu, William Kaunda and Christopher Chilenga successfully challenged it in the High Court of Malawi. Its reintroduction and implementation is, therefore, a contempt of court.

b) Quota system is not a solution to challenges in the education sector

The education sector in Malawi experiences numerous challenges like high pupil-teacher ratio, shortage of qualified teachers, low teacher motivation, inadequate teaching and learning materials, poor and inadequate infrastructure. Unfortunately, proponents of the quota system fail to appreciate these challenges as root causes of disparities but instead dwell on petty and divisive statistics. The Synod expected that the Government of Malawi would focus its energies on addressing these root causes by, say, building more schools and universities. The Synod appreciates that the aforementioned challenges need to be addressed through some ‘affirmative action’ but certainly not through the quota system.

c) Quota system is discriminatory

The quota system contradicts various international human rights instruments that the Malawi Government has ratified. Such instruments recognize the right to education as inherent and empowering. These instruments place an obligation on states to provide equitable access to education for ALL without discrimination. For instance, article 2 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights; article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1979); and article 2 of African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights all expressly prohibit any form of discrimination based on national, ethnic or social origin. The World Declaration on Education (1990), and the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education (1962) are also unequivocal on the same. The same is provided for in the Republican Constitution under sections 20 and 25.

The Livingstonia Synod acknowledges that government has an obligation of protecting its entire people from any form of discrimination and taking positive action to promote their rights. On the contrary, the quota system is discriminatory in that selection into public learning institutions is based on ethnicity and social origin. The CCAP Synod of Livingstonia feels that the policy is only aimed at suffocating the voice and capabilities of a minority group of similar and cultural roots. Unfortunately, the President has often referred to the North as a minority group in terms of population (12% of national population), and that it only contributes about 20% of the national GDP. Such assertions only qualify the north as a distinct region, hence not wrong to call people from the north a minority group. On this basis, the quota system also defeats the objects of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities (adopted on 18th December, 1992 under Article 5 Sec 1 Resolution 47/135). The Declaration calls for the state ‘to plan and implement national policies and programmes with due regard for the legitimate interests of persons belonging to minorities’. The Malawi government is far from fulfilling this obligation by virtue of not listening to the concerns from northerners and other quarters. After all, the test of democracy lies in listening to the voices of the minorities.

d) Quota system and the principle of equitable access

The quota system in secondary schools and tertiary education as a principle of equity raises more questions than answers. The Synod wonders if the quota system really ensures equitable access when only 13.2% of pupils from the north have been selected to national secondary schools versus 41.58% and 45.39% from the central and southern regions. Refer to the appendix.

e) Quota system is root for divisions

Identifying people by district or region of origin becomes inconceivable since such discriminatory policies have the potential to breed resentment and hatred among different groups of people, considering that Malawi is a multiethnic nation with numerous intermarriages. The world has proved not to benefit from such discriminatory policies in any way as witnessed by conflicts in countries like Sri-Lanka, Sierra Leone, Malaysia and Rwanda whose genesis bordered on discriminatory policies that were a quota system of some kind. It is with such a background that the Synod of Livingstonia views the quota system as not in any way promoting values of nationhood. Rather, it leaves an impression of having ill motives as it institutionalizes ethnic and regional differences.

f) Quota system will compromise the quality of education

The quota system has silent assumptions like similar demographic factors amongst districts, similar conditions that learners are subjected to at home and at school as well as similar performance and capacity of learners. It also assumes equal distribution of educational facilities amongst districts. On the contrary, Malawi’s education system is merit-based as seen by the administration of the same exams to all the learners at each level regardless of the varying conditions on the ground that learners are subjected to. The Synod fears that the quota system will compromise the very purpose examinations serve, separating less able students from more able students, a role that quota system cannot play. After all, there is anecdotal evidence that the Ministry of Education has concocted grades to suit the whims of the proponents of the quota system. Such concoctions may have led to the selection of pupils into secondary schools of mediocre performers at the expense of meritorious pupils.

g) Quota system is not applicable to Malawi

Implementation of the quota system is far from being an affirmative action. The Synod recognizes that the quota system is being implemented in European countries but not in the SADC region. Where the quota system is applied, it is aimed at balancing the rich and the poor and not based on population or place of origin. The quota system should not be compared to the affirmative action applied to girls in accessing higher education in Malawi which addresses the root causes of the cultural perceptions that people have over girls in education.

h) Quota system is a betrayal to the people of Malawi

The DPP government was voted into power based on its election manifesto that espouses unity and justice, among other issues. The manifesto is silent on such divisive policies like the quota system. On that basis, Malawians, including the people from the north, overwhelmingly voted for the DPP. It is unthinkable, therefore, that the President keeps on lashing at northerners and antagonizing them with fellow Malawians from the central and southern regions. This defeats what the president preaches that we are all Malawians when he publicly categorizes people from the north. The president has also labeled northerners as academic cheats in his ‘Kucheza ndi a Malawi’ programme. The Synod considers such unsubstantiated statements as irresponsible and demeaning to the office of the president.

Recommendations

The Synod, therefore, recommends the following to his Excellency the State President and the Government of Malawi:

1. The quota system should not be implemented at any cost considering the aforementioned reasons and challenges. Accordingly, the Synod does not recognise this year’s Form One selection. We would like, therefore, to appeal to government to annul the selection results and that students should not report for classes until the issue is reversed, at least in national secondary schools;
2. The disparities in accessing secondary school and higher education as pointed out by the proponents of this policy, including the government, are mere symptoms of a problem. The government should, therefore, address the root causes of such disparities, not its symptoms.
3. The Government should work towards formulating policies that unify the people considering that Malawi is a multiethnic nation.
4. Government should at all times consult people on critical issues that affect their lives, including on the policy on ‘equitable access to higher education’.
5. The Government should respect the rule of law and not pursue undemocratic, oppressive and discriminatory ideologies like the quota system.
6. The government should not single out individuals on decisions made by the Synod. A case in point is the recent attacks on the personality of the Moderator of the Synod, Rev. Mezuwa Banda, and the Deputy General Secretary, Rev. Maurice Munthali, who have often spoken on behalf of the Synod on national issues, including the controversial quota system.


Signed On Behalf of the C.C.A.P. Synod of Livingstonia by the following delegates:

Rev. M.M. Banda Synod Moderator ………………………………..
Rev. Baloyi Moderator Elect ………………………………..
Rev. N.L. Nyondo Synod General Secretary ………………………………..
Rev. M.C.E. Synod Deputy General Secretary ………………………………..
MR.H.C.T. Nthakomwa Synod General Treasurer ………………………………..
Rev……………………….Chitipa Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Ngerenge Presbytery ……………………………….
Rev……………………….Karonga Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Rumphi Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Livingstonia Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………Jombo Presbytery …………………………………
Rev…………………….....Njuyu Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Ekwendeni Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Loudon Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Mpasazi Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Bandawe Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Wenya Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Misuku Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Johannesburg Presbytery …………………………………
Rev……………………….Euthini Presbytery ………………………………...
Rev……………………….Milala Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery ………………………………....
Rev…..…………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………
Rev………………………. Presbytery …………………………………

Nkhani zaChichewa Sabata Ino

Kafukufuku athandiza kutukula miyoyo yaolumala
WOLEMBA RICHARD CHIROMBO
Bungwe laFedoma, lomwe ndimgwirizano wamabungwe oyang’anira anthu olumala m’dziko muno, lidati ambiri mwamavuto omwe anthu olumala akukumana nawo adza kamba kosowa kafukufuku weniweni wazosowa zaanthuwa.
Mneneri wabungweli, aPamela Juma, adati dziko laMalawi silidachitepo kafukufuku wachindunji wounika komanso kufukula zovuta zomwe anthu olumala akhala akukumana nazo, komanso momwe mavutowa angawathetsere.
AJuma adati masiku omwe anthu komanso mabungwe amkangoganiza zamavuto omwe anthu olumala amakumana nawo adatha, ndipo mpofunika kumachita kafukufuku othirira mang’ombe pazazinthu zomwe zikubwezeretsa m’mbuyo ntchito zachitukuko.
“Bungwe lathu lakhala likulandira madandaulo ochuluka okhudzana ndimavuto omwe anthu olumala akukumana nawo, ndipo tsopano taganiza zochita kafukufuku yemwe atiwunikire zamavutowa. Tagwirana Chanza ndimabungwe angapo, omwe achite kafukufuku m’maboma osiyanasiyana m’zigawo zones zadziko lino,”adatero aJuma.
Iwo adati ntchitoyi idzathandiza boma komanso mabungwe omwe siaboma kulimbikitsa ntchito zolimbikitsa kulemekeza ufulu waanthu olumala kumbali zones zachitukuko, kuphatikizapo kuncthito zaumoyo, maphunziro komanso zosamalira anthu.
Nduna yoona zaanthu olumala komanso okalamba, aReen Kachere, posachedwapa adapempha mabungwe aanthu olumala kuti adzinena zamavuto omwe adaululidwa ndikafukufuku, chinthu chomwe aKachere adati chidzathandiza boma kukonza ndondomeko zabwino zokhudza anthu olumala.
Boma, kudzera muunduna wazamalamulo, lakhala likuunika lamulo lokhudza maufulu aanthu olumala, komanso momwe angakhalire ndidanga lofanana ndianthu alunga pantchito zachitukuko, lomwe sadalipititse kunyumba yamalamulo kuti liyambe kugwira ntchito.

Alonjeza kupitiliza kumenyera ufulu anthu anse
WOLEMBA RICHARD CHIROMBO
Mkulu wabungwe laCentre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), lomwe lagwirana manja ndibungwe laCentre for Development of People (Cedep) polimbikitsa ntchito yoonetsetsa kuti anthu komanso boma akulemekeza ufulu waanthu onse, kuphatikizapo amuna kapena akazi ofuna kumakwatirana okhaokha, walonjeza kuti sasiya kulimbikitsa ntchitoyi angakhale anthu ena sakusangalatsidwa nazo.
Polankhula ndimtolankhani wathu sabata latha, Mkulu waCHRR, aUndule Mwakasungula, adati chitukuko sichingabwere m’dziko ngati boma komanso anthu akulemekeza ufulu wagulu limodzi laanthu, nthawi yomweyo mkumasala magulu amzika zina zadziko lomwelo.
AMwakasungula adapereka chitsanzo chankhani yaanthu aamuna kapena akazi omwe amapanga chisankho chokwatirana okhaokha, ndipo adati nawonso alindiufulu wawo Malingana ndipangano lomwe maiko onse apadziko lapansi adapanga pofuna kulemekeza ufulu waanthu onse mosayang’ana mtundu, mabadwidwe, kuchokera, chipembedzo ndizina.
“Ife sitisiya ntchito yolimbikitsa ufulu waanthu onse. Munthu aliyense ali ndiufulu ochita zones wasankha ndipo sibwino kuti boma kapena anthu adzipondereza ufulu woterewu. Maboma ali ndiufulu oteteza anthu ochepa kunkhaza zaanthu ambiri; nawonso mabungwe olimbikitsa ufulu waanthu alindiudindo owunikira anthu pazimenezi,” adatero aMwakasungula.
Anthu ambiri m’dziko muno asonyeza kudabwa ndimfundo zamabungwe ACHRR ndiCEDEP pankhani yaufulu waamuna kapena akazi kumakwatirana okhaokha, popeza akuti zimenezi sizikugwirizana ndichikhalidwe chachimalawi.
Palinso kusiya pakati pamabungwe omenyerera ufulu waanthu pankhaniyi, ndipo posachedwapa mkulu wabungwe loyang’anira ufulu waanthu laMalawi CARER aVera Chirwa adadzudzula m’chitidwewu ponena ati poti Mulungu adalenga mwamuna ndimkazi kuti achulukane.
“Amuna kapena akazi okhaokha sangachite zimenezi. Chodabwitsa n’chokuti amuna kapena akazi omwe amakwatirana okhaokha akufuna ana amatenga ana aanzawo, chomwe pachingerezi amati ‘dopushoni’,” adatero aChirwa.
Mtsogoleri wadziko lino, aBingu wa Mutharika, adalankhula koyamba pankhaniyi kumathero amwezi waEpulo, ndipo adati dziko laMalawi silingalole m’chitidwewu popeza ngochokera kwasatana.