Strengthening the Vision of Our Destiny Preparing for 2014 Tripartite Elections During Lent and Easter
Episcopal Conference of Malawi
Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP)
LENTEN PERIOD OF 40 DAYS
The Church chose 40 days because in the Bible, 40 is a period of preparation:
(a) The flood during the time of Noah took 40 days:
God was preparing to recreate the earth and humanity.
(b) The Israelites were in the desert for 40 years:
God was preparing them for entry into the Promised Land.
(c) Moses stayed for 40 days on Mount Sinai
God was preparing him to deliver the commandments.
(d) Elijah journeyed to Mount Sinai for 40 days
He was preparing for an encounter with God.
(e) The Ninevites fasted for 40 days:
They were preparing for God’s forgiveness.
(f) Jesus stayed in the wilderness for 40 days
He was preparing for the proclamation of the Good News of salvation.
Similarly lent is 40 days:
We prepare to receive the salvation of paschal mystery.
THE CENTRALITY OF EASTER
(a) To the Israelites the Passover marked their transformation from slavery to freedom
(b) To Jesus, the Passover marked the transition from this sinful world to the Kingdom of his Father
(c) For Christians, the Passover marks our transformation from sin and death to eternal life
Preamble
The forthcoming Tripartite Elections will be conducted at the threshold of both the fiftieth anniversary (Golden Jubilee) of our country’s independence and the twentieth anniversary of the reintroduction of multiparty democracy in 1993. Right now, we are living in one of the most momentous times of this year both as Catholics and as citizens of our beautiful country Malawi. As Catholics, from Ash Wednesday (5th March, 2014) we enter a privileged time of 40 days (quadragesima) of intense prayer, fasting and alms giving. This period will culminate into the Holy Week – a special week of commemoration of the Sufferings, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lent will lead into Easter when we commemorate that our Lord Jesus Christ triumphed over sin and death. As citizens of our beautiful country – Malawi – we will shortly be going to the polls in a General Election on 20 May, 2014 to elect our leaders for the next five years. We are on the threshold of an important juncture in which an extraordinary opportunity to participate in determining the direction of our country is suddenly in our hands again.
In their recent Pastoral Letter entitled “Strengthening the Vision of Our Destiny” the Bishops invited Catholics and all people of good will to make the best of the fortcoming Tripartite Elections as they provide a golden opportunity to rediscover our national destiny. Like Joshua and his compatriots, the Bishops see Malawi to be at a crossroad: “If you will not serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to serve . . . As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). We are urged to rediscover our national destiny and commit ourselves to it following the footprints of our founding fathers and not opt for self-destruction. We are called to rediscover and build the Malawi our forefathers envisioned and not continue creating a Malawi that betrays what our forefathers fought and died for.
The forthcoming Tripartite Elections provide us with the best opportunity for strengthening the vision of our destiny. Essentially this entails conducting elections that are free, fair and credible and electing leaders that have the desire, commitment and capability of turning our country around. It also entails that the electorate can get out of the chronic abject poverty by electing leaders who can enable them to do so. Not holding such kind of elections, not voting and not electing this kind of leaders is in our case similar to opting to choose death instead of life. This is the message of our letter which we present to our fellow Catholics and all people of good will. This is our appeal to all stakeholders in the forthcoming elections.
So, what a happy coincidence for us that the period running up to the Tripartite Elections runs alongside the liturgical period of Lent and Easter in which we commemorate the great mysteries of our salvation: Sufferings, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Is it perhaps more than a coincidence? The story of humanity cannot be considered purely secular and coincidental; it is always the unfolding story of God’s saving presence! This is a moment of God’s grace!
This document is an effort to allow the unfolding story of our country especially at this important juncture be guided by the unfolding story of God’s saving presence. It is a document that merges the Word of God in this Lenten and Easter period and the teachings of the Bishops into thematic points for prayer, reflection and action as we approach the Elections. It is a document for reflection and prayer emanating from Pastoral letters and Sunday Readings. This approach is in line with a longstanding conviction of the Church that “the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, . . . are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well” (Gaudium et spes 1).
While this is not a Pastoral letter of the Bishops to be read out on a particular Sunday; the idea of using the Pastoral letters in this engaging way in the period leading up to the elections has been endorsed by the Bishops. Inspired by resolutions from AMECEA, a regional grouping of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences, which, among other things, call for a more prophetic, vigilant and intrusive Catholic Church in matters of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace, this document has received the full support of the Bishops.
Bringing together key guidelines from the December, 1st, 2013 Pastoral Letter “Strengthening the Vision of our Destiny” anchored by some preceding pastoral letters that dealt with elections, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace has, through this document, set the Church and indeed all people of good will on the right path towards Easter and towards the Tripartite Elections.
Specifically, the document has three objectives. Firstly, it acts as an inspiration to the clergy as they prepare to disseminate God’s Word during this period of Lent and the celebration of Easter. Secondly, it provides critical reflection notes and questions for discussion in such groups as the Small Christian Communities, Justice and Peace Meetings, Youth Groups, Lay movements, and various other Election discussion fora. Finally and above all, this document is intended to inspire people towards personal reflection, prayer and conversion in this Lenten and Easter Seasons. This is a pastoral initiative intended at motivating Christians during this period to think about their positive role and engagement in shaping the future of this nation.
This project would have remained on the level of the wish of the Bishops had it not been for the active participation and support of various people, groups and organizations. Thanks to their efforts and resources, we now have this document in our hands. Now, the stage is set for us as the liturgical period of Lent and Easter runs alongside the period towards the Tripartite Elections. It is not a coincidence. This is the period in which we are called to testify that the unfolding events in our country cannot be considered purely secular; they are indeed part of the unfolding story of God’s saving presence!
Rev. Fr. George Buleya
Secretary General – Episcopal Conference of Malawi
INTRODUCTION
2014 is an Election Year and as such an important year for us as Malawians. The forthcoming Lenten and Easter period starting from Ash Wednesday, 5th March, 2014, is a privileged moment in which we are to pray for and ponder over the choice of leaders we want for our country.
Lent
Lent is a period of purification and enlightenment. It is a period of illumination. There are thre major areas we are asked to pay attention to:
1. Steadfastness in Prayer
Lent is the time to beg from God the courage to change our ways and believe in the Gospel. During this season of Lent, each one of us is called to begin and end the day with a prayer. Besides, we are called upon to pray before and after taking upon any task. Jesus Christ taught us to pray at all times and to pray without ceasing. Prayer is raising ourselves, heart and mind, to God; and prayer surpasses all other things. However, caution is given not to parade ourselves in the streets and to enter into temptation to recite long prayers when we pray. Our prayers should be said trusting that God is our Father who loves us at all times and is always ready to come to our aid. When we pray we, in actual fact, express our desire to do his will rather than forcing him to do what we want and wish.
In our Lenten prayers this year, we are called upon to pray for the forthcoming tripartite elections so that we may be enlightened by Him and vote for good, visionary and transformative leaders who will lead Malawi to development and prosperity.
2. Fasting
The Lenten season challenges each one of us to forego that which brings the pleasures of the body, controlling passions and selfishness. These would include food and drink. Scriptures indicate that Jesus himself fasted for forty days. This practice and observance is an attempt to discipline ourselves and to let our hearts and mind be united with God. This helps us in the struggle and fight against evil and Satan.
3. Charity
Finally, the money and all the resources that we have saved as we fast are meant to be used to assist the poor and needy which include orphans and widows. This teaches us self-sacrifice. Malawians are called upon this year to vote into power in the forthcoming tripartite elections leaders who will help bring unity, justice, peace and development in the country. Let us not bring this country into the hands of bad leaders who will have no concern over the poor especially the rural masses and leaders that are selfish and busy enriching and amassing wealth for themselves. Let us be alert and not to be fooled by leaders who are making false promises of bringing cheap wealth without working for it.
Easter
The Christian Easter derives from the Israelite Passover which commemorated and re-presented the exodus which liberated the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery. The Israelites celebrated the feast at night on the full moon of vernal equinox on the 14th of Abib (later Nisan). Originally, they offered to Yahweh a young male lamb or kid born that year and without blemish (Ex 12:3-6) and broken bone (Nm 9:12) to draw divine blessings upon their flocks. The blood of the lamb or kid was smeared on the doorpost as a sign of preservation. Its flesh together with unleavened bread was eaten during a rapid meal.
During Passover the Israelites remembered and made real the unforgettable event when the Angel of Yahweh passed over their houses while He struck the first-born of the Egyptians. They celebrated this feast not only to proclaim the mighty works wrought by God for them but to make present and real their liberation and national identity.
In the New Testament, Jesus celebrated the Passover before his passion and death. During the meal he took bread and changed it into his body. He also took a chalice of wine and turned the wine into his blood to be poured out for the salvation of many. Through this ritual Jesus became the new paschal lamb whose death marked a new exodus from this sinful world to the Kingdom of his Father (Jn 13:1).
The Christian Easter celebrates the Passover of Jesus from death to eternal life. Since Jesus Christ rose on the first day of the week, Christians commemorate and make present this event a day after the Jewish Sabbath. The Romans called this day “the Day of the Sun”. Christians turned it into “the Day of the Lord” (Tsiku La Mulungu) (Rev. 1:10).
Easter is the Feast par excellence for both Israelites and Christians. It challenges them to conform their lives to the events they commemorate and make present. By uniting with Christ in the Eucharist, Easter spurs Christians towards the hope of encountering him in his second coming (Parousia) (I Cor. 11:26). On Saturday prior to Easter, Christians hold a Vigil night to read the account of salvation history; baptize Catechumens as people of God; symbolise their death from sin and rising to new life; and celebrate the Eucharist. In this way, the Christian Passover stimulates each Christian to look forward to achieve the Paschal Mystery through encounter with the Lord in his passion, death and resurrection. Thus the Christian Passover marks the beginning of a journey toward the heavenly banquet.
The Forthcoming Tripartite Elections
In the forthcoming Tripartite Elections, the voter will have the opportunity to vote for a ward Councilor, a Member of Parliament and the President. In this case, it is important to articulate what the voter will have to consider before and in casting his or her vote.
Electing our candidates
The following are important factors to be considered when identifying a good candidate to represent a ward (as a Councilor), constituency (as Member of Parliament) and the country (as President).
· For Councillors, they must be known in your area, for MPs they must be known in their constituencies.
· For Councillors again, they must be familiar with your community needs.
· For the Councilors, they must be citizens of your ward, and MPs of your constituency and President of your country.
· They must have concern for the plight of the poor and the marginalized;
· They must not promise the moon but possible and achievable things within their right mandate and role as councilor, MP or President;
· They must demonstrate that they can be trusted and that they wish to serve the community and the masses;
· They demonstrate as they outline their policies and unveil their manifestos that they have a vision to transform your area and the country for the better.
Description of these three Offices
A Ward Councillor is a person elected to represent people in a council at the district or town or city level. A Councillor lives in the community and takes interest in the concerns of the people in the community or ward to do with service provision.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Councillor
To represent people in a community/ward in a council and to bring concerns that require council solutions;
To make development plans and present them to council for attention;
To lobby MPs to ensure that people in the ward receive adequate and quality national service such as electricity, security and relief;
To provide checks on council expenditure and service delivery in respect to the ward and to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the operations of the council and give feedback to the people on council resolutions.
A Member of Parliament (M.P.) is an individual representing a territory called a constituency (an area covering two wards in rural areas or several wards in some urban areas). In Malawi we have 193 constituencies translating to 193 members of parliament.
Roles of a Member of Parliament include:
To represent people in a constituency by bringing to parliament (National Assembly) the concerns of people that require national solutions and to provide feedback to the constituency on parliamentary resolutions;
To represent local people’s interest at national level;
To oversee the functions of the state through parliamentary committees;
To debate and make national laws in the National Assembly.
A State President is an overall leader given executive powers to preside over state affairs. This is the highest leadership position in our country responsible for leading and governing the country.
Some roles of a President:
To represent all the people at national level;
To assent to bills dully passed by the National Assembly;
To provide national leadership;
To head the three arms of government namely, the Executive (the Cabinet
Ministers), Judiciary (the courts) and Legislature (the National Assembly);
To head the state and government.
Key issues for effective participation in tripartite elections.
How to cast your ballots
· There will be three ballot papers, namely, presidential, parliamentary and councilor.
· Tick three ballot papers but on each ballot tick one candidate of your choice.
· Ticking more than one candidate on a ballot paper will make the ballot paper null and void
Some important values
(a) Voters for councilors need to know clearly the boundaries of their ward for them to avoid casting their vote for a councilor in a different ward where their candidate is not available on the ballot paper.
(b) There are two wards in each of the rural constituencies except in specific urban areas.
(c) All registered voters must attend all political campaign rallies.
(d) Know the true roles of councilors, MPs and the President so as not to be confused with vain promises.
(e) It is important not to use religion, tribal and cultural identities when identifying an MP or a president whom we would like to vote for.
(f) It is not always the case that a candidate from our tribe, religion or region would be a best candidate and would have the interest of the people at heart.
(g) We are reminded to elect leaders that will transform our lives, our economy, our politics and our society.
(h) We must obey and trust God to guide us in our choice.
(i) We should elect leaders that want to bring Malawi and our areas to a new level of development and a new way of practicing politics.
9th March, 2014: FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
1. THEME: USING WELL OUR GOD-GIVEN FREEDOM
INTRODUCTION: In his great love God created us with intellect and free will. In the first reading, we hear that our forefathers misused this God-given freedom, they disobeyed God and therefore sinned by partaking of the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden. Where our forefathers failed, Jesus triumphed over sin and Satan’s temptations because Jesus’ food was to do the will of his father. It is important that we all submit ourselves to the will of God. True joy and peace emanate from hearing and doing the word of God. Disobedience results into what scripture terms “nakedness”, that is, demoting us from the dignity of a human person to the level of beasts. Autonomy has no place in the divine economy.
2. UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
FIRST READING: Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7
(a) When God created human beings in his image, God meant to underline the sublime dignity proper to human beings than all other creatures;
(b) God intended that every person should be free and happy but that as a created being, his freedom is limited. God alone is the tree of life and tree of knowledge of good and evil. Knowing good and evil denotes omniscience; only God is omniscient;
(c) Temptations test our strengths not weaknesses. Could we say that the serpent approached the woman because she was more intelligent and quicker to learn?
(d) The serpent is considered subtle because:
(i) shedding its skin denotes its quest for immortality
(ii) it glides smoothly and strikes unexpectedly
(iii) it lays a lot of eggs.
(e) Sin consists of distorting God’s truth into falsehood. Ironically the only knowledge that Adam and Eve gained from eating the forbidden fruit was nakedness and shame.
PSALM: 50:3-6, 12-14, 17
All of us are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. If we repent, God will readily forgive us because of his infinite mercy.
SECOND READING: Romans 5:12-19
Paul offers a vivid contrast between Adam and Jesus. Through obedience, Our Lord Jesus defeated sin and death brought about by the disobedience of Adam. Through Jesus, death has given way to life.
GOSPEL: Matthew 4:1-11
(a) Jesus is the new Moses founding a new Israel:
(i) Just as the Israelites entered the desert after crossing the Red Sea, Jesus goes to the desert after being baptized in the Jordan;
(ii) just as the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert before entering the promised land, Jesus will spend 40 days and nights in the desert before inaugurating his ministry of salvation;
(iii) just as the Israelites were tested in the desert, Jesus will experience temptations in the desert.
(b) FIRST TEMPTATION: Greed. Satan attempts to tempt Jesus to gain popularity by making food readily available for himself and as a campaign tool. Jesus did not succumb to the temptation and employed Deuteronomy 8:3, “it is not by bread alone that people live, but by all that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord”.
(c) SECOND TEMPTATION: Miracles. Satan tempts Jesus to be ostentatious. Let Jesus throw himself from the pinnacle of the Temple since psalm 91:11 guarantees divine protection for him. If he gets unscathed, the multitude will acclaim him as Messiah. Using Deuteronomy 6:16, Jesus reminds Satan that Scripture says “you shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test”.
(d) THIRD TEMPTATION: Idolatry. Claiming to be the sovereign lord of the world, Satan suggests that Jesus kneel and worship him in order for Satan to relinquish governance of the world to Jesus. Using Deuteronomy 6:13 Jesus categorically states “the Lord your God you shall fear; him shall you serve”.
3. LESSONS:
(a) Obedience is the secret to inner happiness and tranquility. True obedience consists of hearing and doing God’s will.
(b) All human beings experience temptation with regard to self-indulgence, pride and greed for power. Let’s choose the path of love and service; Jesus is that path.
(c) Knowing Scriptures and doing God’s Word defeats temptations. Let’s be a God-fearing nation by anchoring our lives on hearing and doing God’s word.
4. TEACHINGS FROM BISHOPS’ PASTORAL LETTERS:
(a) True happiness is found in always acknowledging that we are created in the image of God and in acting as God’s children (“How to Build a Happy Nation”, 20th March, 1961);
(b) The vision of a new Malawi, expressed in the National Anthem, is “also clearly anchored on faith in God’s assistance. Our forefathers stressed that we are a God-fearing nation. Therefore our aspirations, ideals, dreams of the future and motivation for nationhood are all hinged on faith in God and inspired by the vision of God for a more humane society” (Strengthening the Vision of Our Destiny, 1st December, 2013, p. 3);
(c) There are worrisome tendencies amongst us that push for a worldview independent of and side-lining God and making human beings dependent on their own intellect and determining for themselves what is right and what is wrong (Strengthening the Vision of Our Destiny, 1st December, 2013, p. 9);
(d) It is imperative that at 50, every Malawian should be enjoying the conditions of social life that are brought about by the quest for the common good. The challenge before us is to see how much we have cooperated with God in realizing our dreams. We began with a dream of a politically and economically independent Malawi with God’s help, we should not attempt to realize this dream independently from God himself (Strengthening the Vision of Our Destiny, 1st December, 2013, p. 18).
5. POINTS FOR REFLECTION:
(a) What is the source of our unique worthiness setting us apart from the rest of creation?
(b) What lessons do we learn about the linkage between freedom and obedience to God from the Garden of Eden story?
(c) What was the vision of our forefathers regarding our country vis-a-vis our faith in God?
(d) Can you give examples in the areas of laws, policies and practices, that show that Malawians have lost the original vision and its linkage with our faith in God?
(e) In what areas could we say that the fifty years of freedom in Malawi have been of benefit to Malawians?
(f) What are the indications in the current debates on abortion, artificial contraception, homosexuality, secular humanism, that show that, like Adam, our society is craving for unlimited freedom?
(g) In the light of the original vision of the country, what kind of leaders should we choose in the forthcoming Tripartite Elections?
(h) As citizens, what roles can we play to ensure that Malawi retains a vision that is God-centred?
16th March, 2014: SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
1. THEME: JOURNEY INTO THE FUTURE
Introduction: To achieve our goals, we need to interact with others. Abram’s adventurous journey to the land of Canaan was one that would benefit others. Through Abram, all the earth’s communities will find blessings. Similarly, Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, the subject of discussion at the transfiguration, will bring salvation to the whole world.
2. UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S SCRIPTURES
FIRST READING: Genesis 12:1-4
(a) God called Abram to leave the security of his homeland and he ventured forth – from the familiar, secure and well-ordered life of his native place;
(b) Eventually, Abram’s faith and risk would be rewarded and would bring blessings for the nations of the world;
(c) Though difficult for him, Abram believed and obeyed God.
PSALM: 32:4-5, 18-20, 22
The Psalm is in praise of the faithfulness of God which underlies our hope in God’s promises and our confidence in God’s love.
SECOND READING: 2 Timothy 1:8-10
(a) Paul exhorts Timothy to accept all the unpleasant dimensions that comprise the Good News;
(b) God’s call is a gratuitous gift that reveals his eternal plan; the recipient of that gift ought to make an impact on others.
GOSPEL: Matthew 17:7-19
In Jerusalem, Jesus will meet the needs of the world through suffering and death on the cross. But his death will culminate in triumph and glory.
(a) Jesus’ appearance changes in front of Peter, James and John who will also see him in great agony in the garden of Gethsemane;
(b) The mountain is a place of encounter with God:
(i) The call of Moses and his receiving the ten commandments all happened in Mount Sinai;
(ii) Elijah after fleeing Jezebel’s plot to have him killed went to Mt. Sinai where he met God;
(iii) Jesus’ last temptation was in a mountain setting;
(iv) The Sermon on the Mount;
(v) Feeding of the five thousand;
(vi) Jesus bidding farewell to his disciples;
(c) Moses represents the Law; Elijah represents the prophets. The Law and Prophets is equivalent to the Old Testament. By speaking to Jesus, Moses and Elijah show that Jesus is fulfillment of the Old Testament;
(d) The voice from the cloud announces that Jesus is God’s beloved Son. We should listen to him. The past is gone. Let’s start anew.
3. LESSONS:
(a) Like Abram, venture into new areas trusting in God: stop old habits of thought, behavior and doing things; these include: hand-outs, multiplying parties empty of ideologies, leaders with no vision; greed, graft, lies, foul language, etc.
(b) Start anew, trust God and build a new Malawi. Seek the good of one another by developing a spirit of altruism. Venture into new areas; do not drop out of society, promote and foster the common good;
(c) Like Timothy, let’s preach and witness to the Gospel without fear or shame. Let’s aim at changing people’s mentality. Let’s enlighten people to stop looking at others as foils in their climb up the professional and political ladder.
(d) Just as Jesus’ countenance changed on the mountain, let’s transform our hearts, minds, and governance of our country. Let’s rid ourselves of leaders with no vision. Life is not an ego trip. Let all communities derive blessing through you. Endure pain and frustration for the benefit of others. Your primary focus should not be on your rights but responsibilities.
(e) The Church is God’s beloved child in our days. Let’s follow what our bishops have been teaching concerning democracy over the years. Let the Liturgy inspire our lives. We receive the Word and Eucharist not only to nourish us but to nourish others as well.
(f) Unlike Peter who did not comprehend what was happening but wished to prolong the experience, let’s move on.
TEACHINGS FROM BISHOPS’ PASTORAL LETTERS
(a) Like Abram’s call to leave his homeland and Jesus in the Transfiguration, the Bishops see the forthcoming Tripartite Elections as a critical moment: “Depending on our seriousness and the commitment of those to be elected, we will either miss the opportunity to rediscover and shape our destiny or we will make the most of it.” (Strengthening the Vision of Our Destiny, 1st December, 2013, p. 14);
(b) The forthcoming Tripartite Elections provide us with the best opportunity for strengthening the vision of our destiny. Essentially this entails conducting elections that are free, fair and credible and electing leaders that (like Abram and Jesus) have the desire, commitment, and capability of turning our country around.
(Strengthening the Vision of Our Destiny, 1st December, 2013, p. 1)
(c) It is not enough to have quality leadership if this is not inspired and anchored by a national development agenda. Some development initiatives and strategies are clearly national in form and transformative in nature and, therefore, need to be depoliticised and continued irrespective of whichever government is in place.
(Strengthening the Vision of Our Destiny, 1st December, 2013, p. 11)
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
(a) How can our faith help us transform our nation?
(b) Like Abram’s journey from Haran to Canaan and Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem brought blessings to all nations, how can we ensure that we elect leaders who will bring blessings to Malawi?
(c) Just as the work of Moses and Elijah was fulfilled in Jesus, what should we do to enable that the good practices, policies and programmes meant for the national development agenda are sustained?
(d) Like Abram who was called to leave the security of his homeland, how can we identify leaders who are ready to make sacrifices for the good of our nation?
23rd March, 2014: THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
1. THEME: FULL LIFE BY REDISCOVERING THE ORIGINAL MALAWI VISION
Introduction: Running waters denote life. Just as Jesus enlighted, helped to rediscover and transformed an immoral and outcast woman who came to draw water at a well into a witness and she in turn drew her neighbors to salvation, let us also draw people to Jesus by knowing, loving, following and imitating him.
2. UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S READINGS
FIRST READING: Exodus 17:3-7
When the Israelites experienced scarcity of water in the desert, they cried to God and He gave them water from the rock.
PSALM: 94:1-2, 6-9
Let us not harden our hearts; let us become obedient people. Blessed is the one who hears and does God’s word.
SECOND READING: Romans 5: 1, 5-8
Peace and hope quench our spiritual thirst. God gives us living waters through Jesus Chist whom we know through the Holy Spirit.
GOSPEL: John 4:5-42
(a) When Jesus requested a drink of water from a Samaritan woman, she was surprised because
(i) Jews and Samaritans were sworn enemies
(ii) No Rabbi ever talked to a woman in public.
(b) Enlightened that Jesus gives living waters, the woman begged for this water. She was helprd to rediscover herself when Jesus asked her to bring her husband. The woman was forced to own to her past life of sinfulness realized that Jesus was a prophet. She immediately shifted the discussion to a place of worship. When Jesus explained that authentic worship is in spirit and truth, the woman defensively said the Messiah would reveal all that.
(c) When Jesus revealed that he was the promised Messiah, the woman left her water jar and hurried to invite her fellow villagers to meet Jesus. After Jesus spent some days with them, the villagers confessed Jesus to be savior of the world.
3. LESSONS:
(a) Jesus came to reconcile human beings with God, all the people of the world as well as to improve relationships between men and women.
(b) Like the woman, we come to know Jesus gradually:
(i) a thirsty person asking for a drink
(ii) noble person
(iii) Prophet
(iv) Promised Messiah
(v) Savior of the world.
(c) Jesus’ follows the following modus operandi (manner of doing things):
(i) takes persons as they are
(ii) confronts them with their dignity
(iii) transforms them into new persons
(iv) elavates them into God’s children.
(d) Jesus helps us to rediscover ourselves and attain new vision
(e) We must become new people. To do so we need to
(i) drop our old mindset
(ii) stop the culture of dependence
(iii) share our secrets, joy and vision
(iv) invite people to true life, integral development, joy, peace and fullness of life.
4. TEACHINGS FROM BISHOPS’ PASTORAL LETTERS
When we began the journey towards our independence, we dreamt of ushering in an era of inclusive, human rights respecting, politically and legally enabling and economically developed society. (Strengthening the vision of our Destiny, 1 st Dec. 2013, p. 3)
Malawians envisioned a country emancipated politically and economically. This is the vision that found its way and is clearly expressed in the National Anthem. (Strengthening the vision of our Destiny, 1 st Dec. 2013, p. 3)
In a statement issued on 29th October 1960, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi said: Our obligation to make known to all laws of God upon which every society must be built and to safeguard the human rights that have been given to all by Godand which no ruler can take away from his peple (Quoted in Strengthening the vision of our Destiny, 1 st Dec. 2013, p. 3)
While sharing and echoing the vison and wishes of the people and encouraging Catholics to take part in politics without being partisan, we only prefer that which adheres to principles of charity and justice. (Strengthening the vision of our Destiny, 1 st Dec. 2013, p. 4)
The vision of our founding fathers is part of the story of the making of Malawi and will forcefully remain to challenge all of us to play our rightful roles (Strengthening the vision of our destiny 1st December, 2013 p. 5)
5. POINTS FOR REFLECTION
On 20th May 2014, Malawians will have a chance to elect leaders who will redefine the vision of this country.
(a) What lessons do we draw from the journey of rediscovery the Samaritan woman undertook?
(b) Just as Jesus challenged the woman to shift from concentrating on physical place of worship to worship in spirit and truth, how can we ensure that we internalize our piety?
(c) What is the original vision that we would like to rediscover Malawians?
(d) Are ordinary Malawians aware of this the vison?
(e) How do we ensure that we elect leaders who own this original vision of Malawi?
(f) What should all Malawians do to share the common vision of Malawi?
(g) In the forthcoming elections, how can we vote in spirit and truth?
30 March, 2014: FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
(AMECEA Collection Sunday)
1. THEME: CHOOSING VISIONARY LEADERS
INTRODUCTION: Often times we choose by looking at mere physical appearances. Today’s readings teach us to look at a person’s heart. The main cause of Malawi’s perpetual poverty is not merely ignorance but greed of leaders. Let’s choose leaders who are transparent, ones who do not merely enrich selves or their relatives, but are visionary.
2. UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S READINGS
FIRST READING: I Samuel 16: 1, 6, 10-13
David’s father, Jesse, went for his son Eliab and his other brothers because they looked strong, handsome, intelligent and skillful. However, God preferred the weak and despised David.
PSALM: 22
Good shepherds bring sheep to green pasture
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Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
PUBLIC NOTICE: Abuse of Voter Identity Cards
The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) understands that some social service providers are using its voter certificates for identification. The Commission wishes to inform those engaging in this practice to cease immediately.
The Commission reached the decision based on numerous complaints stating, that some unscrupulous persons are using voter identification cards to affect the integrity of our electoral vote.
The Commission stresses that it is an offence to retain a voter certificate with the intention excluding the owner from participating in the electoral process.
The Commission is urging all registered voters to reclaim voter certificates that are not in their possession. Individuals and institutions in possession of voter certificates should return them to their rightful owners or surrender them to the Commission with immediate effect.
Those persons who are having difficulty reclaiming their voter certificates should inform the Malawi Electoral Commission.
The Commission wishes to reassure the public that it is committed to ensuring the integrity of the upcoming elections. All stakeholders that have had their voter certificates taken will still be able to vote, if they are registered and can produce necessary documentation.
The Commission will not entertain any voter certificates that were not issued at its designated centers. Individuals found in possession of cards not issued by the Commission will be prosecuted.
For more information contact the Commission on email
ceo@mec.org.mw.
Signed this 4th day of March, 2014 at Blantyre
Justice Maxon Mbendera, SC
CHAIRMAN
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Lessons on Leadership
Is there anything strange when leaders such as President Joyce Banda behave in a strange way? Other than the nice woman she used to be when she was Malawi's estranged Vice-President- a woman who could call journalists on the phone just to say, "How are you doing?"- to the Joyce Banda she has become: quick to anger, arrogant, Mrs-Know-It-All! I argue that there is nothing new and strange with that.
That's what power does. It takes away freedom from one's original personality, one's thought-after actions, and one's relished dreams. Power creates a smaller world than
the orb of ordinary folks and, to make matters worse, this World of Power is so small that it lacks a past and a future; it only considers the present! To those in power, the present has a permanence which a five-year term in office has very little power to modify.
That explains, perhaps, why people we held in high esteem not so long ago suddenly turn into 'enemies' of everything that has a semblance of sanity. We all know of cases where church elders have turned against the truth because, suddenly, they have realised that it pains. Or, to give a more sober example, we have seen advocates of press freedom and freedom of expression turn against the same, and gag those who dare
express themselves privately.
That is power. It turns people into monsters. It beats me that these people (the victims of power) do not realise that present fame will, not far from now, be a relic of pleasant times past! It is strange that they fail to understand that intoxication with present fame is a prelude of pains to come.
Not that this is a new phenomenon. No. As far back as 1590, essayist Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626) aptly observed, in his essay Of Seditions and Troubles, thus: "The best actions of a state, and the most plausible, and which ought to give greatest contentment, are taken in ill sense, and traduced: for that shows the envy great, as Tacitus saith, conflata magna invidia, seu bene seu male gesta premunt (when great ill is kindled against the government, both good and evil actions are oppressive)".
The only surprising thing, therefore, is that our leaders do not want to learn from history. It is important to learn from history for reasons Scottish philosopher, historian, economist and essayist David Hume (1711 - 1776) best describes in his essay, Of The Study of History. "There is also an advantage in that expeience which is acquired by history above what is learned by the practice of the world, that it brings us acquainted with human affairs, without diminishing in the least from the most delicate sentiments of virtue."
Historians such as Hume acknowledge that even the fierce Machiavelli was "sobered" by history's lessons. Writes Hume: "Machiavelli himself discovers a true sentiment of virtue in his history of Florence. When he talks as a politician, in his general reasonings, he considers poisoning, assassination and perjury as lawful arts of power; but when he speaks as a historian, in his particular narrations, he shows so
keen an indignation against vice, and so warm an approbation of virtue, in many passages, that I could not forbear applying to him that remark of Horace, that 'if you chase away nature, though with ever so great indignity, she will always return upon you'."
But that, too, is not strange; that's what power does. The Greek philosopher, Plutarch (c. 46 - 120) said power does to a leader what goods- loaded to one side- do to a boat. In the end, says Plutarch, it (the boat) "leans to one side, it is as a boat that is overthrown by uneven weight on the one side; as was well seen in the time of Henry the Third of France; for first himself entered league for the
extirpation of the Protestants; and presently after the same league was turned upon himself. For when the authority of princes is made but an accessory to a cause, and that there be other bands that tie faster than the band of sovereignty, kings begin to be put almost out of possession."
To which Francis Bacon adds: "Also, when discords, and quarrels, and factions are carried openly and audaciously, it is a sign the reverence of government is lost."
This notwithstanding, not all anger or discord is counterproductive. As the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace rightly observed the other 'hot' day, "holy anger" is justifiable (even when expressed by those intoxicated by power), so long as they utilise it to promote everything which is ornamental to the lives of Malawians advancing towards their perfection!
But, still, people seek power. People like JB.
They don't care that it makes them strangers to themselves!
Why they cling to their strange-self, nobody knows. But the solution to their artificial anger and sense of self-importance is in sight: History.
If President Joyce Banda took history, and its array of lessons, seriously, she would have come across Bacon's article, Of Great Place, and learned thus: "The vices of authority are chiefly four: delays, corruption, roughness, and facility.
"For delays; give easy access; keep times appointed; go through with that which is in hand, and interlace not business but of necessity.
"For corruption; do not only bind thine own hands or thy servants'hands from taking, but bind the hands of suitors also from offering. And avoid not only the fault, but the suspicion. Whoever is found variable, and changeth manifestly without manifest cause, giveth suspicion of corruption. Therefore always when thou changest thine opinion or course, profess it plainly, and declare it, together with reasons that move thee to change; and do not think to steal it. A servant or a favourite, if he be inward, and no other apparent cause of esteem, is commonly thought but a byway to close corruption.
"For roughness; it is a needless cause of discontent: severity breedeth fear, but roughness breedeth hate. Even reproofs from authority ought to be grave, and not taunting.
"As for facility; it is worse than bribery. For bribes come but now and then; but if importunity or idle respects lead a man, he shall never be without. As Solomon saith, 'To respect persons is not good; for such a man will transgress for a piece of bread'. And it showeth some to the better, and some to the worse. For honour is, or should be, the place of virtue; and as in nature things move violently to their place and calmly in their place, so virtue in ambition is violent, in authority settled and calm."
"Use the memory of thy predecessor fairly and tenderly; for if though dost not, it is a debt will sure be paid when thou art gone. Be not too sensible or too remembering of thy place in conversation and private answers to suitors; but let it rather be said, "When he (she) sits in place, he (she) is another man (woman)".
President Joyce Banda Talks About: "Malawi at 50 and Prospects for The Next 50 Years"
STATEMENT BY
HER EXCELLENCY DR. JOYCE BANDA, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI AT THE MALAWI NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE ON “MALAWI AT 50 AND PROSPECTS FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS” CROSS ROADS HOTEL, LILONGWE, ON TUESDAY, 5TH MARCH, 2014
Justice Richard Banda S.C., (Retired);
Rt. Hon. Khumbo Kachali, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi;
Hon. Ralph Jooma, MP, Minister of Economic Planning and Development;
Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers here present;
Mrs. Hawa Ndilowe, Chief Secretary to Government;
Prof. Mathews Chikaonda, Chairman of the High Level Development Council;
And all Members of the Council here present;
Madame Luisa Dias Diogo, Former Prime Minister of Mozambique, Brenthurst
Foundation Board and member of PACE;
Mr. Alberto Trejos, Head of INCAE Business School in Costa Rica, Brenthurst
Foundation Advisory Board and Chairperson of PACE;
And all Members of PACE here present;
Leaders of various political parties;
Representatives of International Organizations and Development Partners;
Traditional leaders;
Leaders of Religious Organizations;
Government officials here present;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am very delighted to preside over this important National Consultative Conference which has been organized by the High Level Development Council that my government set up in January this year. I am informed that the Conference is being convened under the theme: “Malawi: the Next 50 Years”.
The objective of the Conference is to reflect on national development over the past five decades and begin to strategize on the next 50 years. It is important, therefore, that as a nation we come together and discuss the development opportunities and challenges of our beautiful nation, and position ourselves to redeem the times.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
As we are all aware, Malawi will be celebrating a jubilee on 6th July this year, commemorating 50 years of independence. I believe this moment provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our past, draw lessons and inspiration on what the 50 years have offered us as a nation.
This moment further provides us yet another opportunity to think and reflect clearly about the nation we want to become in the next 50 years.
We are in this transition with a moment of hope and I thank God to have placed me as President of this great nation at such a time when we can face the future with reality. The two years I have been in power have taught us few lessons, that:
We can make difficult decisions even in the face of uncertainty as we did with devaluation of our currency 22 months ago. Our country was at the verge of total economic collapse but we have been able to recover from such catastrophe despite the challenges we are facing. Today, we can easily boast of more than two months’ import cover in our foreign reserves from under a week’s cover. Today, we can boast of a stable availability of foreign exchange.
We can mobilise ourselves to build our economy despite constraints in our environment. Today, we can boast that we have grown our economy from 1.8 per cent in 2012 to 4.5 per cent in 2013 despite numerous challenges we have faced. Our economy is diversifying and many critical challenges to the economy are receiving attention than never before.
Today, our industries are operating at more than 75 per cent production capacity from 30 per cent in 2012. Today, our electricity generation capacity is at 352 mega watts from 287 mega watts in 2012. Today, our people enjoy more freedoms and exercise more rights than they were in 2012. Today, our agricultural sector is diversifying. Today, our mining sector has been positioned to turn around the fortunes of our country in a unique manner. Yes, today, our infrastructure programmes in railway, airways and roads are taking unprecedented pace.
We can demonstrate political will in placing national interests above personal political careers as we have done in dealing with the looting of public funds in Government where previous administrations tried to cover up these malpractices. Today, we have an opportunity to face fraud, pilferage and corruption not only in Government but also in all sectors of our economy with a united stand. Today, we understand the nature and structure of curtails, as revealed by the investigations into the looting of public resources at Capital as involving civil servants, banks, private sector and politicians, working in a concerted effort to frustrate the development of our country. Today, we can feel the pain of corruption than never before because our governance systems are working.
Many researchers and development specialists have cited bottlenecks in our development efforts. These could have been in the Executive Branch in failing to implement development plans as agreed. These could have been in the Legislative in failing the oversight role to ensure that national plans are implemented as agreed. Indeed, these could have been in the Judiciary in failing the speedy conclusion of cases. These three pillars of State need to have a shared view of the development plans in order to realize a common destiny.
During the two years as President of this country, it has been clear to me that as a country we need social, cultural and economic transformation. Many commentators have argued that Malawi had a transition without a transformation. I agree. We need to transform our priorities in caring for the needy and the vulnerable among us.
We need transformation in our cultural outlook especially our perception and practice of politics. Indeed, we need a transformation in our economy by enhancing rural transformation including wealth and job creation, hunger reduction, improving living conditions in our villages and the role of the private sector.
In all these, I realize one major challenge facing our country’s development agenda. This is the missing link between the nation’s development plans and its implementation framework: the lack of momentum to drive the implementation in a balanced and focused manner whilst taking a long term view.
It is with this view that my Government decided to establish the High Level Development Council (HLDC) to provide leadership in reflecting on the past 50 years of the country’s independence and coordinate dialogue among Malawians and with the world at large in defining our destiny in the next 50 years.
It is my hope that the Council will help build the momentum to strengthen and mobilize national efforts and resources in support of development plans; promote national ownership of our development policies in all vital sectors of the economy; and ensure a balanced and focused implementation of our development plans.
As I said during the announcement of the Council, and in my State of the Nation Address to Parliament on 18th May 2012, I told the nation that, “Malawi has to identify development tablets that will guide our development agenda regardless of which government or political party is in power”.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
The Council comprises members from different sectors including the Academia, Youth Organizations, Private Sector, Faith-based Organizations, and Civil Society. This diversity in membership will ensure that government is provided with development advice from different perspectives for policy decision.
I am sure that the Council’s advice to all arms of government and other stakeholders on Malawi’s national development agenda will go a long way in shaping the direction our nation is taking.
Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Since independence, Malawi has drawn good development plans which, if effectively implemented, would have significantly improved its development status beyond the current level.
It is worth noting that other countries have borrowed Malawi’s development plans and have succeeded in their development initiatives. This confirms the quality of the national plans that Malawi has developed over the years.
However, it is worrying to note that despite many good development plans and policies that Malawi has drawn and implemented, the aspirations of Malawians are far from being met as we approach the Golden Jubilee of our Independence.
Since independence, Malawi has implemented different strategies including the Development Policies (Devpols), Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategies Paper (MPRSP), Vision 2020, Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS), and the current Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS II), and re-emphasized by the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP).
We have had mixed experiences in the implementation and outcome of these development plans. Some have succeeded while others have failed.
For example, the per capita income stood at $381 in 2012 which is still far from the $1000 envisioned for the year 2020.
At this point in time, with only six years to go before Vision 2020 expires, the situation is not much different from the one just described. About 50.7% of Malawians are still poor with little or no access to basic needs such as food, medical care, education, housing, water and sanitation.
With the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) II expiring in 2016 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ending in 2015, it is timely for Malawi to reflect and think forward to achieve a better Malawi for all in the coming 50 years. This is not one man’s job but for all of us to determine our destiny.
Mr. Chairman, I feel it is time we revisited our way of doing things, examine how we have implemented our development strategies; where we have gone wrong and think through what we can do as a nation to go forward with much focus on the improvement of people’s lives.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
My dream still stands; I want to see a nation where children can go to school without any barriers and get employed after finishing school; I want to see a nation with enough medical supplies in our hospitals and that no mother dies when giving birth; I want to see a nation where people have decent housing; I want to see a nation where no one sleeps on an empty stomach; I want to see a nation where transport systems are developed and affordable for all Malawians. I know this is possible to attain if we all work together towards the same goal.
Being multi-sectoral and non-partisan, the Council is expected to provide advice to government and other stakeholders on hard policy and development questions so that our policy and programme implementation propel us to attain rapid and sustained socio economic development for the entire country in the medium- to long-term.
Mr. Chairman, we need a change of mindset in order to strengthen ownership and adherence to implementation of national development plans regardless of which government is in power so that we remain one nation with one vision.
This Government is ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure that our development is sustainable and benefits all Malawians.
President Joyce Banda's Five Questions
In closing, I want to leave you with five questions to consider which I asked during the National Dialogue on the Economy in Mangochi on 29th June 2012:
How can we envision Malawi, that is, making Malawi the best small country in the world to do business in? Malawi can be a world leader in a number of sectors including food export, green economy, entrepreneurship, innovation and culture.
How can we re-establish our economic reputation, that is, the role Malawian culture can play in opening doors in new markets and the need to consider strong support for initiating the Cultural Ambassador model with the appointment of sporting, business and food ambassadors.
How can we re-engage with the emerging markets, that is, highlighting the importance of a “structured mobilisation” of the diaspora which could be effective in areas such as mentoring, offering placements and internships, developing an investment vehicle through which the diaspora could provide seed funding for Malawian business; and in communicating positive messages.
How can we re-energise our country, that is, identifying the need for a programme for mentoring “winning managers‟.
Malawi should focus on increasing its exports not just for products and services, but also its systems and processes in areas where Malawi has particular expertise such as in agricultural products, Banking and Insurance.
How can we transform Malawi? This could be the foundation of the previous four pillars encompassing a range of reform initiatives the country can move into and “not a business-as-usual” attitude.
These are important questions and need important answers.
Let me underline and state here that this conference must not concentrate on theoretical solutions; but it must focus on practical and realistic home grown plans that are tailor-made for Malawi.
These solutions should be workable and have a long lasting and sustainable impact on Malawians.
I wish to thank our partners from Brenthurst Foundation who have assisted in partly financing this conference.
Lastly, let me thank you all for your coming and I would like to ask all of you to actively participate in the discussions and provide your ideas on various issues for the good of this nation.
I thank you all for your attention
HER EXCELLENCY DR. JOYCE BANDA, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI AT THE MALAWI NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE ON “MALAWI AT 50 AND PROSPECTS FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS” CROSS ROADS HOTEL, LILONGWE, ON TUESDAY, 5TH MARCH, 2014
Justice Richard Banda S.C., (Retired);
Rt. Hon. Khumbo Kachali, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi;
Hon. Ralph Jooma, MP, Minister of Economic Planning and Development;
Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers here present;
Mrs. Hawa Ndilowe, Chief Secretary to Government;
Prof. Mathews Chikaonda, Chairman of the High Level Development Council;
And all Members of the Council here present;
Madame Luisa Dias Diogo, Former Prime Minister of Mozambique, Brenthurst
Foundation Board and member of PACE;
Mr. Alberto Trejos, Head of INCAE Business School in Costa Rica, Brenthurst
Foundation Advisory Board and Chairperson of PACE;
And all Members of PACE here present;
Leaders of various political parties;
Representatives of International Organizations and Development Partners;
Traditional leaders;
Leaders of Religious Organizations;
Government officials here present;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am very delighted to preside over this important National Consultative Conference which has been organized by the High Level Development Council that my government set up in January this year. I am informed that the Conference is being convened under the theme: “Malawi: the Next 50 Years”.
The objective of the Conference is to reflect on national development over the past five decades and begin to strategize on the next 50 years. It is important, therefore, that as a nation we come together and discuss the development opportunities and challenges of our beautiful nation, and position ourselves to redeem the times.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
As we are all aware, Malawi will be celebrating a jubilee on 6th July this year, commemorating 50 years of independence. I believe this moment provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our past, draw lessons and inspiration on what the 50 years have offered us as a nation.
This moment further provides us yet another opportunity to think and reflect clearly about the nation we want to become in the next 50 years.
We are in this transition with a moment of hope and I thank God to have placed me as President of this great nation at such a time when we can face the future with reality. The two years I have been in power have taught us few lessons, that:
We can make difficult decisions even in the face of uncertainty as we did with devaluation of our currency 22 months ago. Our country was at the verge of total economic collapse but we have been able to recover from such catastrophe despite the challenges we are facing. Today, we can easily boast of more than two months’ import cover in our foreign reserves from under a week’s cover. Today, we can boast of a stable availability of foreign exchange.
We can mobilise ourselves to build our economy despite constraints in our environment. Today, we can boast that we have grown our economy from 1.8 per cent in 2012 to 4.5 per cent in 2013 despite numerous challenges we have faced. Our economy is diversifying and many critical challenges to the economy are receiving attention than never before.
Today, our industries are operating at more than 75 per cent production capacity from 30 per cent in 2012. Today, our electricity generation capacity is at 352 mega watts from 287 mega watts in 2012. Today, our people enjoy more freedoms and exercise more rights than they were in 2012. Today, our agricultural sector is diversifying. Today, our mining sector has been positioned to turn around the fortunes of our country in a unique manner. Yes, today, our infrastructure programmes in railway, airways and roads are taking unprecedented pace.
We can demonstrate political will in placing national interests above personal political careers as we have done in dealing with the looting of public funds in Government where previous administrations tried to cover up these malpractices. Today, we have an opportunity to face fraud, pilferage and corruption not only in Government but also in all sectors of our economy with a united stand. Today, we understand the nature and structure of curtails, as revealed by the investigations into the looting of public resources at Capital as involving civil servants, banks, private sector and politicians, working in a concerted effort to frustrate the development of our country. Today, we can feel the pain of corruption than never before because our governance systems are working.
Many researchers and development specialists have cited bottlenecks in our development efforts. These could have been in the Executive Branch in failing to implement development plans as agreed. These could have been in the Legislative in failing the oversight role to ensure that national plans are implemented as agreed. Indeed, these could have been in the Judiciary in failing the speedy conclusion of cases. These three pillars of State need to have a shared view of the development plans in order to realize a common destiny.
During the two years as President of this country, it has been clear to me that as a country we need social, cultural and economic transformation. Many commentators have argued that Malawi had a transition without a transformation. I agree. We need to transform our priorities in caring for the needy and the vulnerable among us.
We need transformation in our cultural outlook especially our perception and practice of politics. Indeed, we need a transformation in our economy by enhancing rural transformation including wealth and job creation, hunger reduction, improving living conditions in our villages and the role of the private sector.
In all these, I realize one major challenge facing our country’s development agenda. This is the missing link between the nation’s development plans and its implementation framework: the lack of momentum to drive the implementation in a balanced and focused manner whilst taking a long term view.
It is with this view that my Government decided to establish the High Level Development Council (HLDC) to provide leadership in reflecting on the past 50 years of the country’s independence and coordinate dialogue among Malawians and with the world at large in defining our destiny in the next 50 years.
It is my hope that the Council will help build the momentum to strengthen and mobilize national efforts and resources in support of development plans; promote national ownership of our development policies in all vital sectors of the economy; and ensure a balanced and focused implementation of our development plans.
As I said during the announcement of the Council, and in my State of the Nation Address to Parliament on 18th May 2012, I told the nation that, “Malawi has to identify development tablets that will guide our development agenda regardless of which government or political party is in power”.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
The Council comprises members from different sectors including the Academia, Youth Organizations, Private Sector, Faith-based Organizations, and Civil Society. This diversity in membership will ensure that government is provided with development advice from different perspectives for policy decision.
I am sure that the Council’s advice to all arms of government and other stakeholders on Malawi’s national development agenda will go a long way in shaping the direction our nation is taking.
Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Since independence, Malawi has drawn good development plans which, if effectively implemented, would have significantly improved its development status beyond the current level.
It is worth noting that other countries have borrowed Malawi’s development plans and have succeeded in their development initiatives. This confirms the quality of the national plans that Malawi has developed over the years.
However, it is worrying to note that despite many good development plans and policies that Malawi has drawn and implemented, the aspirations of Malawians are far from being met as we approach the Golden Jubilee of our Independence.
Since independence, Malawi has implemented different strategies including the Development Policies (Devpols), Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategies Paper (MPRSP), Vision 2020, Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS), and the current Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS II), and re-emphasized by the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP).
We have had mixed experiences in the implementation and outcome of these development plans. Some have succeeded while others have failed.
For example, the per capita income stood at $381 in 2012 which is still far from the $1000 envisioned for the year 2020.
At this point in time, with only six years to go before Vision 2020 expires, the situation is not much different from the one just described. About 50.7% of Malawians are still poor with little or no access to basic needs such as food, medical care, education, housing, water and sanitation.
With the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) II expiring in 2016 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ending in 2015, it is timely for Malawi to reflect and think forward to achieve a better Malawi for all in the coming 50 years. This is not one man’s job but for all of us to determine our destiny.
Mr. Chairman, I feel it is time we revisited our way of doing things, examine how we have implemented our development strategies; where we have gone wrong and think through what we can do as a nation to go forward with much focus on the improvement of people’s lives.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
My dream still stands; I want to see a nation where children can go to school without any barriers and get employed after finishing school; I want to see a nation with enough medical supplies in our hospitals and that no mother dies when giving birth; I want to see a nation where people have decent housing; I want to see a nation where no one sleeps on an empty stomach; I want to see a nation where transport systems are developed and affordable for all Malawians. I know this is possible to attain if we all work together towards the same goal.
Being multi-sectoral and non-partisan, the Council is expected to provide advice to government and other stakeholders on hard policy and development questions so that our policy and programme implementation propel us to attain rapid and sustained socio economic development for the entire country in the medium- to long-term.
Mr. Chairman, we need a change of mindset in order to strengthen ownership and adherence to implementation of national development plans regardless of which government is in power so that we remain one nation with one vision.
This Government is ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure that our development is sustainable and benefits all Malawians.
President Joyce Banda's Five Questions
In closing, I want to leave you with five questions to consider which I asked during the National Dialogue on the Economy in Mangochi on 29th June 2012:
How can we envision Malawi, that is, making Malawi the best small country in the world to do business in? Malawi can be a world leader in a number of sectors including food export, green economy, entrepreneurship, innovation and culture.
How can we re-establish our economic reputation, that is, the role Malawian culture can play in opening doors in new markets and the need to consider strong support for initiating the Cultural Ambassador model with the appointment of sporting, business and food ambassadors.
How can we re-engage with the emerging markets, that is, highlighting the importance of a “structured mobilisation” of the diaspora which could be effective in areas such as mentoring, offering placements and internships, developing an investment vehicle through which the diaspora could provide seed funding for Malawian business; and in communicating positive messages.
How can we re-energise our country, that is, identifying the need for a programme for mentoring “winning managers‟.
Malawi should focus on increasing its exports not just for products and services, but also its systems and processes in areas where Malawi has particular expertise such as in agricultural products, Banking and Insurance.
How can we transform Malawi? This could be the foundation of the previous four pillars encompassing a range of reform initiatives the country can move into and “not a business-as-usual” attitude.
These are important questions and need important answers.
Let me underline and state here that this conference must not concentrate on theoretical solutions; but it must focus on practical and realistic home grown plans that are tailor-made for Malawi.
These solutions should be workable and have a long lasting and sustainable impact on Malawians.
I wish to thank our partners from Brenthurst Foundation who have assisted in partly financing this conference.
Lastly, let me thank you all for your coming and I would like to ask all of you to actively participate in the discussions and provide your ideas on various issues for the good of this nation.
I thank you all for your attention
Monday, March 3, 2014
Freedom: the fuel of martyrs
Today, March 3- like all March 3s- is Martyrs' Day in Malawi. I write about what might have motivated those humans-no-longer-being!
It must be oppression that propels one to the point where their life ends.
No wonder that, when the frontiers of oppression hindered the entry of those we call martyrs into the gates of freedom, only one thing impressed their mind: Death. They had to die, and put a full stop to this trail of oppression!
Capture, for instance, the scene 99 years ago, when Rev. John Chilembwe saw agents of the colonial administration secreting self-importance wherever they went, while treating the natives with contempt in the crop plantations. He could no longer watch the scene with muted fury.
Indeed, as John E. Farley’s book, ‘Majority-Minority Relations: Forth Edition’, rightly observes, the actions of people like Chilembwe were not influenced by a “criminal element” as suggested by the ‘Riffraff Theory’.
To make a martyr
Farley argues: “Another widely believed but incorrect explanation is the so-called ‘Riffraff Theory’. This view holds that most of the trouble was caused by a criminal element and that racial grievances were merely an excuse used by this small minority of blacks. This explanation, too, has been soundly disproved by research.”
The truth, according to him, is that, “There was, however, also an attempt by whites more generally to maintain a system in which whiteness conferred status- a system of ‘social distance’. Under slavery, doing so had been easy; everyone knew that whites were masters and blacks were slaves. This in itself created an unequal relationship from which the whites gained psychological and material benefit. If whites were to maintain such a relationship after slavery, however, they would have to find a new way to proclaim and enforce the norm of racial equality. They did this by establishing segregation- in effect by replacing social distance with physical distance.”
While this scenario largely manifested itself in the United States of America, where Farley places more emphasis than Africa in the book, it is clear that the British colonial masters simply borrowed a leaf from their American counterparts, and applied the same principles in Malawi during the time of Chilembwe.
Not surprisingly, Chilembwe, who worked for fundamentalist missionary Joseph Booth between 1892 and 1895 and, thanks to Booth, went on to study theology at a black theological college, the Virginia Theological College in the USA, quickly grasped life’s simplest lesson that, in order to buy one’s freedom, one has to fight for that freedom.
According to www.about.com/ African History, Chilembwe made up his mind when he came across the works of pan-Africanists such as Casely Hayford, Marcus Garvey and Booker T. Washington. That knowledge was like a seed buried deep in his heart.
When Chilembwe came back to his motherland in 1900 and founded the Providence Industrial Mission at Mbombwe, the seed was still there- being nurtured by the oppression he saw being inflicted on the natives. As the situation worsened, the seed became a hot-bed of fury.
And, then, the situation could not be controlled anymore, according to the website.
“In 1913, an influx of refugees from Mozambique led to a reduction of employment standards in Nyasaland's plantations. Chilembwe's Baptist missionary work was seen as (a) nationalistic revolution by the plantation owners, and some of his churches were burnt down. Two years later, in response to the cruelty of white plantation owners, Chilembwe led an uprising (of about 200 followers) against British rule,” it says, adding:
“It has been suggested that he was also disgusted by the use of African soldiers against German forces in East Africa during World War I. Chilembwe and his followers attacked the estate of a particularly ruthless white owner, William Jervis Livingstone, killing him and several of the white estate managers. (Livingstone was beheaded in front of his wife and children). Their heads were put on display in Chilembwe's church.”
This, says the website, made Chilembwe one of the first nationalists in the Southern African Development Community region, a position he occupied by sealing his conviction in social justice with his own blood on February 3, 1915.
There is nothing strange with the fact that, for his convictions, he willingly took on the colonial masters and their representatives, and died trying to send home the message that his people were not losers. As Farley observes, “Divisions and competition between poorer members of the majority and minority groups are critical elements in a rigid, competitive system of race relations and are a crucial reason for the emergence of such a system".
What is strange, though, is that his own people (those from other districts) failed to support him.
“Chilembwe failed to gain support from the surrounding districts and his revolt was rapidly quelled. Chilembwe was shot by the police on 3 February 1915,” adds the website, www.about.com /African History.
But, for being forsaken, he got his reward: An appearance on the country’s banknotes, and a day (January 15) celebrated in his memory.
Universality of freedom
While Chilembwe’s actions during the events that have come to be known as ‘The Chilembwe Uprising’ might have the appearance of randomness; but the fact that other Malawians continued the cause for justice after him indicates that, other than being a random occurrence, it is in the psyche of the Malawian to fight for freedom.
For classic examples, we just have to go back to the events of 1953 and 1959, in that order. What comes out clearly is the fact that the ‘oppressors’ were always developing plans to strangle freedom. Self-centred, disingenuous, and bursting with surplus machismo, they stood for everything callous!
Everywhere the natives looked- be it North, South, West or East- all they detected was the pervasive presence of injustice, social, political, economic and otherwise. But they were wise enough to know that, beyond the unjust skyline circulated the purer air of freedom. And the likes of Orton Chirwa, Henry Masauko Chipembere, Kanyama Chiume, Kamuzu Banda, among others, rose to the occasion.
These people might have found it hard to look at the injustices without a creeping sadness. ‘This gulf between the races must be bridged’, they might have thought.
So, in a way, they were willing to become the ‘vehicles’ who could negotiate this wilderness of injustice, oppression, and violence!
Historian Melvin E. Page- a history lecturer who has, among other education institutions, lectured at East Tennessee University and worked in Malawi until 1991- writes in a report posted on www.africafiles.org and titled ‘Malawi: Revolution Without Leadership?’ that the events of the 1950s were fuelled by feelings that locals were being excluded from the economic benefits that seemed to “flow to the few, most notably the European elite”.
“In these circumstances, small, scattered, spontaneous demonstrations began. Then in August 1953, a series of riots began in Thyolo district. African resentments spewed out into attacks on European property. The police responded with tear gas and charged the crowd; at least one demonstrator was killed and several were wounded. The disturbances spread throughout the southern portion of the Protectorate and there were more deaths and injuries,” says Page.
However, Page observes that, despite the genuineness of the grievances, the government did not bulge and the majority of those who had participated were rounded up, a development he blames on the lack of “Africans willing to seize the opportunity and offer leadership to the mass of disaffected Malawians”.
He blames it on the inactivity of the National African Congress (Nac).
“Only the emergence of new, younger leaders such as Henry Chipembere and Kanyama Chiume (who had returned from studies in South Africa and Uganda) resuscitated the Congress. And not until Dr. Banda was recalled from abroad did the nationalist movement really take fire,” observes Page.
He adds: “It was part of Banda's leadership genius that he realized the inherent weakness of the NAC and its failure to seize opportunity in 1953. Thus when the NAC was banned by the colonial government in the wake of the massive 1959 detentions, he directed the formation of a new entity, the Malawi Congress Party which was able to fill the leadership vacuum in the country.”
Continued battle
Only then, he says, did the dispirited air among the people recede. The people whose voices had, just a decade before, melted into helpless solicitude were able to replace the unbearable emptiness with the hope for a brighter future.
However, Jonathan Chakalamba, a Chigumula resident in Blantyre, feels that, 50 years down the lane of independence, Malawians are going back to the old days of unbearable emptiness.
“Look at things like the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill, the poverty in the land, and the tendency by our leaders to accumulate worth questionably,” says Chakalamba.
Chakalamba adds that, the way things are moving, it is easy to think that Malawians are taking the “sacrifice” of the Chilembwes and other nationalists “for granted”.
“Where is the sacrifice when our leaders think only of themselves? We have lost that love; that communal spirit of Malawi that peddled us forward, in good or bad times,” says Chakalamba.
It is a point human rights activist Billy Banda seconds.
“Look, how can we be proud to be Malawians when public officers are looting billions of kwacha and getting away with it? How can we claim to promote the cause of the poor when there are no drugs in public hospitals? Where are human rights when people are being denied the right to know how their taxes went missing in broad daylight? We need to put our house in order,” says Banda, who leads the Malawi Watch Human Rights, a local NGO.
All these problems, he says, have meant that the ceiling of freedom- once up and flying high- has now dropped so low that sight has been impinged and the future is dim.
And, among the citizens like Chakalamba, the look on their faces is that of the familiar odd, wan emptiness that spurred others to a fight for freedom.
“Freedom is all we want. We want economic freedom. We want social freedom. We want political freedom. And we want freedom from fear; you know how security has gone to the dogs these days!” Chakalamba sums the situation up.
Everything, it seems, hinges on freedom. Truth is, there have always been calls for freedom: Sometimes loud, sometimes silent!
It must be oppression that propels one to the point where their life ends.
No wonder that, when the frontiers of oppression hindered the entry of those we call martyrs into the gates of freedom, only one thing impressed their mind: Death. They had to die, and put a full stop to this trail of oppression!
Capture, for instance, the scene 99 years ago, when Rev. John Chilembwe saw agents of the colonial administration secreting self-importance wherever they went, while treating the natives with contempt in the crop plantations. He could no longer watch the scene with muted fury.
Indeed, as John E. Farley’s book, ‘Majority-Minority Relations: Forth Edition’, rightly observes, the actions of people like Chilembwe were not influenced by a “criminal element” as suggested by the ‘Riffraff Theory’.
To make a martyr
Farley argues: “Another widely believed but incorrect explanation is the so-called ‘Riffraff Theory’. This view holds that most of the trouble was caused by a criminal element and that racial grievances were merely an excuse used by this small minority of blacks. This explanation, too, has been soundly disproved by research.”
The truth, according to him, is that, “There was, however, also an attempt by whites more generally to maintain a system in which whiteness conferred status- a system of ‘social distance’. Under slavery, doing so had been easy; everyone knew that whites were masters and blacks were slaves. This in itself created an unequal relationship from which the whites gained psychological and material benefit. If whites were to maintain such a relationship after slavery, however, they would have to find a new way to proclaim and enforce the norm of racial equality. They did this by establishing segregation- in effect by replacing social distance with physical distance.”
While this scenario largely manifested itself in the United States of America, where Farley places more emphasis than Africa in the book, it is clear that the British colonial masters simply borrowed a leaf from their American counterparts, and applied the same principles in Malawi during the time of Chilembwe.
Not surprisingly, Chilembwe, who worked for fundamentalist missionary Joseph Booth between 1892 and 1895 and, thanks to Booth, went on to study theology at a black theological college, the Virginia Theological College in the USA, quickly grasped life’s simplest lesson that, in order to buy one’s freedom, one has to fight for that freedom.
According to www.about.com/ African History, Chilembwe made up his mind when he came across the works of pan-Africanists such as Casely Hayford, Marcus Garvey and Booker T. Washington. That knowledge was like a seed buried deep in his heart.
When Chilembwe came back to his motherland in 1900 and founded the Providence Industrial Mission at Mbombwe, the seed was still there- being nurtured by the oppression he saw being inflicted on the natives. As the situation worsened, the seed became a hot-bed of fury.
And, then, the situation could not be controlled anymore, according to the website.
“In 1913, an influx of refugees from Mozambique led to a reduction of employment standards in Nyasaland's plantations. Chilembwe's Baptist missionary work was seen as (a) nationalistic revolution by the plantation owners, and some of his churches were burnt down. Two years later, in response to the cruelty of white plantation owners, Chilembwe led an uprising (of about 200 followers) against British rule,” it says, adding:
“It has been suggested that he was also disgusted by the use of African soldiers against German forces in East Africa during World War I. Chilembwe and his followers attacked the estate of a particularly ruthless white owner, William Jervis Livingstone, killing him and several of the white estate managers. (Livingstone was beheaded in front of his wife and children). Their heads were put on display in Chilembwe's church.”
This, says the website, made Chilembwe one of the first nationalists in the Southern African Development Community region, a position he occupied by sealing his conviction in social justice with his own blood on February 3, 1915.
There is nothing strange with the fact that, for his convictions, he willingly took on the colonial masters and their representatives, and died trying to send home the message that his people were not losers. As Farley observes, “Divisions and competition between poorer members of the majority and minority groups are critical elements in a rigid, competitive system of race relations and are a crucial reason for the emergence of such a system".
What is strange, though, is that his own people (those from other districts) failed to support him.
“Chilembwe failed to gain support from the surrounding districts and his revolt was rapidly quelled. Chilembwe was shot by the police on 3 February 1915,” adds the website, www.about.com /African History.
But, for being forsaken, he got his reward: An appearance on the country’s banknotes, and a day (January 15) celebrated in his memory.
Universality of freedom
While Chilembwe’s actions during the events that have come to be known as ‘The Chilembwe Uprising’ might have the appearance of randomness; but the fact that other Malawians continued the cause for justice after him indicates that, other than being a random occurrence, it is in the psyche of the Malawian to fight for freedom.
For classic examples, we just have to go back to the events of 1953 and 1959, in that order. What comes out clearly is the fact that the ‘oppressors’ were always developing plans to strangle freedom. Self-centred, disingenuous, and bursting with surplus machismo, they stood for everything callous!
Everywhere the natives looked- be it North, South, West or East- all they detected was the pervasive presence of injustice, social, political, economic and otherwise. But they were wise enough to know that, beyond the unjust skyline circulated the purer air of freedom. And the likes of Orton Chirwa, Henry Masauko Chipembere, Kanyama Chiume, Kamuzu Banda, among others, rose to the occasion.
These people might have found it hard to look at the injustices without a creeping sadness. ‘This gulf between the races must be bridged’, they might have thought.
So, in a way, they were willing to become the ‘vehicles’ who could negotiate this wilderness of injustice, oppression, and violence!
Historian Melvin E. Page- a history lecturer who has, among other education institutions, lectured at East Tennessee University and worked in Malawi until 1991- writes in a report posted on www.africafiles.org and titled ‘Malawi: Revolution Without Leadership?’ that the events of the 1950s were fuelled by feelings that locals were being excluded from the economic benefits that seemed to “flow to the few, most notably the European elite”.
“In these circumstances, small, scattered, spontaneous demonstrations began. Then in August 1953, a series of riots began in Thyolo district. African resentments spewed out into attacks on European property. The police responded with tear gas and charged the crowd; at least one demonstrator was killed and several were wounded. The disturbances spread throughout the southern portion of the Protectorate and there were more deaths and injuries,” says Page.
However, Page observes that, despite the genuineness of the grievances, the government did not bulge and the majority of those who had participated were rounded up, a development he blames on the lack of “Africans willing to seize the opportunity and offer leadership to the mass of disaffected Malawians”.
He blames it on the inactivity of the National African Congress (Nac).
“Only the emergence of new, younger leaders such as Henry Chipembere and Kanyama Chiume (who had returned from studies in South Africa and Uganda) resuscitated the Congress. And not until Dr. Banda was recalled from abroad did the nationalist movement really take fire,” observes Page.
He adds: “It was part of Banda's leadership genius that he realized the inherent weakness of the NAC and its failure to seize opportunity in 1953. Thus when the NAC was banned by the colonial government in the wake of the massive 1959 detentions, he directed the formation of a new entity, the Malawi Congress Party which was able to fill the leadership vacuum in the country.”
Continued battle
Only then, he says, did the dispirited air among the people recede. The people whose voices had, just a decade before, melted into helpless solicitude were able to replace the unbearable emptiness with the hope for a brighter future.
However, Jonathan Chakalamba, a Chigumula resident in Blantyre, feels that, 50 years down the lane of independence, Malawians are going back to the old days of unbearable emptiness.
“Look at things like the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill, the poverty in the land, and the tendency by our leaders to accumulate worth questionably,” says Chakalamba.
Chakalamba adds that, the way things are moving, it is easy to think that Malawians are taking the “sacrifice” of the Chilembwes and other nationalists “for granted”.
“Where is the sacrifice when our leaders think only of themselves? We have lost that love; that communal spirit of Malawi that peddled us forward, in good or bad times,” says Chakalamba.
It is a point human rights activist Billy Banda seconds.
“Look, how can we be proud to be Malawians when public officers are looting billions of kwacha and getting away with it? How can we claim to promote the cause of the poor when there are no drugs in public hospitals? Where are human rights when people are being denied the right to know how their taxes went missing in broad daylight? We need to put our house in order,” says Banda, who leads the Malawi Watch Human Rights, a local NGO.
All these problems, he says, have meant that the ceiling of freedom- once up and flying high- has now dropped so low that sight has been impinged and the future is dim.
And, among the citizens like Chakalamba, the look on their faces is that of the familiar odd, wan emptiness that spurred others to a fight for freedom.
“Freedom is all we want. We want economic freedom. We want social freedom. We want political freedom. And we want freedom from fear; you know how security has gone to the dogs these days!” Chakalamba sums the situation up.
Everything, it seems, hinges on freedom. Truth is, there have always been calls for freedom: Sometimes loud, sometimes silent!
Facing the Aflatoxin Challenge: Malawi Takes Steps To Make Its Regumes Safe for Human Consumption
Is it not ironic that the moulds that produce aflatoxin are more visible than the prescription of death they pronounce on humankind? In legumes such as groundnuts, moulds wear their guts on the outside, their colour laid out like a map to death.
The Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary defines aflatoxin as “a toxin produced by moulds that can damage the liver and may lead to liver cancer. Aflatoxins cause cancer in some animals. The fungi that produce aflatoxin grow on crops such as peanuts and wheat, corn, beans, groundnuts and rice. Aflatoxin is a problem particularly in undeveloped and developing countries”.
Malawi, as one of the ‘developing’ countries, is not immune to aflatoxin fateful pangs. For example, a 2010 study titled ‘Aflatoxins in Sorghum Malt and Traditional Opaque Beer in Malawi’, indicates that the problem is wide-spread in the country.
Researchers - Deliwe Lakudzala of the Department of Physics and Bio-chemical Sciences at the Polytechnic, a constituent College of the University of Malawi, Elenimo Khonga of the Faculty of Agriculture at Botswana College of Agriculture, Maurice Monjerezi of the Chemistry Department at Chancellor College and a researcher from Chitedze Agriculture Research Station - took part in the study.
“Samples of sorghum grain and malt, traditional opaque sweet beverage (thobwa) and beer prepared from sorghum malts were collected from the southern region of Malawi during the humid month of January. The samples were analysed for total aflatoxins using aflatest vicam fluorometry procedure. All malt and beer samples, 15 percent and 43 percent of the sorghum and thobwa samples, respectively, were contaminated with aflatoxin,” reads the research report.
It adds: “The sorghum malt prepared for beer brewing had significantly higher total aflatoxin content than any other type of sample. The average aflatoxin content in the beer was 22.32 μg/litre (a mode of measuring toxic content in liquids), which is higher than the permissible maximum level in ready to eat foods set by Codex Alimentarius Commission (10 μg/kg). Thus consumption of opaque sorghum-based traditional beer poses a risk of aflatoxin exposure.”
The Environmental Health Trust says aflatoxin is a naturally-occurring contaminant produced by moulds, particularly Aspergillus flavus and Aparasiticus. These moulds grow on crops, especially peanuts, maize, wheat and seed oils (i.e. cotton seed) that are stored in conditions of warmth and humidity.
It adds that aflatoxins are carcinogenic and, as such, are dangerous to both humans and other animals and have been associated with various human health-related conditions, including the high incidents of liver cancer, growth retardation in children, reproduction impairment and immunity suppression.
Exposure to aflatoxins is known to cause both chronic and acute hepatocellular injury.
According to the Centre for Disease Control in Kenya, acute aflatoxin poisoning results in liver failure and death in up to 40 percent of cases.
Admarc
The Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc), the country’s grain marketer established by an Act of Parliament of 1971, says it has always treated the issue of aflatoxins "with the seriousness it deserves", citing the existence of a factory and laboratory specialising in the same at Liwonde in Machinga.
Admarc spokesperson Agnes Ndovi says the corporation realises the importance of meeting international standards, hence its commitment to ensuring that consumers are not exposed to hazardous substances.
"There are international standards put in place to control the concentration of aflatoxins and, in Malawi, these aflatoxins largely affect groundnuts,” she explained. “To meet these standards, we established the factory and laboratory at Liwonde in Machinga, a development that has guaranteed that our groundnuts remain fit for human consumption."
Adds Ndovi: "For your own information, our export consignments have never been turned back. This is because we work hand in hand with the Malawi Bureau of Standards which monitors the activities at the laboratory and factory and issues an Aflatoxin Certificate that accompanies our groundnut exports. It is mandatory that, apart from the other permits, consignments of groundnut exports should be accompanied by this certificate."
Questions, no answers
Be that as it may, it is known within research institutions that dietary exposure to aflatoxins has been one of the causes of stunted growth. Would it be fair therefore to conclude that low knowledge on aflatoxins and the impact they have can be one of the causes of the 50 percent of stunting growth rates that we have in districts such as Dedza and Mchinji where aflatoxin-laden crops like groundnuts are grown?
Silence before death
While many countries that import or grow groundnuts have put up measures to reduce consumption of aflatoxin-infested legumes, more especially groundnuts, Malawi is yet to say something, not even a proposition on aflatoxin control.
But even if we pay a blind-eye to aflatoxin research, the chilling fact is that our trade partners are getting stricter on aflatoxin control and may eventually hit us in the long run. This may result in dwindling marketing opportunities for groundnuts as the importing countries will only import carefully-tested groundnuts.
Groundnut market
The issue of aflatoxin in the Malawi nut has already hit the groundnut market. Malawi used to send thousands of tonnes into the European market per year but the market collapsed due unacceptable levels of aflatoxin in the Malawi nut.
In 1997, the European Union set a uniform standard for aflatoxin at the minimum acceptable level of 10 ppb (parts per billion – the measurement of toxic content in nuts or grains) in groundnuts subject to further processing and at 4 ppb in groundnuts for direct human consumption.
It is, therefore, clear that - apart from the heath risk - lack of adequate investment in aflatoxin research may in the short- medium- and
long-term affect the country economically as our produce ends up
having higher levels of aflatoxin due to poor produce management.
Holding the bull by the horns
However, all these may be averted by simply putting up proper
guidelines on aflatoxin control and management. Higher knowledge
levels on aflatoxin control may improve the quality and marketability
of our legumes.
And, from the look of things, government seems to be aware of the issue. Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Industry and Trade Alex Gomani says issues to do with aflatoxin are handled by the Ministry
of Agriculture. And Agriculture Principal Secretary Jeffrey Luhanga says the ministry has a technical committee that deals with the issue.
Among other efforts at international level, the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute has been urging countries to promote a sector-wide approach in addressing the issue of aflatoxin control, calling for agricultural, health, nutritional and value-chain experts’ need to work together to raise awareness of the public health impacts of consuming unsafe food.
The institute has also been imploring governments to improve drying,
sorting and storage both on-farm and throughout the value chain;
provide training and access to equipment to change inappropriate
practices such as by facilitating access to mechanical shellers to
stop hand-shelling, among others.
But the jury is still out on whether these efforts are enough to stem death arising from aflatoxin exposure.
An Attack On One Man Sheds More Light on Security Lapses In Blantyre
An ambush is a very tricky thing and it is the rare victim who carries it off because, more often than not, the attacked individual is left with the impression that had they only come a little earlier, or later, it would never have happened to them. This is the situation Dr. Tommy Hamilton, a precious stones’ expert, found himself in recently. RICHARD CHIROMBO writes:
Twice, they floored him. And twice he screamed. But his shouts for help were no less than a soliloquy. He was like a man standing on a bare stage surrounded by big men with big knives.
“There were people close by but, no matter how loud I shouted, nobody came to my rescue. Nobody seemed to care,” says Dr. Tommy Hamilton, an expert in precious stones.
He is referring to his ordeal at the hands of unknown assailants who attacked him at Kandodo Corner Shop in Blantyre. This happened on the Saturday of February 22 this year.
“What surprises me is that the thugs who singled me out committed their hideous crime during what I would describe as ‘near-day’ evening; it was only 7 o’clock in the evening, for God’s sake. What’s more? There were armed police officers at a filling station close by. All these factors could not hinder the attackers from committing a crime,” says Hamilton.
For this attack on his person, Hamilton sustained serious injuries on his neck and right leg, while his left arm was lifeless, unable to raise itself up or bring itself down. Not even his muscles could move it an inch.
But this (the injured hand) is what remained on his body; things the thugs could not take away.
Some things were, however, portable.
“For instance, they went away with my travel bag, Nokia N97 mobile phone, ATM cards, and K35, 000 cash. I could not handle them alone; seeing, as it were, that they had dangerous weapons. They had sharp, shiny knives; they had big pipes, one of which was used to hit my neck. The pain has not eased down,” says Hamilton, some three days after the attack.
Hope amidst pain
As a responsible citizen armed with the knowledge that fore-warned is fore-armed, Hamilton reported to Kabula Police Station. Part of a letter dated February 22, and written by one of the police officers on duty, reads:
“The bearer of this note has been wounded, so we have sent him to your good office for medical treatment. Please assist him then feed us with your findings for our records’ purposes.”
And a medical report from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (Qech) indicates that the patient suffered trauma, sustained minor injuries, and described treatment for his injuries as a “priority”.
“I reported the issue to police because I did not want others to fall into the same trap. But I had also hoped that some police officers would accompany me to the scene of the incident because I had hit one of the attackers in the head with a stone and his friends fled, leaving him there.
“To my disappointment, however, I was told by some police officers that ‘You should just thank your God that He has spared your life and you are alive’. Others were even more brunt; they told me that since the current administration was against the Shoot-to-Kill policy (touted by former president Bingu wa Mutharika), ‘This is the price you have to pay. Do you want us to injure the suspected criminals and be subjected to criminal justice for trying to save your soul? It doesn’t make sense’.”
Hamilton says he tried to reason with the officers, to no avail.
“But I was shocked that, during my first 50 minutes at Qech, four more people came. They had been attacked at the very same spot. One of them was badly injured in the leg, and I do not think he still has that leg on him. I heard one of the medical workers talk about amputation,” says Hamilton.
Not that he does not trust the Malawi Police Service. He remembers that armed robbers once descended on his house in BCA Residential Area in 2010, and that police officers tracked the attackers and brought them to justice.
However, when unknown people attacked him around 8 o’clock in the evening in Bangwe Township in 2011, Bangwe Police Station failed to arrest anyone and, just when he was about to forget that incident, thugs have attacked again, leaving him with a left arm that cannot hold anything.
That is not all, however. Hamilton, who stays in Lilongwe, came to Blantyre to finalise preparations for a Night of Prayer at Hill Crescent in Kabula (location) scheduled for February 28. Instead of attending the prayers, he was forced to go back to Lilongwe to continue medical treatment.
In fact, he did not even have the cash on him, and, so, he depended on well-wishers who gave him a ride to Lilongwe in a freightliner.
Official side
On her part, Blantyre Police public relations officer, Elizabeth Divala, says officers have intensified security patrols, and that the area in question is well-monitored by officers.
“If he (Hamilton) says he was attacked around 7 PM, I can assure you that we had police officers working around that area and, in terms of security, the area was well-covered,” says Divala, adding:
“You may wish to know that we have intensified security patrols in Blantyre and police officers, in both uniform and civilian attire, are always on the look-out for suspects. This is because we are committed to providing high level security to residents through our station and sub-stations such as Ndirande and Chilomoni.”
Divala also says the police station has patrol vehicles that move from place to place, in the course of responding to residents’ calls for help.
“In the past, we used to have 997 response vehicles. We now have 990, and those who want help should call 990 and they will be helped accordingly. But some residents abuse the facility, and make bogus calls. This is bad because it deprives other people of service and puts their life in danger,” says Divala.
She says all these efforts- all these interventions- are premised on one goal: To rid Blantyre of that biggest problem, the loneliness that hits one when criminals pounce!
Plenty of Talented Artists, No Records: The Case of Malawi
Malawi’s artistic world remains largely an uncharted path both to locals and the international community, reducing perceptions about the country’s authentic identity to a blurred mix of half lies, half-truths, or nothing at all. Little seems to have changed, in terms of moving from an oral society to a records-society, some 49 down the lane of independence, so much so that getting in touch with anything artistic is like tumbling like a clueless explorer into a chaotic and Stone Age world. RICHARD CHIROMBO writes.
The lowest point comes at death, which serves as a (metaphorical) macabre souvenir that characterises the genetic time bomb that ticks away all over Malawi’s artistic sphere. Without a national Cultural Policy, and with little to no efforts being made immortalise the adventures of local artists through publications, what else can the nation expect?
In the end, the greatest loser is Malawi’s next generations, who run the risk of having no records to refer to on issues artistic. Already, the time bomb that is failure to keep records of artists that have contributed a lot to the development of the arts in the country has begun to annihilate important facts about Malawi music, poetry, painting, traditional dances, among others.
As opposed to other countries, including African countries such as Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe and even Zambia- where legacies and remnants of culture are carried on through the new cult of public records- death almost always marks the end of the historical journey for Malawian artists.
A good case in point is given by British Cultural Studies scholar Tony Michael Monason who, writing in an essay titled ‘Understanding African Cultures Through Dance and Music’, observed in 2012 that a search for authentic culture in Malawi is “largely a futile attempt” because, “as I discovered”, key aspects are abandoned “in the past”, a development he attributed to the trend of neglecting the role of records in national development.
Missed train
The result, as veteran musician Wyndham Chechamba puts it, is that “most musicians have not learned from veterans like me and other great sons and daughters of Malawi; hence the tendency (by up-and-coming artists) to overdo some things, in terms of the emotional aspect of music, leaving out equally important aspects such as authentic value”.
But Chechamba, who clocks 80 years in March this year, does not only blame this on the country’s failure to keep track of itself through records. He says, in terms of the country’s music industry, the absence of music schools is another factor that has hindered the transfer of knowledge from those who are knowledgeable enough to those who have not yet caught the right rope to take them to the top.
That is why, he observes, Malawians have been struggling to trace their music identity because of their failure to hold on to the past through records. What cost will Malawians pay for this blatant disregard for records?
“We will be poorly equipped to cope with the future demands of, say, music because, for you to improve, you need to know where you are coming from. I mean, future demands for our (Malawi’s) original music identity and the artists who played a key role in creating that identity,” he says, suggesting that, in most cases, the people who create do not necessarily have to be the ones to preserve. “We have a role to preserve what has been handed down to us.”
And, talking of preserving what has been handed down to us, artist Elson Aaron Kambalu says Malawi seems not to be learning from history’s tough lessons, citing the continued annihilation of cultural and historical sites.
Kambalu points at the issue of the demolition of the old District Commissioner’s office in Lilongwe, a decision he fought hard to get rescinded. The artist also penned a proposal with the aim of safeguarding and preserving the country’s heritage sites.
Observes Kambalu: “We must remember that we have children who may wish to refer back to things at some point in their life. That is where the issue of heritages sites, and the important role they play in a nation’s history, comes in. I suggest that all buildings built before 1950 should never be demolished, except with a letter and special permit explicitly written and signed by the minister responsible for either land or tourism, and also that we should preserve the history of our artists. This will promote accountability in handling matters pertaining to our cultural heritage as well as heritage sites.”
Lost opportunity
Is it not a shame that the story of one of Malawi’s widely anthologised poets, David James Lubadiri, should be celebrated more in Uganda (where he has lectured and sharpened the minds of Ugandans and other nationals) than Malawi?
Why should countries such as Cameroon beat us when it comes to celebrating their poets, the likes of Ferdinad Oyono? What is so special about countries such as Uganda, for them to record aptly document the story of play wrights such as John Ruganda of ‘The Burdens, Black Mamba and the Floods’ while we overlook ours?
Just recently (in early February), chief judge in the Malawi Writers Union (Mawu)/First Merchant Bank Short Story Competition, Jonathan Mbuna, bemoaned that 70 percent of the 77 (short story) entries received had “serious” grammatical mistakes.
The question is: How could there be improvements when the writers had no references (in terms of records) from which to draw lessons?
Fortunately, there are people who understand that Malawi has done little to honour its greatest sons and daughters in the arts. Now there is hope that artists such as Musicians Association of Malawi president, Rev. Chimwemwe Mhango, may help the nation recover from its losses.
“May be it may not be possible to right the wrongs at once, but we can start doing things that may rectify the problems we face. For example, through awards and refresher courses and training workshops, we can begin to raise the profile of our artists and, then, possibly, document the major aspects of their lives,” Mhango says.
Mhango acknowledges that the one thing missing about local artists are locally-available records. For instance, while it is difficult to locally find records documenting the musical path of the late Daniel Kachamba, the same can be found in the 1988 edition of the ‘Year Book of Traditional Music’ published by the International Council for Traditional Music.
However, another school of thought advances the argument that keeping records is not as difficult as it seems.
For example, Mawu president Sambalikagwa Mvona says keeping records cannot be a problem to unions such as Mawu.
“The main issue is resources. We need financial resources and these resources have not been easy to come by,” Mvona says.
Facing the future
But, even if we had records about local artists littered in every public library, one aspect is bound to plague such a dream-spectacle: Women.
Ask Theatre Association of Malawi vice-president, Joyce Mhango, about the recognition of local women in the arts and she will be quick to point out that, despite playing a key role in the background, talented women have largely been sidelined.
“It has always been a challenge for women to take up leading roles in male-dominated spheres, including executive positions in arts associations. So, we really need to be accommodative for the history of the arts in the country to be complete. To achieve that, however, there is need for women to support fellow women,” Mhango says.
Mhango adds that records without women will not necessarily reflect the complimentary roles of men and women in the arts, and calls for the recognition of women.
While acknowledging that failure to keep records has been costly to the nation, Culture and Tourism Minister Moses Kunkuyu says the current administration is committed to uplifting the arts, saying things are bound to improve once work on the Cultural Policy gets finalised.
“At the moment, we are looking at a number of issues that could help improve the way we do things in the arts. If we join hands, we can overcome so many challenges and succeed,” he says.
Otherwise, each artist’s death may continue to be a macabre souvenir of the national time bomb that ticks away all over Malawi: Failure to keep records. And nothing will prepare us for the life without the artist in question!
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