Photo: Ian Chakhaza In a rare show of unity, Malawi's opposition parties and a coalition of civil society groups have united to organize protests on July 20, targeting a range of issues including repressive media laws recently passed by parliament, fuel shortages and bad economic governance.
The media law, endorsed by President Bingu wa Mutharika and the Malawi government concerns the amendment of Section 46 of the Penal Code, which will allow the information minister to ban publications deemed contrary to public interest.
Civil society groups, among them the influential Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) have closed ranks with opposition groups including the country's oldest party, the Malawi Congress Party led by opposition Member of Parliament, John Tembo, to call for nation-wide demonstrations. There is, however, a palpable fear that the demonstrations may turn ugly with the government resorting to armed suppression.
Over the past two weeks the organizers of the protests have tried to get the green light from authorities to hold their demonstrations to no avail, while a group calling itself Friends of President Mutharika, has appeared on public television to announce their intention of fighting any demonstrators in the streets if they go ahead with their plans.
The protests come at a time when President Mbingu wa Mutharika's government is increasingly perceived as intolerant to dissenting voices.
Concerns over governance in Malawi prompted economic partners, who contribute about 40 percent of Malawi's budget, to either cut or reduce aid to the country. Britain, Malawi's main bilateral aid contributor, announced last Thursday that it would cease its contribute to Malawi's budget. This followed an announcement in March by Malawi's Finance Minister, Ken Kandodo, that donors were withholding more than US$400 million in aid in protest over government's repressive media laws and bad governance. Around the same time, a grouping of donors under the Common Approach to Budgetary Support (CABS) had warned Malawi's over the same issue of repressive laws.
Wa Mutharika, who received praise in during his first term in office for transforming the country's agricultural sector and bringing about "a unique green revolution", now finds himself facing widespread dissatisfaction locally and bilaterally. The country's petrol stations are now characterised by long queues, and civil servants have gone for months without salaries and economic experts now warn that Malawi may be exhibiting the signs of bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the government has not come out to give any official communication or position on the turn of events.
As recently as two years ago, Malawi was touted as the world's second fastest growing economy but recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports show that the country had dropped to position 17 on the Global Economic Growth chart. Poverty in Malawi remains widespread, in spite of the impressive economic gains made since 2004. With protestors saying these demonstrations are the first phase towards the grand mass demonstrations set for 17 August 2011, Malawi's situation could attract significant attention given the effects of recent protests that have taken place in North Africa, as well as the repressive responses to protests from states such as Swaziland.
Compiled by Timothy Walker of the African Conflict Prevention Program of the ISS.
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MANY AFRICAN LEADERS ARE MISSING THE BOAT , THEY SEEM TO NOT RELISE THIS IS STEP UP TIME. ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING THINGS TO HAPPEN TO AFRICA IS THE ACCEPTANCE OF DONOR MONEY. BIG MAN DON'T DEAL WID LITTLE MAN TING. MALI ONE OF AFRICAS INSTITUTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE AND BLACK HISTORY. MALI CAN BE REMBERED FOR TIMBUKTU THE CENTER OF LEARNING THE LIBRARY OF TIMBUKTO WAS THE MOST PRONOUNCED ON THE PLANET AT THE TIME. MALI WAS KNOWN FOR THEIR SCHOLARS. MY DEAR BROTHERS IT IS TRULY TIME FOR YOU TO REFOCUS. THE THINGS WE DO KNOW IS AFRICA HAS BEEN STARVED OF EDUCATION HEALTH CARE AND REFORMS ARE BADLY NEEDED. WHEN YOU HAVE AN EDUCATED PEOPLE THEIR IS MORE CHANCE FOR SUCCESS THAN ILLITERACY, THE TIME FOR AFRICA TO BE STRONG UNIFIED AND MOST IMPORTANTLY FREE. FRE HAS TO BE REINTERPRETED FIRST AND FOREMOST AS PAST SCHOLARS REMEBER THAT "THE ALMIGHTY GOD" CREATED BOTH HE AND SHE FREE"THIS IS THE BLACK MANS LEGACY DO NOT FORGET THAT. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE BLACK MAN WAS THE FIRST TO WALK THE PLANET AND THE FIRST EDUCATORS ON THE PLANET. THE EARTH IS THE BLACK WOMAN FOR SHE WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE IN HER BILLIONS TO MULTIPLY AND FILL THE EARTH. VERY STRONG SHE IS AND SHOULD BE HONOURED. TO DAY OUR PEOPLE ARE AT THE CROSS ROADS DEVELOP[MENT WITHOUT OPPRESSION FOR THIS IS THE JOB OF OUR FORMER ANTAGONIST THE IMPPERIALIST WHO COLONISED AND STOLE OUR HERITAGE ECONOMY AND OUR PRIDE. TODAY AFRICA IS ALIVE AND WELL SPOKEN . WE ARE NOT SLAVES WE ALL ARE THE SONS OF CREATION WHOM ARE HERE TO RECAPTURE OUR LOST HERITAGE. WE WILL NOT SUBMIT TO DOMINATION OR ANT FORM OF OPPRSSION WE WILL NOT SURRENDER TO FALSE PROPHETS AND WE WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY THING LESS THAN FULL EQUALITY JUSTICE AND FREE THINKING. FREE THOUGHTS CHALLENGE THE BRAIN AND EXCELLS GROTH MENTALLY AND CULTURALY. EVRYDAY WE SEE BOMBING OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES BOMBING FOR NO REASON NO AFRICAN COUNTRY HAS INVADED ANOTHER COUNTRY NOR HAS ANY COUNTRY DECLARED WAR ON ANY COUNTRY. YET WE HAVE AMERICANS TRYING TO IMPOSE THEIR WILL ON AFRICANS TELLING THEM WHERE THEY CAN AND CANOT LIVE . SO WITH THESE THOUGHTS IN MIND AFRICA MUST STAND STRONG AS ONE PEOPLE AND REJECT THAT PHILOSOPHY THAT IS THE SAME THING AS THE SLAVERY THEY IMPLIMENTED ON AFRICANS TAKING THEM AND FORCING THEM TO OBEY THEIR COMMANDS AFRICANS WILL NEVER RE APPLY FOR SLAVERY AT NO TIME WILL AFRICANS BECOME SUBJUGATED BY ANY FORM OF LEADERSHIP AND THE TRUTH IS INDEPENDENCE HUNGRY IS BETTER TAHN INDEPENDENCE WITH RESTRICTIONS. " NO MORE FOREIGN AID" FREETHINKING AND FREE WILL" "PEACE AND LOVE MAY GOD BLESS"
I cannot believe there are African posting comments on this forum supporting Bingu wa Mutharika's evil misrule of a once peaceful and prosperous nation. I am a Malawian yet I see Zimbabwean bootlickers of Mugabe busy as usual licking the boots of their latest dictator darling Bingu wa Manure who is a kleptomaniac - like Mugabe and the AU club of dictators - these CIO and ZANU PF bastards should confine their sycophantic bent to THEIR country - Zimbabwe toilet. Stay out of Malawi's issues you imbeciles!! I feel like puking reading their constant apologies for their masters' abject abuse of their own people in Zimbabwe and now they are out looking for more dictators to praise. I am a proud Malawian and I want my country to have good governance, economic prosperity, freedom as assembly and expression as per our constitution. You Zimbabwean bastards should stick to praising your dictator and his entourage of total failures - hordes of white haired ZANU PF men whose only skill is looting, murdering innocent people, rigging elections and turning the judiciary into a a corrupt institution - which used to be respectable and now is a tool for selective application of the laws of the land. You cannot tell Malawians that yours is a model of successful decolonization when you are the new colonizers yourselves - with a black skin. Shut your mouths when it comes to Malawi or other neighboring countries. We don't need you to tell us what we need in Malawi. Bingu wa Manure is toast and we will make sure he is kicked out along with his thieving family. As for so called "African solutions" being mouthed by the pathetic AU I have one comment : a band of foxes telling everybody the chickens are safe while feathers and chicken bones are being spat out of their greedy mouths. I am sick and tired of ZANU PF and CIO fools on this forum. You can all go to hell!