By: Lloyd M’bwana
The country’s two human rights watchdogs, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Centre for Development of People (Cedep) have emphasized the need for citizen to be patriotic with resistance to all forms of power abuse government pose in order to sustain democratic values through civil and political participation.
The call comes as the Malawi commemorates Chilembwe Day which falls on January 15 every year, following the late Reverend John Chilembwe brave and patriotic spirit against the colonial rule where citizens were suffering in silence.
Reverend Chilembwe stood against all odds to defy the then Nyasaland Protectorate under the British colonial masters through 1915 historic uprising which witnessed many deaths in the process.
The Chilembwe uprising though sets a spirit for patriotism is however perceived to have had little impact to the country’s freedom as over four decades passed prior to Malawi independence through the founder and father of the nation, Dr. Hasting Kamuzu Banda in 1964.
The patriotic spirit seems be fading away from most Malawian as vindicated in the present days when governments abuse public resources for self-enrichment and glorification in willy-nilly as citizens fail to raise against such misconduct.
In joint press statement released on Thursday, January 14 which is available to The Maravi Post, CHRR and CEDEP observed with concern that patriotic spirit is absent in most Malawians which has contributed to government’s public resources abuses leaving the lest of citizens grapping for mercy instead of acting against such transgresses the way Chilembwe did.
The two human rights watchdogs calls for the true reflection on civil and political participation in a bid to contribute positively towards social-economic growth of the country while checking government’s mandate in manning the state affairs for a common good.
“It can be safely argued that Chilembwe uprising heralded a spirit of civil and political resistance which later got enshrined as right to assemble and demonstrate under Section 38 of the Constitution of Malawi. However, looking at the current civil and political space, it is apparent that the Malawian citizenry is failing to consolidate the gains from Chilembwe uprising.
“The citizens keep losing interest in demonstrations, let alone civic engagement mechanisms to address their long standing grievances in the spirit of social accountability. It is well documented that during Chilembwe uprising, there was a noticeable spirit of unity and patriotism among aggrieved Malawians.
“Then, Malawi was not defined by a political party, religion or tribe. This is in sharp contrast to the current state where there is high level of docility among the citizens who strive to be politically and regionally correct at the expense of patriotism and common good.
Citizens today harbor a distorted mindset towards participation in the civil and political space. Many citizens wrongly hold the view that human rights activism is a reserve for civil society (CSOs) leaders or activists.
“As such, whenever there is abuse of power by the country’s leadership, the citizens have tended to wait for the CSOs leaders to speak up or even demonstrate for them. This is disappointing. Little wonder, government has taken advantage of the citizens’ docility to wage a war of propaganda against civil rights activists”, observes the statement signed by Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapence, Executive Directors for CHRR and CEDEP respectively.
CHRR and CEDEP further observed that there have also been some few instances where the civil and political space has observably been hijacked by some opportunists and populists who just want to ride on the shoulders of concerned Malawians to achieve their ends.
“It’s sad to observe that while some CSOs leaders are exposing the ills of Malawi’s public systems in good faith, others have found taking on government as a safety valve to their individual failures and frustrations. These are the people who are spoiling the civil and political space, and in the process, eroding public trust in the civil society movement.
“Most regrettably, the enjoyment of civil and political rights today is also being held back by an unprecedented magnitude of government propaganda against demonstrations in the country. In worst scenarios, we have seen government sponsoring protests to quell the anti-government protests. Thus, Chilembwe Day should offer the nation an opportunity to reflect on the challenges facing the civil and political space today. Together we can”, conclude CHRR and CEDEP statement.
