Malawi’s main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is set to unveil its new catch from the Lower Shire, Sidik Mia, to the people of the central region–in Nkhotakota to be more specific–today this afternoon. Continue reading MCP set to unveil political heavyweight Sidik Mia in Nkhotakota today: massive rally expected again
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Speaker of the Malawi National Assembly, Richard Msowoya this week, emphasized the need for the public to embrace freedom of expression with caution.
Msowoya said this when he presided over the 2017 Young People for Democracy Awards, organized by Free Expression Institute (FEI), in the capital Lilongwe.
The Speaker praised FEI for its commitment to issues of freedom of expression, but said the right to free speech was not without its limits.
“I encourage you to continue raising people’s awareness on what the right to freedom of expression is,” he said before adding: “It would help our country if people fully understood what free speech is, compared to what constitutes slander or defamation are,” said Msowoya.
“Our people must be made to understand the potential of social media, which can be used for constructive purposes or abused to cause harm to individuals or organizations,” he said.
In his remarks, FEI board member,
, applauded Malawi Parliament for passing the Access to Information Act.
Chisusu said it is important that there must be a conducive environment where people are able to express themselves in whatever way they choose, including being able to stage demonstrations.
He however, observed that there was still misunderstandings or deliberate misrepresentation of the right to demonstrate.
Chisusu added that FEI’s commitment is to ensure that Malawi learns from events of July 20, 2011, “and vow to never again allow blood to be shed, property to be destroyed or people to suffer casualties, when they are meant to be enjoying their right to freedom of expression.”
“Often demonstrations have been associated with violence or damaging of property. Demonstrations are a lawful means of expression. All law-abiding citizens and all arms of Government, in particular law enforcement agents, must never obstruct anyone’s enjoyment of their right to demonstrate.
Every year, the Free Expression Institute organizes an essay writing competition, which culminates in the winner receiving the Young People for Democracy Award, presented on July 20 as a symbolic gesture to mark commemoration of the events of July 20, 2011 when at least 20 Malawians were killed in the aftermath of nationwide demonstrations.
This year over 600 young people in Malawi, participated in the competition, in which they wrote on the topic: “How can we sustainably preserve Malawi’s cultural heritage.”
The winner, who received a trophy from the Speaker, and a cash prize of MK200,000, was Nebbert Mtika, an Environmental Education Supervisor at the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust. Edward Katukana, Comfort Mchali, Tawonga Msowoya, and Frank Phiri, were in positions two to 5 respectively.
The rest of the top ten contestants were Praise Kaimfa, Don Sidira Munthali, Edward Lwanja, Wonderful Mwangonde, and Precious Bondo Mipando.
General Background:
Speaking to his fellow Muslims on this year’s Eid al-Fitr, the arguably Lower Shire Political giant Sidik Mia, assured his fellow Muslim faithful that gathered at his Chikwawa Nkombezi base, that he will continue to walk with them. For starters, Mia is one of the wealthy business men in the country and as a practicing Muslim, he believes in sharing with the poor—both Muslims and non-Muslims— the blessings that God bestows on him. Stories are told of how Mia orders slaughter of tens and tens of goats and cattle and share the meat to his fellow Muslims to celebrate together on such an important day in the Muslim Calendar. His Mia foundation—a charity organization— is also another success story to the less privileged across the country. Continue reading Malawi road to 2019: Why Mia is an asset & Kabwira a liability in MCP
Malawi High Court on Friday, ordered the state broadcaster, Malawi Broadcasting Cooperation (MBC) to pay MK3.5 million to the Speaker of Parliament, Richard Msowoya for carrying a fake news against him.
The Court also ordered MBC to retract the said propaganda article and air the apology during five successive news bulletins on its radio, and television in both Chichewa and English. Continue reading Propaganda article costs MBC MK3.5 million to Speaker of Parliament
The main opposition Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) Vice President Richard Msowoya has come out of the cocoon on the rumors of Former Transport Minister Mohammed Sidik Mia vying for his post saying only the convention will decide presidential candidates for 2019 general elections.
Msowaya who is also Malawi Parliament’s Speaker sentiments comes a few days after The Maravi Post carried an article that the Lower Shire political giant was planning to join MCP.
There has been confirms rumors lingering in political circles of his comeback after resignation in 2013 when she was serving as cabinet minister during the Joyce Banda era. Continue reading MCP Vice president Richard Msowoya not scared with Mia; says convention to decide candidates
Blues’ Orators, today on Kamuzu Day, let us zoom on his citadel, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
If what its president Dr Lazarus Chakwera, MP said earlier this year is anything to go by, the party is on a massive recruitment drive.
It was January when Chakwera revealed this via Times Television Exclusive saying:
“I am hanging out with everybody in this nation. I am talking to all manners of people in the south and at one stage I will give you their names. I am talking to them about making up their mind to join MCP. Some have decided so, others have not decided yet.”
Pressed to clarify the rumour that ex-United Democratic Front (UDF) member, who defected from UDF to co-found the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), before ditching DPP for Peoples Party (PP), all the while hanging dearly onto a ministerial position – Sidik Mia – will be recycled into MCP; Chakwera responded:
“You need him to confirm but I have asked him to join MCP. He will answer when he wants to just like I have asked several other people to join MCP in the North and in the Centre. I have also asked this great farmer and businessman, Nick Yianakis.”
On his relationship with MCP vice president and Speaker of Parliament, Richard Msowoya, his 2014 tripartite elections running mate, Chakwera had nothing but praise to lavish on Msowoya.
“He has been an excellent Speaker and has offered excellent direction and excellent counsel in ways that MCP has benefitted. I don’t know what you mean by squabbles and again it depends on who is telling you what. Because I respect him in Parliament as leader of all of us.”
Unless Msowoya goofs bigtime during the ongoing sitting of parliament, no-one can rebut Chakwera’s assertion that Msowoya is a speaker par excellence.
Cool, calm and collected, of sober temperament, mature, decisive and blessed with objectivity not collectively seen in previous speakers; unless Msowoya blunders in a big way, he will indeed go down the annals of our history as the best speaker ever.
With the rumour-mill alleging that Sidik Mia had set the running mate position as a precondition for joining MCP, Chakwera refused to commit to retaining Msowoya as 2019 running mate, which for several reasons, makes sense.
First, 2019 is far away. Chakwera has the whole of 2018 plus change, to worry about that.
Secondly, serving well as speaker is not a one-way ticket to the state vice-presidency; track record, character, stability and integrity also count. Therefore, Msowoya should continue pursuing excellency and praying.
As of today, Mia is ‘missing in action’.
One does hear rumours that Mia was seen nourishing entire MCP regional committees, or was heard promising this or that greedy MP cash for the 2019 campaign and all sorts of stories.
Politics being what it is, only a fool would believe everything. Come to think of it, politics and rumours are symbiotic twins,one can’t exist without the other.
What is certain however is that of the day or hour when Mia will join MCP, no-one in MCP knows.
May be he won’t.
For all we know, Mia could be working for the ‘external force’ that allegedly finances MCP squabbles. His mission: to sow confusion and discord by dangling millions.
Indicative of along wait taking its toll, or perhaps due to the massive success of the supposed external force’s Mia-and-promises-of-money strategy, or perhaps due to a combination of all these factors, conflict has now found a home in MCP, Kamuzu’s bastion of ‘law and order’.
Latest nkholokolos are Gustav Kaliwo, estranged Secretary General (SG) and his deputy, Chatonda Kaunda, who called for an emergency convention.
Blues’ Orators, I won’t go into the legal mumble jumble, or the manner of the announcement, but straight into the aftermath.
Pandemonium followed with MCP counter-parading dubious looking ‘executives’, who communicated to the whole nation that as far as they are concerned, an SG, in MCP is “madeya”.
No-one, they implied, should take what an MCP SG and Deputy SG say seriously.
This is, of course, absurd.
Everyone should take an MCP SG seriously. Kamuzu used to take the then MCP SGs, and Kamuzu– if anything – was not an idiot.
If the convention announcement was premature or inaccurate; all the leadership needed to do was to convene and issue a joint statement.
Counter-arguing that Kaliwo is not an elected SG is futile because the MCP executive only has four duly-elected individuals: Chakwera, Msowoya, Chatonda Kaunda, and Tony Kandiero (elected as Treasurer-General but re-assigned a non descript role by Chakwera).
Meaning that when ‘calling’ for the convention, Kaliwo had with him a 25% of the “elected” NEC plus those who elected the other three in August 2013.
Therefore, Kaliwo’s fellow un-elected executives vilifying him as un-elected- when they too are just a bunch of mere appointees – is akin to the pot calling the kettle black; in the vernacular: anyani okhaokha kusekana dzikundu.
The way forward, short of conciliation, is holding the convention some quarters in MCP are so afraid of.
With hindsight, the now wizened delegates will have the sense to leave no vacancies unfilled to avoid the anarchy now rocking what used to be Kamuzu’s citadel of peace and calm.
Even if Felix Jumbe – as we were told -was power-hungry, Jessie Kabwila disrespectful, and Joseph Njobvuyalema filled with jealousy; Kaliwo and convention-elected Chatonda joining the nkholokolo bandwagon are two too many!
Blues’ Orators, MCP is at a crossroads.
The course of action MCP takes will result either in attracting or nauseating voters-to-be. The later will see many of the current MPs monitoring 2019-2024 parliamentary debates on ZBS radio, like we do.
All things considered, Kamuzu should thank goodness that he didn’t live to see his beloved MCP falling apart amidst yet another wait for a ‘saviour’ whose day and hour of coming, no one knows!
Join me, Blues’ Orators, as I heartily wish members of MCP, the blissful oasis of the ‘Father and Founder of Contact and Dialogue’, a Happy Kamuzu Day!
Feedback: mpmbewe@gmail.com
*This article first appeared in the Sunday Times
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi media has been dared to advance the girl child education agenda through effective reporting, for the country’s better future.
Save the Children Country director Tina Yu, made the challenge to the press over the weekend during this year’s MISA Malawi Gala Awards, in the capital Lilongwe, to mark the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3 yearly. The day was commemorated in Malawi on May 6, 2017.
Tina Yu, whose organization sponsored the Media Awards’ “the Girl Child Education” category, emphasized the need for the press to uncover critical issues affecting young girls’ education, particularly in primary schools where school drop out rates, remain high.
Yu, who said she was raised differently in a family of girls, again challenged the media on gender equality reporting, to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5.
She reminded the media about the theory that if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.
Tina Yu said that this was the reason Save the Children sponsored a category on girls’ education, for the media to raise the awareness to the fact that investing in girls education, is investing in Malawi’s future.
“In Malawi, dropout rates for girls in standard 7, are nearly double to that of boys; that 8 out of 10 girls that are lucky to attend secondary school, dropout. That’s why I want to talk about a program that Save the Children is doing with the generous funds by Department for International Development (DfID) from the UK. This program is about keeping girls in school. It’s about looking at the barriers & challenges that girls have in completing their primary education, to move onto secondary education.
“The media has the role to play in raising awareness on gender equality, where girls and boys feel they are the same, with limited resources, while changing cultural or social limitations for higher expectations.
“This is the reason we sponsored a category on girls’ education. We thank you, the media for raising the awareness that investing in girls education, is investing in Malawi’s future,” Tina Yu said.
In the “Girl Child Education category,” Bobby Kabango and Alick Ponje of Nation Publication Limited (NPL), and Times Grouping for print and electronic media respectively walked away with laptops for the award.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Richard Msowoya, Minister of Information who is also government spokesperson Nicholas Dausi, Save the Children and American Embassy officials graced the MISA Malawi Gala night.
Most winners in all the categories walked away with cash, laptops, TV decoders, and a trophy. These were tokens of appreciation for their work demonstrated in the past year in their duties of bringing out critical issues affecting the general public through writing and radio special reports.
Speaker of Parliament Richard Msowoya, on Monday asked the Minister of Information Nicholas Dausi, to bring to his offices at Parliament Buildings, the report concerning the abduction of the Rumphi East Member of Parliament (MP) Kamlepo Kalua.
Msowoya made the remarks during the on-going Budget session of Parliament. According to the Speaker, being a member of the legislature, Kalua is under his office as per the Constitution, hence the request for the report about the MP’s abduction.
However, Dausi, who is also government spokesperson, assured the Speaker he would bring the report and informed the Speaker that “my office is still gathering it.”
Kaluwa, who is also the interim People’s Party (PP) Vice President, was found at Kwacha roundabout in Blantyre on Sunday, with his legs and hands tied up with blue ropes.
He claims to have been dropped by unknown people who abducted him.
Kaluwa, who said he don’t know where he was hidden for almost a week, as the abductors blinded his face, told the police that he was tortured in the process.
However, the police suspect that Kaluwa faked the abduction.
In a press statement released on Monday, the police through their national spokesperson James Kadadzera, said they are investigating the matter, but threatened to arrest the Rumphi East MP for providing false information to the Police.
Spokesperson for Kaluwa, John Mapunda, refuted the police allegations, and described their claims as a propaganda.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)- The Speaker of national assembly Richard Msowoya, on Saturday emphasized the need for the Malawi media to cultivate a reading culture for effective and accurate reporting.
Speaker Msowoya said it was worrisome that inaccurate reporting coupled with insufficient content of reporting in the media, has resulted in misinforming the general public on critical areas of development.
Msowoya was speaking to the Malawi press during this year’s MISA Malawi Gala Awards, in the capital Lilongwe. The Ga was held to mark the festivities of World Press Freedom Day, which falls on May 3 yearly. This year, the day was commemorated on May 6, 2017.
The Speaker, who alongside Minister of Information and government spokesperson Nicolas Dausi, Save the Children, and American Embassy officials, graced the Media Gala night.
In his statement, he challenged journalist to practice objective reporting, free of brides.
“Most of content of articles and news items leave a lot to be desired, as they lack much information to communicate well to the public. This shows that many journalists don’t read. Reading enriches writings for effective reporting to the public.
“Our media should also desist from brides when developing news items, because such tendencies defeat their role of being the fourth state, and watchdog. The media should always be exemplary and this must reflect on their work, while fighting corruption through objective reporting,” Msowoya urged.
Echoing on the same, Information Minister Nicolas Dausi, said while recommending the wonderful work the media is doing in the country, he was quick to ask the press to avoid being political agents.
Dausi added that the time was ripe for the media to reflect their work to defend the principles of democracy, through objective reporting.
MISA Malawi Chairperson Thom Khanje, commended government through parliament for passing the Access to Information (ATI) Bill into law, which is a landmark for the press freedom in the country.
Khanje assured the general public that the Malawi’s media will continue serving them with issues affecting entire nation through effective reporting.
Innocent Kumchedwa of Maziko Radio Station, the best electronic tourism winner, told The Maravi Post that the award has given him courage to work hard for the future undertakings of the Station.
Winners in most categories, went home with cash, laptops, TV decoders and trophy as a token of appreciation of their work demonstrated the past year in their duties of bringing out critical issues affecting the general public through writing and radio special reports.
Earlier, journalists postponed their elections for MISA- Malawi at Riverside Hotel in Lilongwe, following complaints of “strangers” brought into vote in the elections.
There were two camps comprising, Teresa Ndanga, Cliff Kawanga and Mandy Pondani (TCM), against that of Frank Phiri, Sellina Kainja and Chimwemwe Njoloma (FSC), vying to take over positions. Ndanga, who is Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) head of news, was battling it out with media consultant Phiri, on the position of chairperson.
On the other hand, Kainja and Kawanga, were scheduled to compete for the position of vice-chairperson, while Pondani and Njoloma, vied for executive membership.
Misa-Malawi legal counsel Mandala Mambulasa, interpreted the constitution, saying only practicing journalists are eligible to vote.
Mambulasa therefore, postponed the elections to December this year, to allow for a smooth verification of voters.
The Malawi Speaker of Parliament, who is also the Vice President for the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Richard Msowoya on Thursday, asked the youth in the country to stop misusing the social media platform by attacking leaders or insult people.
Continue reading Speaker of Parliament urges Malawi’s youth to stop misusing social media platforms
