1I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. 3You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. – Psalm 30:1-3
8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon. – Psalm 32:8
O God, we are truly thankful we are still here and alive; but whoa! The year 2023 has been as ugly as the year 2020, if not worse due to manmade and natural disasters. Gratefully, over 30 million people including Malawians in the diaspora, contributed in cash and kind to help survivors of Cyclone Freddie disaster.
On the international stage, King Charles was finally crowned king after waiting in the wings for over 60 years. But excitement was marred by the continued war of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia, and compounded by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that has to date left 20,000 people dead. A series of earthquakes in the year killed over 57,000 people in Turkey, Syria, and Morocco.
Locally, Cyclone Freddie left close to 1,500 people dead, survivors homeless and impacted over 14 districts in Malawi. However, it is the massive intrusion into our political, social, and economic arenas by outside forces, bent on discombobulating, dividing, and tearing down the well-crafted systems of the Tonse Government under President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima. But for the grace of God, we stand, despite three evil strategies of our so-called “friends from the West, Nort.” On these, there are five questions for all to ponder.
The strategies
1. The year kicked off with the corruption accusations of a member of the Malawi presidency. This came complete with a prison stint of the VP, and numerous undiplomatic interviews given by ambassadors from the UK and the US, all speaking in accusatory, undiplomatic, and unconfirmed reports on the matter. This divided the country, and the drift refused to go away is there anyone on all sides ready or willing to fix the drift?
2. The dastardly construed devaluation of Malawi’s local currency during the planting season, is how country-wide famines are made.
3. The EU’s blackmailing, threats, and manipulations of Malawi and 78 other African, Caribbean, and Pacific member states, (35 of the 48 African states, have refused to sign the document (the ACP-EU post-Cotonou Agreement) as of December 27, 2023. Because of the blackmail and manipulative strategies by the EU and its friends, things can change. Very fast. Money is pouring into Malawi to even revive shrines to the so-called pagan god Mbona.
The Agreement is an affront to any sovereign nation, it is a disgusting, dastard form of political, social, and economic colonialism. Among others, the Agreement calls for human rights laws on LGBTQ, abortions, access to contraceptives (including to school children), and comprehensive sexuality education, so that they align with those in the European Union.
But neither the Bible (introduced to Africa by the European countries) nor the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights makes mention of these above-named “human rights.” For outsiders who are not familiar with how village democratic systems work in Malawi: they start with a bell ringing, and villagers gathering under a tree for a meeting with the chief. At these meetings, the people vote on the issues at hand. Herein is how the laws of the land are made.
However, what is more deplorable with the Agreement is the deception when the EU included in the language of the protocol clause:
a) calls for all ACP-EU member states to vote as a block with the EU calling the shots; and
b) for member states to agree to all previous international agreements.
The Protocol; Clause of the Agreement
In essence, these two clauses take away the voting rights of the 79 ACP countries, plus their right to maintain the laws they have: the member states are to align with the laws of the EU countries. As of the writing of this article three important things happened:
1. Leader of the global Catholic Church Pope Francis issued an order that priests can bless persons in gay unions.
2. The Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a document that they will do no such thing; and
3. The Netherlands on Wednesday gave a whopping MKw36m donation to restore the Mbona Shrine.
Questions
Questions I have been hearing being asked of these groups of countries who hold themselves to be on the higher human rights plank than their ACP countries are many but limited to five
1. EU and the West where is your humanity when the majority of people either live on one meal a day or on fruit and salt (three times a day) as you nibble on escargot, cheese, linguine, and wine?
2. Where is your humanity when you sit and idly watch as girl and boy children are sexually molested by your non-black citizens from orphanages they operate in African countries?
3. Where is your humanity when the world financial system forces a devaluation (a poverty creator in a suit!) of a local currency at planting season when peasant farmers are planning to buy seeds and fertilizer? The close to 50% devaluation propels Malawi to fall on its knees as the EU and other “human rights champions” come prancing about with aid.
4. Where is your humanity when you interfere with the internal affairs of sovereign nations by bringing divisions to the highest of our countries? And
5. To Malawian fellow citizens, where is your humanity and patriotism, when someone comes to your country or home, they accuse your leaders or parents of some unverified wrongdoing, and you start throwing stones, accusations, and distasteful commentaries?
What type of citizens/children are you that join in the melee of pulling down and trashing your own country? Some of you have gone to the extent of suggesting that the accused (of unverified “crimes”) should resign or be removed.
A last word on the president’s foreign trips: Malawians need to come to terms with the fact that Presidents inherit intercontinental or international positions when they take on the country’s leadership: President Chakwera inherited two (chair for SADC and LDC); trips for the meetings to these are (1) crucial for him to attend; and (2) the cost is paid for by the Secretariate of the organizations.
A young boy had a debilitating tumor in his stomach: Malawians gathered resources and the young man’s life was given back to him through a life-saving operation.
If Malawians in the country and the diaspora can get their act together, and unite, at country and continental levels, these menaces that have been creating poverty in the country and on the African continent, would be overcome.
Local churches like those of Prophet Bushiri, our former president are to be commended for their work in relieving the suffering of Malawians during the Cyclone Freddie and the after work.
To the world, especially the EU and its Western allies, permit me to join Nigerian law professor Dr. Akinwumi Adresina: the world must respect Africa, and Africa must manage its natural resources!
