As the year 2023 is coming to an end soon, the norm is to assess the performance of the incumbent Tonse Alliance government.

President Chakwera started the year 2023 with a bold decision to reshuffle his cabinet.

It was not a simple decision to drop down the untouchables from the Cabinet such as Gospel Kazako, UTM Secretary-Genera Patricia Kaliati, well accomplished academician Prof. Blessings Chinsinga and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary-General Eisenhower Mkaka among others.

It was  also observed that Chakwera’s January 2023 cabinet was a bit leaner and indeed 40% of the cabinet ministers were women.

As the year  will be ending, President Chakwera can comfortably boast of erecting various infrastructural developments including road networks and health facilities in all the regions of the country.

What is also interesting is that Chakwera’s regime has completed some projects that were previously left over by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government. This sense of continuity of developments must be frankly applauded.

On another positive note is that Chakwera government has managed to administer both primary and secondary school exams without any examination leakage.

Unlike in the previous regime, Chakwera government is enjoying cordial diplomatic relations with its neighboring countries and beyond.

This is why in June and July 2023, Malawians welcomed the State visits of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and  Tanzanian President Suluhu Hassan respectively.

If people think that President Chakwera is sitting idly in office, then they will be in for a big surprise.

This is so because on 15 November 2023, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)  approved a 48-month  Extended Credit Facility (ECF) to Malawi to the tune of  US$174 million or thereabout, with an immediate disbursement of US$35 million.

Following the IMF credit facility approval, international organisations and donor partners such as the European Union and World Bank have shown their interest to resume budgetary support to Malawi.

Despite the aforementioned positive strides, Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance administration has been rocked with a myriad of quagmires.

 For starters, Chakwera government has dismally failed to manage Malawi’s economy.

It is therefore not surprising that many Malawians are finding it hard to make ends meet.

Due to abrupt devaluation of the Kwacha, prices of basic goods and services have gone up resulting into the life of a local Malawian unaffordable and unbearable.

It is regrettable to note that the Chakwera’s autopilot or laissez faire mode of governance is a failure.

There is no way Malawi’s economy can just manage itself without human intervention. Never.

Our economy cannot recover on its own by blaming natural unforeseen circumstances  such as Cyclone Freddy or  COVID 19 or Russia-Ukraine war or the previous DPP regime.

Truth must be told, the Chakwera  government’s careless over-expenditure colloquially called Mapwevupwevu syndrome has plunged this country into economic abyss.

It is very pathetic that the Government has no formidable recovery plans to resuscitate the ailing economy.

Faith is the only hope  for Reverend President Chakwera that by God’s mercy, International donor partners such as European Union should resume their budgetary support to Malawi in the near future.

Another disappointing aspect  from President Chakwera is the way he has handled corruption.

Truth must be told, President Chakwera has shown no interest in cracking down on corruption.

In fact, President Chakwera  has abandoned  his MCP Hi 5 slogan and has chosen to provide a contrary leadership.

 Unfortunately, corruption is one of the abandoned agenda items.

It is unfathomable that President Chakwera who promised to fight corruption can stoop so low as to pardon corruption convict. Uladi Mussa and corruption suspect, Bakili Muluzi.

On another note, the secrecy and clandestine activities of the Dr. Banda’s single party  MCP regime has taken another turn in the Chakwera’s regime.

One wonders why the whole youth recruitment process for Israel opportunities should  be kept under  the carpet till an Israelite chartered plane vamooses from our midst.

Another Malawian is even more bamboozled  as to what secrets can the public sector reform report contain to the extent that President should feel it necessary to keep it classified and ciphered.

If there is any good reason  why many Malawians voted Reverend Chakwera  into power is their expectation  that men  of God are perceived  to be of high integrity.

It is now a shame to the men of God when they notice that Reverend Chakwera has taken another diabolical  turn  to hypocrisy.

Many Malawians feel duped  as to why President Chakwera has tolerated selective justice, lies, thievery, bribery, and rampant corruption at his watch.

It is pathetic that the gap between the poor and the rich is widening. The rich are getting richer while the poor are wallowing in more abject poverty.

The truth is that we are not prospering together as it was envisaged in MCP Hi 5 campaign slogan.

On another negative  facet, the Chakwera’s appeasement policy has resulted into mediocre appointments.

It is well substantiated  that most of Chakwera’s appointees have either committed a corruption  scandal or they are dismally  incompetent.

The truth of the matter is that a competent leader must choose competent leaders.

It is not a surprise then  that Chakwera’s appointees  are embroiled in corruption and dishonesty charges including Kezzie Msukwa, Newton Kambala and many more.

In conclusion, it is highly recommended that President Chakwera takes charge and responsibility of the ailing economy by articulating monetary, fiscal and economic policies that benefit most of the Malawians.

Secondly, the Anti-Corruption Bureau  (ACB) must be made independent and must be answerable to the Parliament.

Thirdly, Chakwera’s  government is frankly advised to walk the talk by being open in fulfilling the campaign promises.

Fourthly, to circumvent  the rampant selective justice, it is highly advisable that the Executive and the Legislative arm of government  must provide checks and balances on the verdicts pronounced by the Judiciary in accordance with the Malawi Constitution.

Fifthly, the rampant nepotism prevalent in the Chakwera administration can be resolved by criminalising any aforementioned  vice.

Sixthly, Chakwera administration must strive to abandon appeasement policy in appointing public  officers as it compromises  meritocracy.

Lastly but not least, to avoid Malawians being duped again, it is highly imperative that all campaigns promises must be legally binding as voting a person into a public position  is a public trust.

All in all, despite some shortfalls, Chakwera’s government has slightly improved in infrastructural and social aspect save the economic progress in the year 2023.

It is my hope that this improvement  can be extrapolated to  2024 as there is high prospect, out of mercy,  that international donors will inject some more forex.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor

Somewhere on the planet earth, there is a village known as Maliwa. It is situated on an island.

Every five years, the people of Maliwa have an opportunity to elect their boat driver who take them to and from the land.

Some years ago, they elected their experienced boat driver popularly known as Ibu.

However, some a couple of months later, people of Maliwa changed their mind to opt for an amateur driver colloquially called Kwantere.

One day, people of Maliwa were surprised to find that the boat they were travelling in was sinking putting their lives at stake.

Who is to blame in this scenario? The people of Maliwa for making a wrong choice of an amateur boat driver? Or the experienced boat driver, Ibu, who easily gave up his hard-worn term of office?

Or the amateur inexperienced boat driver who despite putting all his effort the boat kept on sinking?

This scenario is congruent with what is happening in Malawi when in 2020 Malawians made a choice to boot out Prof. Peter Mutharika in favour of Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera.

The truth of the matter is that life is about making choices. Each choice we make has its own consequences because our mother earth follows natural laws.

For instance, if you jump from the top of a 10-storey building, the law of gravity will force you down to the ground. It will not matter whether you are an atheist, a gnostic, a reverend, poor or rich, you will still need to obey the laws of nature.

Let us accept that Malawians made a formidable choice in 2020 to put Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera Chakwera on the driving seat.

What this effectively means is that Malawians entrusted Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera with full responsibility to make decisions on their behalf.

Unfortunately, under the tutelage of President Chakwera, the rosy promises have turned into tribulations, mockery and nightmares.

Currently, inflation is high resulting into prices of goods and services being unaffordable.

Corruption is so rampant that President Chakwera has shown no political will to stamp out corruption by pardoning corruption convict and suspect.

Instead of creating a million jobs, many Malawian employees have been retrenched. In a nutshell, life in Malawi has become unbearable.

The question still lingers, should we blame President Chakwera for socio-economic woes Malawians are currently facing?

In my view, the first blame should go to the voter who is solely empowered to put the right people on the driving seat.

It is very pathetic that the voter has become like the complaining Israelites in the wilderness. They blamed Moses for taking them out of Egypt where they were eating freely.

Three years down the line, why have some Malawians turned into crying babies blaming the current leadership in preference to the former President Peter Mutharika ? Why has Prof. Peter Mutharika become a darling to many Malawians all of a sudden.

We have not forgotten that some Malawians took to the streets to demonstrate against Prof. Peter Mutharika in 2019 citing incompetence, nepotism and high incidents of corruption.

It can therefore be argued that it appears like many Malawians don’t know what they want for their country. They are literally gullible following any direction of the wind. This is purely retrogressive.

In fact, running a government is a serious business, former President Bakili Muluzi once said. It is different from leading a church or any spiritual congregation.

Malawians were lucky because Hon Atupele Muluzi in 2020 forewarned them about President Chakwera being an amateur driver who wouldnot take Malawians to the promised Canaan.

Here we are now with crying babies realising that they have reached Bangladesh instead of Canaan.

However, President Chakwera can be forgiven as he is on the learning curve trying acquainting himself with government procedures and systems.

Imagine that President failed to reshuffle his cabinet within six months as promised.

Instead, it took him over a year just to effect minor changes to the cabinet.

I have heard so many complaints that President Chakwera is falling to run the government. By the way, what is government?

Without much ado, government is composed of the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature.

If government is failing, then it implies that at least one arm of the government is at fault.

Much as the Executive arm of government has fallen short of the required performance standard, it can be arguably stated that other arms of government have contributed much to the dismal failure of the Tonse Alliance administration.

Yes, we have seen the Head of state practicing nepotism. He also promoted corruption by pardoning corruption convict, Uladi Mussa and corruption suspect, Bakili Muluzi .

As a leader, President Chakwera is slow at making crucial decisions. An example is that there was a time when it took him a long time to fire corruption suspects such as Newton Kambala and Kezzie Msukwa from his cabinet.

The other arm of government is the legislature which is composed of members of Parliament from political parties.

It is pathetic that the Speaker of the National Assembly became so partisan that she participated in the election of the leader of opposition.

No wonder the office of the leader of opposition is compromised.

One example of such misdemeanor was the expeditious passing of the 2023 National budget within 120 minutes with no proper scrutiny.

In fact, the opposition side in parliament is dismally weak. This has consequently contributed to the total failure of Tonse Alliance administration.

It is widely accepted that a strong opposition party in parliament provides the necessary checks and balances on the other arms of government.

The Judiciary has recently become biased and unfair.
For instance, it is protecting corruption suspects such as Kezzie Msukwa from being investigated and prosecuted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

In conclusion, much as the voter is the first to blame for putting the failed Tonse Alliance into power, the three arms of government also have failed to provide checks and balances on each other.

Politics of Malawi takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Malawi is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.

Today, Malawi has a democratic, multi-party republic headed by an elected president and has continued to experience peaceful transitions of power.

It has been more than twenty years since Malawi first held multiparty elections. While democracy has expanded freedom and justice, Malawi’s political transition after thirty years of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu Banda has not been without its hurdles.

The political risk in Malawi remains B-rated. Political stability is supported by well-entrenched democratic institutions, and the president, Lazarus Chakwera, has a strong grip on power.

Political rights and civil liberties groups in the outlook of things are largely respected by the state. On the contrary, they are tactically and secretly followed and intimidated by government machinery in a bid to silence them. Sometimes, they are openly challenged and stopped from protesting or leading protests under trumped-up charges.

However, corruption is endemic, police brutality is common, and Malawians are in severe economic distress. Discrimination and violence toward women, members of minority groups, and people with albinism remain problems.

Political stability
Malawi has enjoyed sustained peace and stable governments since independence in 1964. One-party rule ended in 1993. Since then, multi-party presidential and parliamentary elections have been held every five years. Malawi’s sixth tripartite elections were conducted in May 2019.

The president serves as head of state and government. The cabinet is appointed by the president. The legislature, the National Assembly, is unicameral; its members also are elected by universal suffrage and serve five-year terms.

However, it is only this time that Members of Parliament will serve six-year terms in office because of the fresh presidential elections which took place in 2020 and extended the next election dates. The election calendar was affected from 2024 to 2025 due to the judge’s opinion in the popular election court case which I found some errors.

Malawi is not developing. Government corruption, droughts, and floods affect agricultural yield, which directly impacts food security. Additionally, Malawi’s economy is strongly dependent on tobacco, which accounts for 69.5% of Malawi’s total exports—a fact that is increasingly problematic for Malawian families given the declining global demand for tobacco products.

I also think that Malawi is not developing because of rampant corruption. Many resources are not being put to good use and the country is not moving forward in the manner it should be. We keep getting huge loans from different lending institutions without putting the funds to their intended purpose. Most of our development projects are just on paper and for those that are taking place, they are of very low standards which cannot take us far and long.

Malawi can improve its economy. Key areas to focus on are, deepening macro-economic stability, reforming agricultural markets, re-igniting private sector investment, and revitalizing institutions’ ability to carry out reforms.

This country can develop. To ascertain immediate economic benefits for the people of Malawi arising from this strategic shift, the MGDS will in the next five years emphasize nine key priority areas of agriculture and food security; green-belt irrigation and water development; education, science, and technology; and transport infrastructure.

What we are saying is, ‘Let us focus on what Malawi needs’, because right now we are spending all our time focussing on who is right and who is wrong. Finger pointing won’t take us anywhere at all but we will simply fail as a nation to achieve our goals. Let us start fixing this country now.

Malawi is politically stable. The country has enjoyed sustained peace and stable governments since independence in 1964. One-party rule ended in 1993. Since then, multi-party presidential and parliamentary elections have been held every five years. Malawi’s sixth tripartite elections were conducted in May 2019.

The president serves as head of state and government. The cabinet is appointed by the president. The legislature, the National Assembly, is unicameral; its members also are elected by universal suffrage and serve five-year terms.

The current crisis
An estimated 3.8 million people in Malawi are facing severe acute food insecurity, with the situation projected to continue to worsen throughout 2023 because of high food prices, the depletion of food stocks, and the lean season (November–March).

We should consider large-scale irrigation farming for Malawi and I believe this could be one of the best solutions now and shortly. The November-March learn season is not helping much.

Reducing poverty in Malawi
To overcome these challenges, it is recommended to have a stronger focus on enhancing agricultural productivity and improving non-farm employment options. The latter requires redoubling efforts to support private sector-led investment and job creation, including in growing urban areas.

Conclusion
We can help Malawi. Donate to help children in Malawi, and around the world, survive and thrive. Your monthly donation will go toward addressing the needs of children affected by today’s most urgent issues. Give a unique and meaningful gift that will bring joy – and change lives.

Unfortunately, the most disappointing thing is the untrustworthiness of government employees employed and charged with a duty to distribute donations to the victims.

Instead of performing their duties, they end up stealing and sharing donations among themselves. There’s a tendency to act and think like animals, not caring for anyone who is in great need. We must have a conscience!

 By Sellina Kainja

Days have turned into months and months are turning into almost a year since Malawians started spending long hours at fuel stations in search of petrol and diesel, the two commodities that have become so scarce in Malawi, slowing down the economy and in many cases, to a complete halt.

When this crisis started, there a lot of deniers, especially those who see everything with a political lens, were quick to point fingers at their adversaries for lying and blowing things out of proportion, they said.

Malawians then were told that the fuel shortage in some parts of the country was sporadic cases and not enough to cause panic—they lied then that the country had plenty of fuel in its fuel reserves and went ahead to blame everyone else but themselves for the long queues.

However, as nights turned into days, it has become more difficult for deniers, political apologists, and spinners. They have been left speechless—most of them when you meet them at these long fuel queues, they pretend to be ok, but you can tell they are affected, too.

The fuel crisis has bred insecurity and lawlessness. Vendors have found a lucrative business in all this fuel chaos—they fill up their jerricans with fuel which they later sell on the black market at double the pump price. While gas stations run dry, Malawians are forced to buy fuel on the black market while government and our leaders snore.

This country risks being run by illegal fuel vendors if the government does not rein in the illegal fuel markets which are slowly being normalised because the government fails to find a lasting solution to the fuel woes.

Not only that, people are being attacked as they wait for fuel in these long and snaking queues. Just a few days ago, social media was awash with reports of how people have lost their valuables to thieves who attacked them as they waited for fuel.

All this is because this country is void of leadership. Those entrusted with the responsibility to provide answers and solutions are so cosied up that they pay no attention to the welfare of the people.

One wonders what they think as they drive past long fuel queues in fuel-guzzling vehicles.

Malawians have been told several times that one of the reasons there is a fuel shortage is because the country’s forex reserves are wanting.

But then, Malawians every day see their leaders travel abroad with a larger-than-life entourage, spending the little forex with reckless abandon.

Almost every day, leaders are traveling domestically to attend events as trivial as opening a new toilet. Chaos and lawlessness often thrive where there is no leadership. Let our leaders show up and fix these problems.

Source: https://mwnation.com/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or the Editor