PREVIEW

The National Assembly budget meeting is what dominated the press coverage in June. Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe was tasked again to present the 2016/ 2017 National budget to the August House expecting the parliamentarians to critic it and eventually pass it. And after lengthy discussions debates the budget was passed But not without some opposition on several points.

Every other year the process of pre-budget consultations take place where the minister and technocrats in the ministry meet the civil society, society of accountants the academia and many stakeholders to get some input in the national budget in all the three regions.

However there is now a new proposal by Members of Parliament who would want to be included and accommodated in the consultations. These feel they also own the national budget and should be part of it. Members of parliament would want to give alternatives and ideas that could be included in the budget because they are the ones who are always closer to the reality because they are with the grassroots all the time.

In the past there were concerns that the even after consultations where good suggestions and proposals come out, there is almost nothing that is included in the budget. This raised so many questions why there should be consultations when whatever is proposed at such meeting is not accommodated in the national budget year in year out.

The budget sitting of parliament attracts a lot of debates sides of the National assembly and the masses. It is therefore not surprising that in the process of scrutinizing the budget allocation parliamentarians cross paths. Similarly some unparliamentarily conduct is always reported. Leader of the House Dr George Chaponda and People’s Party honorable Harry Mkandawire’s out bursts and threats to fight each other attracted a lot of media coverage to the disgrace of the House.

As if this is not enough a number of parliamentarians sleeping while the president is giving his State of the Nation address, only shows some lack of seriousness. National assembly is serious business that is expected to be given attention and having MPs sleep now and then is a bad reflection on the honourables.

POLITICS

Just like all the other political parties before, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party DPP is being taken to task for the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s failure to arrest some of the people who are involved in the cashgate scandal. The so called big fish are still walking scot free, when in actual sense they are supposed to have been arrested. According to press reports the Anti-Corruption Bureau issued warrants of arrest being issued some weeks ago. Now that some party gurus and business men have not been arrested for some time now officials at the graft fighting body are divided as others are for the arrests some are against.

There is always a debate over promises that leaders make before coming to power. The late president touted a lot about his passion to fight corruption with the Zero Tolerance to Corruption move , but this did not yield anything to show for. Similarly former president Dr Bakili Muluzi also had his own strategies to fight corruption, but was still among the nations that are more corrupt not only in Africa but the entire world as well. Corruption fight still remains a challenge for Malawi.

In terms of political governance there is still more that needs to be taken care of at least going by the many press reports that show some gaps. It is always the case when presidential aspirants want to woo voters, that they promise financial prudence and good political governance, but this is not the case when political parties come to power. The trends have shown that it has not been easy for any presidential candidates to fulfill his promises once elected. For instance after promising to separate party and national functions, the incumbent president Professor has fallen victim of the same.

On his recent trip to the northern region, the ruling DPP was seen ferrying its members using government vehicles. And this time around the people were going to a political rally and not a state function. This issue raised a lot of hype in the press with the minister of information Mrs Patricia Kaliati, refuting the story despite pictures of DPP supporters in government vehicles published in the media. The continued use of state resources for party activities puts the DPP’s image at stake as the opposition always blow such stories to gain their own political mileage.

DPP Legislator Bon Kalindo came under heavy criticism from his party after organizing a seminude street parade against albinism in Lilongwe recently. The party criticized Kalindo who is also a comedian with several other went on the streets in protest against albino killings. This however did not please some party leaders who feel Kalindo has put the party’s image to shame for being in the forefront in organizing the parade. For doing this the party chased Kalindo from attending a party meeting in Mulunje. Some observers have noted that the DPP must tread carefully on Kalindo.

President Peter Mutharika in the month under review accused MPs for playing double standards when it comes to some of the projects his government is administering. On several occasions parliamentarians especially those on the opposition side have spoken against the programme saying some officials have politicized it and that it is a waste of government resources. In the last sitting of parliament there were also reservations among members in the house on the same. Mutharika has since accused legislators of playing double standards by failing to support the programe when they actually the constituents want it.

The ruling party warned traditional leaders against supporting political parties. The trends have shown that traditional leaders at times are at liberty to support any political party of their choice. Although there are always issues that always come out when traditional leaders have a party affiliations. While it is always the case that the government of the day always wants traditional leaders to be on their side, this cannot always be the case as some still have their own party affiliation and are directly involved in politics. It is against this background that the government wants this to stop so that all traditional leaders support the present government.

ECONOMY

Almost all the media reports in June centred on the Malawi 2016/2017 national budget. As tradition demands that after the budget is presented members of parliament from both sides of the house are expected to debate on it. It therefore is not surprising the legislators took time to scrutinize the national budget. Of course it is always the MPs on the opposition side of the house that seek explanation on some of the allocations they feel are misplaced or misallocated.

Members of Parliament therefore wondered why the State president’s travel budget was bloated at a time Malawi is still struggling financially. The members wanted a justification for allocating so much on travel and why the president must make 30 trips in just one year. Parliamentarians also took government to task over the allocation of the Greenbelt initiative into the Office of president and cabinet when it is expected to be under the ministry of agriculture.

The National assembly also under its Budget committee wondered why the minister of finance is so worried about revenue collection when the super executives in the private sector are not being taxed heavily. Although the civil society the Centre For Social concern CFSC inclusive have advocated for another tax bracket for the high income earners the response from government has not been favorably. Now that the budget committee is also of the same view it may perhaps change things for the better.

Despite getting low salaries and having very little disposable income , press reports show that Malawians have to face some not fair trade practices in the supermarkets. Press reports show that a number of supermarkets are cheating consumers by putting a lower price tag on the commodity, but use an old code with a slightly higher price. The unsuspecting customers are made to pay for the commodities at a higher price. It is against this background that the Competition for Fair Trade Commission CFTC is raising awareness and giving a warning to all consumers to be on the lookout.

For the first time in the history of the tobacco industry, the rejection rate went up to as high as 99%. This is a disaster looking at the amount of resources and time that is spent in the gold leaf production. Media reports have revealed farmers are so desperate and hurt because they have so much hope for their crop. On the other hand the price of the gold leaf seems to be improving each passing day, leaving farmers who tobacco is being sold to be hopeful. Tobacco still remains Malawi’s main foreign exchange earner and has a great impact on the country’s economy.

FOOD SECURITY

At national level it is very obvious that hunger is biting so hard and so it is at household level. Unlike in the past when Malawi had four to five years of bumper harvest, the situation is different now as the country is facing food shortage for two years in row. Even with availability of fertilizer subsidy to farmers, Malawi is in this mess because of insufficient rains and floods that some areas faced. As if this is not enough some areas faced a dry spell at a very critical stage of maize production and so did not yield enough harvest. This is the situation Malawi is in. In Mangochi district only over 670,000 people face hunger and need help.

Meanwhile the authorities have disclosed that the National Food Reserve Agency NFRA will spend K10 billion to feed Malawians. This means that there are many Malawians that are facing hunger and need food relief. It is very obvious that the Malawi government is trying its best to feed its starving households in the middle of an economic crisis. It is a double blow for Malawi as it still has to find means of feeding those with no food when it is also facing some economic instability.

Press reports have further indicated that in its search to source maize, Malawi has had a fair share of hiccups. It has proved not to be as easy as one would have thought to access maize. While some countries are denying Malawi a chance to buy the staple grain, Malawi is well known for being a bread basket and sold maize to countries like Zimbabwe and Botswana not so many years ago. Reports show that has denied Malawi’s request to buy relief maize form that side. According to the media they also have limited stock.

The cost of maize now seems to be going up at least going by media reports. By the look of things the price will continue to do so because there is high demand than supply. Already a 50 kilogramme bag of maize is going at K12,000 although we are not yet in the lean months. This means that by the time we get to December and January it will be worse. These trends only spell doom for the low income earners because they will find it hard to purchase the staple grain. On several occasions the Malawi leader and several other people have asked Malawians to change mindset in as far as food consumption is concerned.

CIVIL SOCIETY AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS

Much as the civil society organizations play their role as watchdogs, there is still a lot more that needs to be done. In many instances the CSOs have been seen to be divided and therefore they do not speak with one voice raising so many questions to the masses on what exactly they want to achieve. Apart from being watchdogs the civil society give the government checks and balances, but recently there have been mixed reactions from various sectors of the society have had mixed reaction over the CSOs roles.

Just recently United States of America diplomat took a swipe at the Malawi CSOs for continued attacks and rebukes at government. It is not a secret that the CSOs always take time to grill the government whenever they feel necessary. It is this tendency that some observers feel is not helpful to the nation. The US envoy in June asked the CSOs to give advice and alternatives views. While it is good to be critical but then observers feel there should also give out alternatives to what they feel is going wrong. It does not solve any matters at all to keep on blaming the government and pointing out its mistakes without giving any possible alternatives.

As the fight against killings of people with Albinism, the Islamic Community has proposed a death sentence for the killers. This is just one group that feels that killing the killers would send the message home and therefore see the end in killing of people with Albinism. This proposal did not go down well with the human rights groups who are totally against this. On the global scene Amnesty International has also rebuffed this. In the same months Mzuzu University students also took to the streets to demonstrate against this but asked for Albinos to be armed with guns as a way of protecting themselves. This thought also has met some resistance from the authorities and the masses.

Meanwhile the Nkhoma Synod of the Church of Central African Presbyterian CCAP also made its stand clear on albino Killings in a Pastoral letter it released recently. The church feels government and all stakeholders should work hard in ending the merciless killings once and for all.

The Public Affairs Committee in June condemned the acts of intolerance by some members of the community in Rumphi. Press reports show that some residents beat up their chief for embracing Islam and willing to give land for the construction of a Mosque. Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe also added his voice in condemning the acts. It should be noted that Malawi is said to be a country where there is religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence among different religions. Now such an incident is therefore not in line with people does expectation of a God fear nation.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE

Press reports on a survey conducted in Malawi shows that the prison condition are getting worse now that at national level Malawi is a starving nation. Reports on food security show that there is no food not only at household but also at national level as well. With this situation Malawi prisons have not been spared. The state of prisons in Malawi is that it is so congested that demand to feed the prisoners is just too high for a country that has no food. It is against this background that some non-governmental organizations are asking President Mutharika to intervene by releasing prisoners who are convicted of minor offences. This would in a way ease the problem of food in the prisons.

While there are a number of efforts being made by the Malawi Police Service to improve their image, there is still some more bad publicity coming out which is contrary to this. Just recently the media reported of a case of police brutality in Ntcheu district. As if reports of corruption being high among traffic police are not enough for the image of the police service, a case of brutality was reported a man died in police custody after being physically abused. Such reports do not go well with people’s expectations as the masses may at times have high regard for the police. Observers have condemned such which are not expected from a body that is still in a process of reforming.

Meanwhile reports show that there has been a drop in the occurrence of crime. Although this might be good news, the news does not end there because it discloses of another form of crime that people should be worried about. There has been an increase in the number of violent crimes where a number of albino killings and abduction have been reported. It has gotten so worse that even in the international media the case of Malawi and albino killings has received massive coverage. This reflects badly on a nation that is well known for its warm heartedness.

Reports of Malawian women being mistreated in Kuwait have been in the press for some time now. In search for a better living and jobs which are not so easy to come by in Malawi, a number of Malawians have flocked to the Middle East recently. Most of these women are trafficked to Kuwait where they are alleged to be exploited after promises of good jobs. Press reports further show that the government has announced it will check into these reports. Despite its earlier stand government that it had no financial muscle to bring the women back home, it has planned to facilitate the return of the twenty trafficked women.

Although there is a ban on block leaders in Lilongwe by the Lilongwe City council, the leaders are against it and are still going on with their duties. Reports show that some feel that the decision was politically motivated because it came immediately after elections. While the mayor of Lilongwe city want the block leaders to be elected the trend is they are handpicked and they seem to be fine with this procedure. It is against this background that they are clinging to their positions despite the ban.

EDUCATION

Reports have shown that Form Two and Four Examinations which were administered in the month under review went on well with a very small number of cases of cheating. This is not like in the past where examinations would be leaked way before the day they are expected to be taken. But this time around only two cases of cheating were recorded. The figures show that there was not much cheating and one can easily say it went on well. It is a commendable thing as it gives hope that the results of the examinations will reflect on the candidates’ capabilities.

University of Malawi students in June made it clear that they are not happy with the their school fees hike and vowed to leave no stone unturned in fighting this. At present fees of K275,000 the number of students withdrawing from the universities is too high and there are fears that is the fees are raised further the drop rate will also increase. It is against this background that the university students have asked the University Council to reject government’s new school fees proposal.

Press reports in June show that a greater number of students are dropping out from all colleges because they are too poor to afford the fees. Over 746 students are no longer in school because they cannot afford the fees. Although President Mutharika advised the Treasury to release more funds in order to keep more students in school this has not happened yet. It is obvious that many parents and guardians are failing to afford the present amount, it surely will be an uphill task for them once the raised fees are implemented.

The media was awash with stories of the University of Malawi. As it is always the case some are positive stories while others are not. Reports show that UNIMA is finding it hard financially. Just as Malawi as a nation is sailing through troubled waters economically, UNIMA has not been spared. It is becoming too difficult to implement some of its plans due shortage of funds. From unpaid suppliers to other forms of debts, UNIMA goes from year to year with unsettled obligations making it difficult to run the Universities. This calls for concerted efforts to make sure UNIMA should note choke further in debt.

There is an increasing number of sexually Transmitted Diseases in all the colleges under University of Malawi. This is the shocking report about UNIMA that can easily be controlled to avoid students from contracting and spreading STIs further. According to reports among other contributing factors loose morals , shortage of accommodation and uncontrolled alcohol consumption that have contributed to this status.

HEALTH

The controversy about Traditional Birth Attendants will never die at least going by recent media reports. Despite a ban on the TBAs by the government, for one reason or the other people still patronize these places. For example women in Mangochi women are still giving birth at the TBAs because hospitals are very far. But because they have a TBA around and sometimes in the same neighborhood, they prefer to go there than risk it by going to a very far away hospital when in labour. Although this is against government’s ban people still do this for several factors.

Media reports show that since CHAM hospitals started charging fees because government has not been honouring the agreement, many expectant women have no choice but to receive help at TBAs. This is against a background of a ban by the Malawi government in a bid to control maternal and neonatal deaths. Of course with some other contributing factors Malawi managed to reduce infant mortality rate and cases of women dying while giving birth, it however still remains a challenge as women still have no other option but to seek help at the TBAs.

Although there is high demand for medical personnel, the government in June announced it is going to offload over 300 month to month health workers. These are people who retired but government rehired them on month to month to beef up personnel in government hospitals. It is not a secret that government needs more staff in hospital because already there is a shortage and the hospitals are always congested and therefore need for more personnel. Media reports have shown that over 300 month to month health staff will be offloaded to give room for those that have graduated in recent years. For some time the ministry of health has been taken to task for failing to hire fresh graduates from various nursing schools.

There seems to be no agreement between government and civil society organizations on the introduction of user fees in public hospitals. While government t strongly feels it should implement the ongoing reforms in the public sector by introducing user fees in all public hospitals the CSOs are of the contrary views. The CSOs are strongly against this saying doing so would mean denying some of the people access to good medical care. Many Malawians who rely on public health services are low income earners and it is a fact that these may not be able to afford any amount of user fees. Bearing this in mind the CSOs are saying no to any user fees.

Meanwhile press reports show that government has changed its stand and will not start charging user fees in public hospitals in Malawi. This is in line with what the CSOs have been demanding and expecting.

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ENVIRONMENT

Reports on the environment and wildlife show that despite all the efforts to end poaching of elephants, the trends have shown there is an increase in the illegal trade. According to the tourism sector there has been soaring demand for Ivory especially in China and this has contributed to high cases of poaching. On several occasions the Malawi Police have arrested some Chinese people as they tried to smuggle ivory to China at Kamuzu International Airport. Among other things reports show that Malawi is an easy target for traffickers because of its weak legislations against poaching. While it is very expensive to sell 1 kilogramme of Ivory which goes at K36 million, the same amount attracts a fine of just less that K1 million .

Still on the same elephants , wildlife reports show that 500 elephants will be relocated to L Majete Game reserve in Chikwawa and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve from Liwonde National Park. According to African Parks who are doing the relocation exercise together with the Department of National Parks the relocation is one way of preserving the elephants. It is obvious that the number of elephants internationally keeps dwindling because they are targeted by poachers for Ivory. It is therefore against this background that these efforts to preserve the jumbo are being made.

Meanwhile reports indicate that elephants are causing havoc in Mangochi recently. This is not the first time that people have fallen victims of the elephants invasion to their homes. Past records show that elephants damaged people’s homes in the same districts raising fears among the masses. Now reports show that the elephants have damaged winter crops for people in traditional authority Katuli in Mangochi. This makes the situation worse in terms of food security because already the district is facing a food shortage. With over 700,000 people facing starvation the damaged winter crops worsen the situation

Disagreements between people and Kayerekera Mining company are refusing to die going by recent media reports. The community has always had one issue after the other to complain about. It seems the mining company is failing to honour some of the issues it promised as stipulated in the Environmental Impact Assessment report. Of late there have been complaints about unfilled mining holes. According to the agreement Kayerekera is expected to cover all holes that it is no longer mining. But the mining company did not do this and instead packed its equipment and left without notice. There are fears that these holes may be unsafe for the masses.

Weather experts disclosed in June that the cold weather would continue. Almost all the areas in Malawi have in recent weeks experienced low temperatures in line with what the Metrological Department forecast. MET announced that the is now La Nina which is responsible for the cold weather. It is therefore not strange that Malawi is facing cold and harsh weathers at present GENDER

Some shocking revelation it is! No doubt about it. More than fifty cases of gender based violence are being registered every month is surely not good news at all. For a country that has a Gender Based Violence legislation, it is unthinkable that the ministry of gender could be registering such high numbers of gender based violence cases. As it is always the case the figures could even be higher but some are not reported. The reality is there are more cases of gender based violence than what is reported, So many gender based violence cases go unreported because there is a culture of secrecy among Malawians. For one reason or the other many people would rather keep their issues under wraps at the expense of their happiness and life for fear of being the topic of discussion in some forums.

As if there is no legislation many women and children continue to be victims of gender based violence. In some instances men are also victims. It remains an uphill task to completely deal with gender based violence because of the unreported cases and the victims’ choice not to report. Although a lot of awareness has been done there has not been much improvement. Perhaps civic education should be an ongoing process so that people in every corner of the country are aware of the law and the need to report as this will help in ending gender Based violence

Early marriage battle continues with reports of forced marriages emerging from Karonga. In the part the northern region district was also famous for a practice called kupimbira . This is a practice where parents would give their daughter to a rich man to marry as a way of paying back whatever they owe him. It is only in Karonga where this is happening but in many other cultures where girls are silently being forced into marriage. With so many girls being forced into marriage their future becomes doomed.

It therefore is not strange that a number of stakeholders are into fighting against early marriage because the worry is about the girl child’s future. In a world where girls go into early marriage there chances of being independent and being empowered are next to zero. Press reports have shown that in Karonga only the Livingstonia Synod of the CCAP church has rescued 300 girls from early marriages. This however does not mean this figure is the only number of young girls in marriages, there could be more.