tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5310433651959040252024-03-13T19:21:11.138-04:00Boni DulaniTalking about Malawi Politics and other stuff. Occasionally, we journey across the borders and look at what our friends are doing and what we can learn from them...Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-65738118523058403342014-12-30T09:00:00.001-05:002014-12-30T09:24:25.462-05:00On the Publication of misleading adverts in national newspapers: The Case of Soul Winners Church, MalawiOn Saturday, December 27th, The Malawi <i>Weekend Nation </i>Newspaper published a full page advert from "Soul Winners Church" advertising "miracles, miracles, miracle and more miracles at the 'church's end of year service on December 31st. The Church claims people will be healed of various ailments, including HIV, blindness, barrenness among others.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uJFC5v6ipHTizWx66YqZW_b-JzXnI3VphpCBcFlySYuSIQNSTAeMp5iYZB7bIFjSo0XNvRVPDscg8AeoHkNmzBr_yrdI-Cy6tsSwkmE3uAU6cttupW2v8u1PeWXOCwp3VeN1XWPXTF0/s1600/soul+winners+church+ad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uJFC5v6ipHTizWx66YqZW_b-JzXnI3VphpCBcFlySYuSIQNSTAeMp5iYZB7bIFjSo0XNvRVPDscg8AeoHkNmzBr_yrdI-Cy6tsSwkmE3uAU6cttupW2v8u1PeWXOCwp3VeN1XWPXTF0/s1600/soul+winners+church+ad.png" height="320" width="291" /></a></div>
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I responded to the claims in the advert by posting on twitter asking whether media houses should accept adverts that have the potential to mislead....this generated a lot of discussion and debate on Saturday morning. Among others, <a href="https://twitter.com/jkainja">@jkainja</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/mynassah">@mynassah</a>; <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewlikaka88">@andrewlikaka88</a>; <a href="https://twitter.com/KoheiPearsonX">@KoheiPearsonX</a>; <a href="https://twitter.com/newsmalawi">@newsmalawi</a>; <a href="https://twitter.com/chimhenz">@chimhenz</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jodeet">@jodeet </a>weighed in and offered their take on the issue:<br />
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In the end, @jodeet proposed that we draft a letter to the Nation Editor to express our concerns. The letter is attached in full below:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>The Editor<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Nation Newspapers<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>P.O. Box 30408<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Chichiri, Blantyre 3.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>29 December 2014<o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Dear Sirs/Madam,</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>We, the undersigned, are writing to express our deep concern at the increasing frequency with which your esteemed Newspaper has been publishing adverts whose contents we believe are at times false and grossly misleading to the public.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>The most recent such advert appeared on page 7 of the Weekend Nation of Saturday, 27 December 2014. In this advert, a religious group calling itself 'Soul Winners Church' is promising healing miracles from various ailments, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, barrenness and blindness.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>While it is by no means our intention to impugn the value of faith healing, we are motivated purely by the desire to guard against the publication of messages that have the potential to put the public in danger. By publishing these types of adverts, whose veracity is nothing more than the word of those who place them, you might inadvertently be giving credibility to conmen that seek to trick people at their most vulnerable time.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>At a time when the country is making progress in containing HIV/AIDS, the advert cited above quotes 'testimony' from an HIV/AIDS patient claiming taking anti-retroviral drugs made her life "miserable." To our knowledge, anti-retroviral drugs remain the only effective remedy for HIV/AIDS. We are thus hugely disappointed that a newspaper of high repute like yours can publish unsubstantiated claims that the lives of HIV/AIDS patients will get better after they stop taking their drugs as the advert seems to suggest.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>In the same note, we find it archaic and outdated thinking that women who are unable to have children are portrayed in the advert as living a life of "shame."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>While we acknowledge that newspapers need to generate advertising revenue to survive and to deliver news at affordable cost, we strongly believe that this has to be balanced with the equally important duty of educating and informing the public in a manner that does not mislead. This includes the responsibility to ensure that material that appears in the newspaper, including advertisements, are neither false nor misleading.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>We are of course aware that other media houses publish and broadcast similar messages, but we felt we needed to write you because of your unique position as the country's leading print media house.</i></span><br />
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<i>Yours, very concerned Malawians,</i><br />
<i>Boniface Dulani (Zomba)</i><br />
<i>Blessings Chinsinga (Zomba)</i><br />
<i>Jimmy Kainja (Zomba)</i><br />
<i>George Mkandawire (Blantyre)</i><br />
<i>Henry Chimbali (Lilongwe)</i><br />
<i>Idriss Nassah (Johanessburg, South Africa)</i><br />
<i>Pearson Nkhoma (Durham, UK)</i><br />
<i>Andrew Likaka (Melbourne, Australia)</i></div>
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Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-71020812778175252742013-06-10T17:53:00.000-04:002013-06-10T17:53:00.703-04:00Getting back to blogging<div style="text-align: justify;">
Nine months. That is how long it has taken since the last substantive entry on this blog. I apologize to all readers for this silence. I know nine months is such a long time - it is an entire academic year; a period long enough for farmers to plant and harvest their crop; long enough for a mother to conceive and give birth to a child. A baby born since my last post might actually be learning to speak. I have no excuse and can only apologize to my readers.</div>
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So much has happened during the last nine months- some good, some bad and some ugly. Through it all, I am grateful for the gift of life. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Hall Complex at Chanco- My office is on the third flour</td></tr>
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I returned to Malawi in mid October of 2012 and rejoined the faculty at the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. Chanco has changed very little: the classrooms remain bare and mostly derelict; there is a shortage of office space; the library, which was built in the early 70s for a student population of under 500, now has to cater for 5,000+ undergraduate and graduate students with very little resource allocation for purchasing new books. The Internet on campus remains frustratingly slow (although I now have very fast wi-fi connection on my home network, thanks to Burco's <a href="http://www.ewimax.mw/">wimax </a>system). Oh, and the University of Malawi salary remains such an embarrassment!</div>
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I have also kept up with my Afrobarometer work as Fieldwork Operations Manager. With 34 surveys completed, we now only have one more country before we reach our target of 35 countries- a major achievement as this represents 75% increase form the 20 countries that were covered in the Round 4 surveys.</div>
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For the most part, it has been great getting back and operating from Malawi. I no longer have to make the long trans-Atlantic flights between the USA and Africa. That said, I have increasingly found that it is a lot more difficult to travel within Africa from Africa than it is flying from the US. Flight schedules within Africa are a lot more difficult while securing visas is another major pain as there are few embassies around.</div>
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My apologies once more to followers of this blog for my long silence. It is such a shame that at a time when I have first hand experience of Malawi politics, I have kept quite. I am back and will be writing and sharing my thoughts as the country prepares for the 2014 general elections. Stay tuned. Ooh,m and follow me on twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BoniDulani">@BoniDulani</a></div>
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Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-55197965255053230292012-09-21T19:06:00.001-04:002012-09-21T19:06:07.994-04:00We are now on twitter!!!After some procrastination, we have now joined the twitter craze. Follow us<br />
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@: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BoniDulani">www.twitter.com/BoniDulani</a></div>
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<br />Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-22351725959190425212012-09-04T20:12:00.002-04:002012-09-06T10:21:31.132-04:00Joyce Banda would win an election in June 2012- Afrobarometer survey results show<br />
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On Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2012, the Afrobarometer (AB) released its first results from the Malawi survey. The Malawi survey, the fifth in the country, was undertaken over a four week-period in June 2012 and sampled a total of 2,400 adult Malawian citizens. This sample size has a margin of error of +/-2% at the 95% confidence interval.<br />
Respondents were randomly selected, with every adult citizen in the country having an equal chance of being selected. Face to face interviews were conducted in Chichewa and Tumbuka over a period of four weeks.<br />
The first release event, which was led by the Afrobarometer National Investigator in Malawi, Dr. Maxton Tsoka of the Center for Social Research (CSR) of the University of Malawi, and Mr. Joseph Chunga from the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at Chancellor College, covered the following
topics: public attitudes on civil society and NGOs; attitudes on the rights of
women, children , people with disabilities and homosexuals. Lastly, the
presentation looked at partisan identity in the country; voting intentions and
opinion on crossing the floor.<br />
Here are excepts of some of the findings:<br />
<i>More Malawians are going to CSOs/NGOs to assist with their development problems than government officials:</i><br />
<img alt="" height="200" 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" width="400" /><br />
<i>A majority of Malawians think that teachers should not use corporal punishment to discipline pupils</i>:<br />
<img alt="" height="181" 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" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>A plurality of Malawians say that they would vote for the People's Party presidential candidate if an election were held in June 2012</i>:<br />
<img alt="" height="218" 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" width="400" /> Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-64641766322288986702012-09-02T22:02:00.001-04:002012-09-02T22:10:30.946-04:00A gathering without substance: brief thoughts on the People’s Party Convention<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns="">The main news from Malawi this last week was the People's Party (PP) convention that run from August 27<sup>th</sup> -28th. Several commentators have applauded the PP for holding a convention to elect various office holders. The fact that several of the party's founding members lost seats to 11<sup>th</sup> hour newcomers has been cited as an indicator of how open elections were. </span><br />
<span xmlns="">Given recent experience, I guess it is fair to give the People's Party some credit for giving its membership a chance to decide the party's senior leadership. This is a major contrast to the Democratic Progressive Party (which was never democratic or progressive), which has never held a convention in its seven-year history. </span><br />
<span xmlns="">Other parties can hopefully take a lesson from the PP and give their membership a chance to have a say on who should lead them. This is the minimum one can ask for in a democratic society. As it has been said several times, we cannot expect to be a true democracy if democracy is lacking in our political parties.</span><br />
<span xmlns="">But I also happen to believe the PP has been given a free pass on what the party did not do at this convention.</span><br />
<span xmlns="">Firstly, I was hoping the party would use the convention as opportunity to define itself. I have never believed the individuals that have been flocking to PP in recent months claiming that there are attracted to what the party stands for. <i>Yet, it is not clear (to me at least) what the PP exactly stands for </i>other than that it is led by Joyce banda and not Bingu wa Mutharika or Bakili Muluzi. I was hoping Joyce Banda and the PP would use this convention to define the party's agenda and policies. Democracy would have been better served if the PP membership at the convention had been given the chance to make a contribution to the PP's platform.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/007/cache/spotted-hyena_720_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/007/cache/spotted-hyena_720_600x450.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<b>Fisi ndi fisi"</b>- a hyena is a hyena.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span xmlns="">Secondly, I thought the PP missed a huge opportunity by retaining the same tried and failed politicians. As that old adage goes, <i>fisi ndi fisi</i> (a hyena is a hyena) – Simply clothing individuals that were part and parcel of the DPP and UDF misrule in the PP orange colors does not make them suddenly capable and competent. I have said this before, and I will say it again: Bingu Mutharika was the main conductor of the economic and political collapse in recent years in Malawi- but he was not alone. At a minimum, his misrule was was aided and abated by some of the very individuals that have now flocked to PP. If Bingu were alive today, most of these opportunists would still be plundering the country and trampling on our rights while taking the country to the dark ages. Forgive me if I am not enthused by their joining of PP.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span xmlns=""><br /> </span></div>
<span xmlns="">Lastly, I was honestly shocked that there was no debate on the People's party Constitution. For a new party, I was hoping the convention would debate and endorse the party's constitution. Indeed, how else did people know the positions they were contesting for are legal in the absence of discussions on the party's constitution?</span><br />
<span xmlns="">At the end of the day, it was saddening that no one cared about defining the party platform or debating and endorsing the PP's constitution. It was in this regard, a gathering without substance, and I for one feel it was a great opportunity that was missed. </span>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-1543494061519817352012-08-28T01:45:00.001-04:002012-08-28T01:45:52.810-04:00Apology and news about my homecoming….<span xmlns=''><p>It has been a while since I last posted…There has simply been too much pleasure at work, but I still feel the need to apologize to the followers of the blog – who have kept coming back again and again in the hope of finding new material.<br /></p><p>The good news is: after six years in Michigan, I am returning to Malawi at the end of September 2012. I will most likely be returning to Chancellor College, University of Malawi, in Zomba, although there are a few issues that need to be worked out.<br /></p><p>I have a number of ideas on what I intend to do in Malawi and will be bouncing off some of them on the blog for suggestions and input. <br /></p><p>Being in Malawi will also enable me to be closer to the people and newsmakers in a country I love dearly, even if at times life can be frustrating. I will continue blogging, and hope to expand the scope and number of contributors to the blog. Look out for the new changes (as well as more regular and frequent postings!).</p></span>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-65426316626416932712012-05-05T01:17:00.002-04:002012-05-05T01:31:49.807-04:00...from Cameroon, enroute to MalawiHave been in Yaounde, Cameroon the last week. Wonderful country, wonderful people but too much bureaucracy.<br />
Getting a Visa to travel to Cameroon was one of the hardest experiences I have had to endure - and in the end, I only succeeded din getting the visa after asking the Malawi Embassy in Washington DC to help. I will go out on a limb here and say that Cameroon has some of the most restrictive visa rules that I have ever encountered. Sometimes I get the impression that our countries have not bothered to revise the visa rules that were inherited from the colonial era. Ironically, these rules hurt travelers using African passports the most.<br />
And negotiating through the bureaucracy at Yaounde Nsimalen airport on departure would merit a separate blog entry - just to say that getting one's bag opened and checked three times in a distance of less than 15 meters seems to me to be an overkill. Oh, and did I say that there was no power at Nsimalen Airport despite having a couple of night departing flights? Sigh.<br />
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I am now en route to Malawi where I have some work for the next three weeks. It will be an opportunity to encounter the Joyce Banda government first hand. Looking forward to it. Will keep our readers updated.Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-54544769336146062582012-04-28T22:05:00.001-04:002012-05-03T18:45:55.600-04:00The more things change, the more they stay the same: thoughts on Joyce Banda first cabinet<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns="">Joyce Banda's presidency will ultimately be judged on her ability to turn around Malawi's ailing economy. It is just as well, because if she were to be judged by the caliber of her first cabinet which was announced on Thursday, April 26<sup>th</sup>, she would get a <b>fail</b> grade from this blog. Looking at the long list of recycled individuals in the supposedly new cabinet, we could not but help think the UDF or the DPP are back in power. And then it dawned on us that the People's Party (PP) of Joyce Banda is really nothing more than the DPP which was itself nothing more than UDF.</span><br />
<span xmlns="">We must confess at this blog to being underwhelmed by the cabinet names that came out of Mudi House last Thursday. Only 13 names in the 32 member-cabinet are holding ministerial positions for the very first time. The rest, including President Banda herself and Vice president Khumbo Kachali – have either served in the Muluzi or Mutharika administrations. Meanwhile, eight of the 'new' ministers have served in both the Muluzi and Mutharika cabinets. </span><br />
<span xmlns="">While this gives Banda's cabinet a heavy dose of experience, it is not the kind of experience that inspires this blog, given the performances of our recent cabinets. Indeed, of the 19 members with prior ministerial experience, 15 have served, or were still serving in the late Mutharika's cabinet. Can we now expect these individuals to become better "performers" simply because their former mentor is no more? We have serious doubts about that. Already, in the week before the late Mutharika was put to rest, one of his ministers who has retained Joyce Banda's confidence, was out on the streets closing shops and issuing threats to grocers for the pricing of sugar. If this is how the new cabinet is going to operate, we doubt the Joyce Banda administration is going to be much different from the previous administrations. </span><br />
<span xmlns="">And that is before saying anything about the group of opportunists that joined Banda's People's Party in the morning to be rewarded with cabinet seats in the afternoon. Apparently, one of the new PP members, a former party president, never even bothered to inform his Secretary General before he went on air to claim that he and all the members of his former party had decided to join the PP. We seriously doubt such individuals are in government for anything other than their own personal interest. This is not the recipe for Government of National Unity as many a people have termed this cabinet. We see instead a lot of opportunistic handclappers who will mislead the new president or fail to offer her sound advice so long as they are assured of benefiting from state resources. </span><br />
<span xmlns="">Over the past couple of weeks, many a person has spoken about some names carried over from the DPP of not having been part of the excesses of the Mutharika administration…they are said to have been quiet and /or came out quickly to speak out about the proposal to hand the presidency over to Peter Mutharika after Bingu's death. Others have said that well, some of these were Banda's informants in the DPP. Well, if they were quiet, can we expect them to be outspoken now that they are in Joyce Banda's cabinet? And if they informed on a government they served in without resigning, doesn't that show their lack of moral character? What we see are individuals that have so perfected the art of 'not being outspoken' and double-dealing that they are able to glide from one government to another with ease. That to us is not something to be rewarded. It is called cowardice.</span><br />
<span xmlns="">Mrs. Banda's saving grace might be that she does not have to do a lot to win over the love of the Malawi public. Already, she has reached out to donors and renewed friendships with neighboring countries in ways that represent a departure from the late Mutharika's personalistic style of leadership. If truth be told though, these were always going to be the easiest things to do, a kind of picking the low-hanging fruit so to speak. The more pressing challenges will involve getting the economy back on track and reviving public confidence in government. Seeing some of the main architects of the disastrous economic policies of the recent past, including the faces of the zero deficit budget and its punitive tax regime, it is hard for us at this blog to be optimistic about the future. We will of course gladly revise our estimation of the new cabinet if it can prove that our fears are unfounded. But until I then, excuse us for being very skeptical.</span><br />
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><b>The new Cabinet in full (an asterix after a name denotes individuals who have never served in cabinet before)</b></span></span><br />
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<table border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><colgroup><col style="width: 401px;"></col><col style="width: 237px;"></col></colgroup><tbody valign="top">
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: solid 0.5pt; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">President & Minister Responsible for Public Service </span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: solid 0.5pt; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Joyce Banda</b></span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Vice President & Minister Of Health </span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Khumbo Kachale</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Finance</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ken Lipenga</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Foreign Affairs</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ephraim Chiume</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Education</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Eunice Kazembe</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Energy & Mining</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Cassim Chilumpha</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Gender</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Anita Kalinde*</span></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 26px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Economic Planning</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Atupele Muluzi*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Justice & Attorney General</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ralph Kasambara</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Agriculture</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Peter Mwanza</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Transport</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Sidik Mia</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Water Development</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ritchie Muheya</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Local Government</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Grace Maseko*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Information </span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Moses Kunkuyu*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Trade</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">John Bande</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Lands</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Henry Phoya</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Home Affairs </span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Uladi Mussa</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Defence </span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ken Kandodo</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Tourism</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Daniel Liwimbi</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Labour</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Eunice Makangala*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Environment & Climate Change</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Catherine Gotani Hara</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Youth & Sports</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Enock Chihana*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Disability</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Reen Kachere</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline;"><b>Deputy Ministers</b></span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Finance</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ralph Jooma</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Economic Planning</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Khwauli Msiska</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Gender</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Jennifer Chilunga*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Local Government</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Gracewell Mtendere*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Transport</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Sosten Gwengwe*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Education</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Chikumbutso Hiwa*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Agriculture</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Jermoth Chilapondwa*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Environment &Climate Change</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ibrahim Matola*</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: solid 0.5pt; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Foreign Affairs</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Rachel Mazombwe Zulu*</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-72902117031479990952012-04-23T00:16:00.001-04:002012-04-23T10:54:19.541-04:00The life and times of Bingu wa Mutharika as he is put to rest<span xmlns=""></span><br />
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Bingu wa Mutharika who is being put to rest on Monday, April 23 was Malawi's third president after the late Hastings Kamuzu Banda and Bakili Muluzi. He died on Thursday, April 5, 2012 at the age of 78 after suffering a cardiac arrest at the New State House in Lilongwe. </span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Mutharika was born Brightson Webster Ryson Thomu on 24 February, 1934 at Kamoto Village in Thyolo district of what was then the British protectorate of Nyasaland. His parents were the late Ryson Thomu Mutharika and Mrs Eleni Thomu Mutharika. The young Bingu was educated at various mission schools in Thyolo and Mulanje districts before proceeding for his secondary education at Henry Henderson Institute in Blantyre and Dedza High School where he obtained a Cambridge Overseas School Certificate in 1956.</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Mutharika was one of 32 Malawians that were selected to travel to India for tertiary education as the country prepared for independence from British colonial rule. Mutharika enrolled at the University of Delhi where he obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce and a Master's Degree in Economics in 1961. On his return to Malawi in 1963, Mutharika was appointed as an Administrative Officer in the Ministry of Finance, based in the colonial capital of Zomba.</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">In 1964, Mutharika reportedly fell out with Banda and went into self-imposed exile in Zambia. There are however no records of what exactly contributed to this alleged fall out. Mutharika's name does not appear anywhere in the discussions about the infamous cabinet crisis of 1964 where several senior Cabinet Ministers disagreed with then prime Minister Banda's policies on the pace of Africanization in the civil service. </span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">During a recent trip to Malawi in early 2012, a colleague at Chancellor College of the University of Malawi relayed a story that suggests that Mutharika's decision to flee to Zambia was based on a complete misunderstanding. According to this source, Mutharika was supposed to travel to attend a conference in the United Kingdom. However, as telephones were such rarities at the time, the message informing Mutharika about the conference was relayed through the Zomba police station. As the police messengers did not find the late Mutharika home, they simply left a message asking him to contact Zomba police. As this took place around the same time of the cabinet crisis, Mutharika interpreted the summons to mean he was himself being targeted and opted to flee to Zambia.</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">While in Zambia, the former Webser Ryson Thomu changed his name to Bingu wa Mutharika in the spirit of the pan-Africanism of the 1960s. Mutharika's curriculum vitae shows that he worked in the Zambian Civil Service where he reprized his old Malawi position as an Administrative Officer in the Ministry of Finance. He did not, however, stay long in the Zambia civil service as he moved to join the United Nations Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1966. Mutharika served at UNECA for the next nine years, rising to the position of Director for Trade and Development Finance. Between 1975 and 1978, Mutharika briefly left UNECA to take up a new position as the World Bank's Loan officer for Kenya and Tanzania. In 1978, he returned to his old job at UNECA and remained there until 1990.<span style="background-color: yellow;"><br /> </span></span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">After an absence of nearly three decades, Mutharika returned to Malawi in 1991. He joined the likes of Bakili Muluzi, Brown Mpinganjira and others to found the United Democratic Front (UDF). In an early sign of the late Mutharika's reliance on Muluzi's patronage, he was appointed the first Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) when it was formed in 1994 .</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">However, a scathing report that highlighted Mutharika's profligacy, poor leadership and gross mismanagement led to his ouster from COMESA in 1997. Mutharika blamed Muluzi for instigating his removal from COMESA and returned home a bitter man keen to even scores with his former patron. He went on to found the United Party, on whose ticket he contested in the presidential elections of 1999. Mutharika performed poorly and came last among five candidates, scoring only 0.47% of the vote. Broke and with very limited opportunities, Mutharika reconciled with Muluzi and dissolved his United Party. He survived on income from an old and dilapidated minibus which operated in the suburbs of Lilongwe with Mutharika as the driver/conductor.</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;"> After dissolving his UP and rejoining the UDF, Mutharika was appointed by Muluzi to serve as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi. In 2003, Mutharika was brought into Muluzi's cabinet as Minister of Economic Planning and Development. </span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Following Parliament's rejection of the third-term proposal in July 2003, a bitter Muluzi went over long serving UDF leaders, who he suspected of sabotaging his quest to prolong his tenure, and handpicked Mutharika to stand as the UDF's presidential candidate in the 2004 elections. In a campaign where Mutharika spoke very little, the loquacious Muluzi portrayed Mutharika as an 'economic engineer' who would devise solutions to Malawi's development challenges. Mutharika won the elections with 36% of the vote. </span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">At his inauguration on 24 May 2004, the new President Mutharika pledged to pursue an anti-poverty agenda with a focus on food security and fighting corruption. Mutharika's anti-corruption agenda, meanwhile led to a quick fallout with his mentor, Bakili Muluzi, who was one of the targets of the anti-corruption drive. Muluzi and the UDF responded by making plans to impeach Mutharika. Mutharika reacted by resigning from the UDF on February 5, 2005 and went on to found the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Between 2005 and 2009, Mutharika and the DPP faced a very hostile Parliament that was dominated by the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the UDF.</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">At the instigation of the opposition-dominated parliament, the Mutharika administration introduced a programme in 2005 that provided heavily subsidized fertilizer to Malawi's subsistence farmers. This led to a major boost in the production of maize, Malawi's staple food crop. The increased agricultural productivity led to impressive economic performance, with the economy growing by an average of 7.6% between 2005 and 2009.</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">On the back of this strong economic performance, Mutharika was reelected in May 2009 with 66% of the vote, the highest share of the vote of any presidential candidate since the transition from authoritarian rule in 1994. His DPP meanwhile won about 140 seats in the Malawi National Assembly, giving it more than two-thirds overall majority. </span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">As Mutharika's remains are put to rest at his Ndata Farm in Thyolo district on April 23<sup>rd</sup>, he leaves behind a mixed legacy and many unfulfilled dreams. The strong economic performance and the success of the agricultural subsidy programme gained him a lot of deserved local and international acclaim during his first term. His unfinished second term was on the other hand characterized by poor governance and economic collapse. He picked up fights with an array of individuals and groups, including donors, opposition parties, academics, civil society organizations and the private media. </span></span><br />
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">In February 2011, he ordered the expulsion of the British High Commissioner to Malawi, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet. The British government, Malawi's largest bilateral aid donor, retaliated by expelling the Malawi High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and suspending aid. In June 2011, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declared its programme with Malawi 'off-track' after disagreements over fiscal and monetary policy. This resulted in the suspension of budgetary support to Malawi by most western donors. This has led to severe shortages of commodities ranging from fuel to sugar. Foreign currency shortages have forced many companies to close down or downscale. </span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">While he preached fiscal responsibility, Mutharika traveled extensively with large entourages in an expensive jet. He constructed an inland port in Nsanje that became the definition of a white-elephant.</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Although Mutharika maintained a strong anti-corruption rhetoric, this was constantly undermined by his own extravagance. This started with Mutharika's decision in 2004 to move into the 300-room state house in Lilongwe. Most recently, Mutharika constructed an opulent palace at his Ndata farm in Thyolo, where he had also built the mausoleum where he will be put to rest next to his first wife, Ethel Mutharika, who died of cancer in 2007. Mutharika was further criticized following his decision to put his second wife, Callista, on a government payroll between 2010 and 2011. </span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">On July 20, 2011, Malawians protested the deteriorating economic and governance conditions by staging unprecedented nation-wide demonstrations to demand economic and political reforms. Government responded in a heavy handed manner, killing 19 protesters while injuring and arresting hundreds more.</span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">The late Mutharika's claim to be a true democrat was further sullied by his idolization of Malawi's former 'life president' Hastings Banda and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. He surrounded himself with sycophants and was thus unable to appreciate how others thought of his leadership style. His egotism resulted in a failure to work with any of his two deputies, Cassim Chilumpha and Joyce Banda. Joyce Banda, who has since succeeded Mutharika as president, was expelled from the DPP in 2010 after refusing to accept the imposition of Mutharika's brother, Peter, as the ruling party's presidential candidate in the 2014 elections. </span></span></div>
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 12pt;">Mutharika was married to Ethel Zvauya Mutharika, who died of cancer on May 28, 2007. On May 1, 2010, Mutharika married his former Minister of Tourism, Callista Chapola Chimombo. He is survived by his second wife, Callista and four children from his first marriage.</span></span></div>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-28675318290408480712012-04-06T12:17:00.004-04:002012-04-19T12:38:16.925-04:00Reflections on President Bingu wa Mutharika’s passing<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span xmlns="">The death of any individual is a very sad occasion for one's family and circle of friends. I feel for the late President's wife, children, grandchildren, family and friends on their loss.<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span xmlns="">There are, however, very few times when the passing of one individual might be a good thing for the greater good. Mutharika's death fits into this mold. Despite being touted for his economic credentials, the departed president has, single-handedly, brought the Malawi economy to its knees, to the point that people are not only queuing for fuel, but for basic commodities such as sugar.<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span xmlns="">His arrogance and know-it-all attitude has lost Malawi the goodwill of donors and friends alike. On Mutharika's watch, Malawi has lost long established friendships with the British, the Taiwanese, the Germans and many others. Closer to home, Malawi has picked up needless quarrels with neighbors such as Mozambique and Zambia, all largely because of the late Mutharika's obstinacy. Malawi has lost the confidence of international economic institutions, most notably the IMF and the World Bank because Mutharika believed that he, and he alone, had the monopoly of wisdom. While claiming that he was better placed to find a solution to Malawi's problems, he turned out to be the problem itself. As a result, the lives of Malawians, already burdened by the suffocating yokes of poverty, became even more intolerable.<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;" xmlns="">Perhaps the greatest indication of Mutharika's poor leadership skills and his abject lack of foresight was how he squandered the overwhelming support of Malawians that propelled him to electoral victory in 2009. It is reflective of how the fortunes had turned that Malawians are reported to be either apathetic or openly celebrating the passing of a man who only four years back had approval ratings of 83% (Afrobarometer R4). When the history books are written, they will have long sections detailing how Mutharika ceased to care about the people who elected him. He frequently called Malawians as an ungrateful people and other forms of slander and </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">demanded to be adored and praised</span><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The title of the chapter on his style of governance might simply repeat the old adage that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. </span><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span xmlns="">While it would be too simplistic to assume that Malawi's myriad problems will end with Mutharika's death, there is no doubt that this offers the country an opportunity to hit the reset button and get a fresh start. Mutharika's successor, by law, the Vice President, Joyce Banda, has the opportunity to make small changes that could have significant impact in the very short term. Most of Malawi's recent challenges, including those rooted in a myopic foreign exchange policy and the loss of donor support, can be easily and quickly be reversed. Granted, the new administration will need to think long and hard on how to address some of the long standing issues, including finding alternatives to tobacco, Malawi's main, but struggling, source of foreign exchange; how to address the perennial problems in the health, energy, education, agricultural and sanitation sectors to mention but a few examples.<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span xmlns="">However, I would expect there to be a lot of donor goodwill, with the likelihood of aid taps reopening soon as a sign of support for the new administration. Joyce Banda has the opportunity to step up and offer a new and more responsive type of leadership, one that can hopefully recognize that presidents are servants, not masters, of the people. <br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span xmlns="">At the moment Mutharika breathed his last, Joyce Banda's political stars just lit up a lot more brightly. She now has a major head start over her rivals in the 2014 elections. Whilst previously she would have had to count on the sympathy vote of Malawians, she can now earn the confidence of voters by demonstrating that she has the abilities to take Malawi in a new and truly progressive direction. She can seize the opportunity and win over the trust of Malawians who have grown increasingly suspect of those in the corridors of power. She could, of course, squander that opportunity depending not only how she governs, but also the people she will surround herself with. <br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span xmlns="">Banda's ascendancy to power raises a number of interesting constitutional and practical questions once more. What agenda is she going to pursue, the DPP's or that of her People's Party, even if Malawians have not had a chance to endorse it in an election? How is her relationship with Parliament going to be like? Will DPP legislators and the leadership that emerges, frustrate the new president's agenda the same way the late Mutharika's was between 2005 and 2009 when the opposition had a commanding parliamentary majority? Will Banda work with the current opposition parties, perhaps bringing some of them into her administration? These will be questions that will need to be asked and addressed.<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span xmlns="">As for the DPP, the future is not only very uncertain, but most bleak. I would venture to suggest the death of the party's patron and sole financier might signal the demise of the party too. In any event, the DPP was never an established party, considering that it has the dubious honor of never having held a convention, not even to formally endorse the party's constitution or manifesto. We often talk of briefcase parties as those that are a one man show. Well, the DPP might have had many people, but for all intents and purposes, it was run from the monies in Mutharika's briefcase. That, in my view, makes it a briefcase party. Now that the honor of the briefcase is gone, I would predict the party will follow very soon. <br />
</span></div><span xmlns="">ntwee.blogspot.com<br />
</span>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-86007501362524139682012-04-05T22:59:00.000-04:002012-04-05T22:59:56.204-04:00A fresh start for Malawi after Mutharika?<div style="text-align: justify;">President Mutharika's sudden illness and his reported demise (still unconfirmed at the time of writing - 10:30pm Eastern Time, or 4:30am Malawi time) is obviously sad for members of his immediate family and friends as well as a few DPP loyalists. But this might be a good thing for Malawi as a nation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Reading through the comments on Mutharika's sudden illness and reported death on social and online media, it is very clear there is very little love for him among the Malawi populace. For a man that won the 2009 elections so comprehensively, the commentary shows that he has squandered much of the public goodwill accorded him in the 2009 elections. In its place, the social commentary demonstrates much disapproval and hatred, as Malawians have had to suffer unprecedented hardships due in large part to Mutharika's arrogance and obstinacy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So where does Malawi go from here? If the rumors of Mutharika's death are true or that he survives but comes back incapacitated and unfit to resume the reigns of power, Vice President Joyce Banda would take over according to the constitution. This would also position her ahead of the other presidential aspirants in the 2014 elections. This is of course assuming the DPP hierarchy sans Mutharika would allow a smooth transition and give up power without a fight, considering that Banda was expelled from the DPP way back in 2010. In a way, the current situation speaks volumes about the lack of foresight by Mutharika and his DPP stooges. By expelling Banda, they must have thought there would never be a situation such as the current one when the odds would turn in Banda's favor. Well, the odds have just turned and the DPP will be the main losers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fortunately, the DPP loss might turn out to be a great opportunity for Malawi to have a fresh start. The country can start mending fences again with countries and partners that have scampered off because of Mutharika's know-it-all attitude. There is likely to be a lot of goodwill for Malawi again and if we live up to our side of the bargain, perhaps we can start addressing the crippling economic challenges that have arisen over the last few years. The good thing for Joyce Banda is that this should not be difficult to do. And she will have a lot of support from Malawians. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course all this will be academic if Mutharika makes a full recovery and returns to office. In which case, the first line of the Malawi national anthem becomes even more important now...'God bless our land of Malawi...' - because will need all the blessings to go through the challenges that will continue to face...</div>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-29949979037513229372012-03-14T17:35:00.001-04:002012-03-14T17:35:44.836-04:00My ‘Terminal’ experience at Nnandi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja, Nigeria<span xmlns=''><p>One of my favorite movies is "The Terminal". The central character in the movie, played by Tom Hanks, is stranded at a New York's JFK Airport after a revolution in his country leaves him stateless, as a result of which he is refused entry into the United States by immigration authorities. However, unable to return to his home country, Hanks' character spends a couple of months living inside the airport terminal, finding lots of unique ways to survive, making friends and falling in love. Eventually, the situation in Hanks' country gets resolved and he is now allowed to enter the US before eventually returning to his homeland.<br /></p><p>I have been thinking a lot about The Terminal movie of late after personally going through a similar experience at Nnandi Azikiwe Airport in Nigeria's capital of Abuja. Transiting from Cotonou, Benin, en-route to Accra, Ghana, I was refused boarding on a Delta Airways flight at Nnandi Azikiwe Airport because the officials insisted that I present to them a copy of my Ghanaian Visa, which had been processed for me by my Ghana colleagues to pick up on arrival at the Airport in Accra. Unable to proceed, I was caught in a state of "statelessness" – unable to board my flight or get out of the airport as I did not have a Nigeria visa either. <br /></p><p>Thanks to the outstanding service of Cathy Witchel of Passageways Travel, I was rebooked on a different flight from Abuja back to Michigan through Amsterdam (Cathy has really been exceptional in planning my travel bookings, which often require stops in multiple countries, and complicated by requests for last minute changes). The only catch was that the new flight was leaving Abuja almost 30 hours later. This meant having to spend all of Thursday night and almost all of Friday within the immigration hall at Abuja Airport. Tough, but the Nigeria immigration staff were kind. They allowed me to make phone calls to reach my Travel Agents back in the USA and also to reach my colleagues in Ghana and the US to alert them of my predicament. <br /></p><p>In hindsight, I should have made sure I had the Ghana visa sorted out before changing my original itinerary. But as the French say, <em>c'est la vie</em>. We live and learn. It is a lesson to others though that always have the right documentation or else you are forced to tough it out and have your own 'airport terminal' experience!<br /></p><p style='text-align: center'>********<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>While the Immigration officials at Abuja Airport were in no way to blame for my predicament, I must say my recent travels across Africa have demonstrated to me how very archaic some of our immigration rules are. Apart from the high travel costs around the continent, most of our countries have some of the most restrictive visa rules, especially for fellow African travelers. I recently had to cancel plans to travel to Cameroon over very cumbersome and lengthy rules for getting a visa to travel to the country. A colleague of mine from Uganda also encountered similar challenges in acquiring a visa o travel on business to Nigeria. These episodes also reminded me of a journey to Namibia some four years ago, when the immigration officials at Hose Kutako Airport in Windhoek refused to issue me a three week visa insisting instead that I provide a work permit to conduct research in the country.<br /></p><p style='text-align: justify'>In all these cases, immigration/ visa officials were simply enforcing existing rules and in no way were they to blame. The common theme though is that most of our countries have unusually very difficult and unreasonable visa rules that are ultimately detrimental to the countries themselves. In today's globalizing world, we should be seeking ways of making entry to our countries as easy as possible – granted without sacrificing issues of national security. As things stand, one gets the impression that visa rules are based on the wrong perception that there are many people desperate to enter our countries and take away our resources. <br /></p><p>It is sad that it is perhaps relatively easy for me to travel to Europe and the Americas than to many of our African countries. That said, it is not all countries that have these crazy and cumbersome immigration rules. Coincidentally, those countries with relatively open immigration rules are among those that are the most attractive international destinations. Ever wondered why countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius, Ghana to give but a few examples, are very popular international destinations?</p></span>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-50474684770319237232012-02-13T10:14:00.000-05:002012-02-13T10:14:17.350-05:00An interesting piece on bicycle ambulances in the Malawi Daily TimesAn interesting piece in the <a href="http://www.bppmw.com/index.php/daily-times/headlines/national/4352-bicycle-ambulances-face-stigma-in-mchinji">Daily Times</a> edition of Monday, February 13th offers yet another dimension on the mediocrity of 'bicycle ambulances'. While <a href="http://ntwee.blogspot.com/2012/01/saying-no-to-mediocrity-refusing-to.html">my recent piece on the subject of bicycle ambulances</a>, which was also echoed and expounded upon by <a href="http://ntwee.blogspot.com/2012/01/saying-no-to-mediocrity-refusing-to.html">Dadakim on her excellent Haba na Haba blog</a> argued about the inappropriateness of using bicycles as ambulances, the Daily Times article brings in a rather interesting dimension in that despite their continued promotion, the supposed beneficiaries are refusing to use them. One person who works for an organization that has been pushing bicycle ambulances acknowledges in the daily Times article that this technology was imposed on the people without listening to their need first:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"I think the preferences of the people were not looked into when introducing the bicycle ambulances. Sick people hate them because they equate them to hospital stretchers which are used at hospitals to carry dead bodies....Maleya said despite the ambulances being distributed, he has a strong feeling that most of them are not used." </blockquote>The article ends with the interesting observation by Maleya, who is the District Aids Coordinator for Mchinji district in central Malawi that despite the strong resistance by the public to use bicycle ambulances, they "are important and what was required was sensitisation to change the people's attitudes." This is a classic case of partners and officials who think they know better than the people they are trying to serve. Considering that the people featured in the Daily Times piece are said to prefer to use ox-carts to ferry sick people to hospitals, it is interesting that the advocates of bicycle ambulances do not even attempt to make any argument about why bicycle ambulances are better than the oxcarts and simply claim they are important. While I would not advocate for using ox-carts as a new form of ambulances either, the proponents of bicycle-ambulances could do better in my view to support and help to improve the ox-cart ambulance technology instead of thinking they know better and will continue to push bicycles on a people that are resisting them.Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-23788270593847434522012-02-02T22:48:00.025-05:002012-02-02T23:18:28.219-05:00My One week in Malawi part II: a wasted 20 hours on petrol queues<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvuQ6JM2MgmOA2YzBYK4t2zwp3QdDl35jhDawDw_y0CkQDlFrkoQWNBwMcNVLYFXhRGtWF9F38pIBe_fhVEYV97uVDoQedJ5OGQnsBP5ncROK620WyNWaDFl35OkQae281ks4VssDEOo/s1600/Mauritius+and+Mw+530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvuQ6JM2MgmOA2YzBYK4t2zwp3QdDl35jhDawDw_y0CkQDlFrkoQWNBwMcNVLYFXhRGtWF9F38pIBe_fhVEYV97uVDoQedJ5OGQnsBP5ncROK620WyNWaDFl35OkQae281ks4VssDEOo/s400/Mauritius+and+Mw+530.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's not a traffic jam: it is a fuel queue!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I</span> was in Malawi for a combined total of 144 hours. Taking away 48 hours for sleep time, I had a remainder of 96 productive hours. Of these, I spent roughly 20 of them queuing for petrol - only to leave empty handed at the end of it all. That is 21% of my productive time wasted. <br />
In the end, I had to make do with petrol bought on the Mozambican road-side in Dedza, sold at MK600/litre ($3.7 at the official exchange rate or $2.3 on the thriving parallel exchange market). After failing to buy extra petrol at any of the three filling stations that received deliveries while I was in Zomba, I was forced to purchase from the parallel market yet again at the cost of MK1,000 per litre ($6.21 at the official exchange rate or $3.84 on the parallel market) - this translated to a whopping 163% above the official pump price of MK380/litre. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynTTeuz0-MGM_EdK5tREZNjghQXkgRJzr-ihNyjOWsp5mPk6u_iLCM9L85dt3DvEPNg4arabtnRUOY-YLvMFsYAaRiAqubK02Co7tEJZhODA7nDRrtkoeDqvsFtEOH0qd_WJfFNUAvlI/s1600/Mauritius+and+Mw+532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynTTeuz0-MGM_EdK5tREZNjghQXkgRJzr-ihNyjOWsp5mPk6u_iLCM9L85dt3DvEPNg4arabtnRUOY-YLvMFsYAaRiAqubK02Co7tEJZhODA7nDRrtkoeDqvsFtEOH0qd_WJfFNUAvlI/s320/Mauritius+and+Mw+532.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> I</span> found it interesting that at almost the same time Nigerians were on the streets protesting the removal of petrol subsidies in their country, Malawians appeared resigned to their fate. Many motorists would 'abandon' their vehicles at fuel stations hoping to be at the head of the queue in the event of a fuel delivery. Rumours of pending fuel delivery would always be met with hectic activity, cars being driven or pushed to join fuel queues that at times extended for more than 3 kilometers. And whenever a delivery was made, it was interesting to note that many people make it a point to know exactly how much fuel has been delivered at any particular fuel station.<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">T</span>he greatest disappointment for me is how little blame the Mutharika government is getting for the fuel shortages (in addition to the other myriad shortages such as forex, hospital drugs, and some basic commodities from shops). <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">W</span>ith the small Malawi middle class resorting to buying fuel on the parallel market and the majority of the blame being heaped on fuel attendants and those who buy fuel in containers locally known as "<i>zigubu</i>," the majority of Malawians, it would appear, have taken heed of former Energy Minister, Grain Malunga's advice and gotten "<a href="http://www.malawitoday.com/news/740-get-used-fuel-crisis-minister">used to the fuel shortages.</a>" I thus never got the sense that the Malawi government's abysmal handling of the fuel fuel shortages would result in anything resembling the Nigerian fuel-subsidy of demonstrations. This, in my view, is Malawi's biggest tragedy: the inability of people to put pressure on government officials whose job it is to ensure that these type of shortages should not occur.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gTg1cEhp4rwdTVQwqgy6obksKq-yezSLmdT9JHCBSy9lgN36R3W9hsriSJ-FACLqPQxKmFmERPdDCrV-80BCUql5DpDRkM90eePHDVSUdzbXEZpgsbbFaFxZqaWxuejeXqDnnirEE6A/s1600/Mauritius+and+Mw+533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gTg1cEhp4rwdTVQwqgy6obksKq-yezSLmdT9JHCBSy9lgN36R3W9hsriSJ-FACLqPQxKmFmERPdDCrV-80BCUql5DpDRkM90eePHDVSUdzbXEZpgsbbFaFxZqaWxuejeXqDnnirEE6A/s320/Mauritius+and+Mw+533.JPG" width="320" /></a> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">W</span>hile it is true that a number of people are profiteering from the fuel shortages, these are simply taking advantage of the scarcity of the commodity to make an extra buck. If the Malawi government worked on eliminating the cause of these shortages - whose roots lie in the acute forex shortages - there would be no thriving parallel market for fuel products. Yet it is these, not the Mutharika administration, that are taking most of the heat over the fuel shortages.<br />
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In this political environment, there is almost zero chance of the type of demonstrations that recently led to the toppling of dictatorial regimes in the Arab world.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9btR3Cq3n8qSU6YtrYsL7CmOe90mv-xvMryeDx4FcHQNvJlxRizsrLCOUzoEAyjiQB_S_zyNeB1RPY-CMwiCLhFLmbXFXIZer9eMWSIhX84qSWDaWGKu7zPi-w_yuY0QmIGmDZeb80Q/s1600/Mauritius+and+Mw+531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9btR3Cq3n8qSU6YtrYsL7CmOe90mv-xvMryeDx4FcHQNvJlxRizsrLCOUzoEAyjiQB_S_zyNeB1RPY-CMwiCLhFLmbXFXIZer9eMWSIhX84qSWDaWGKu7zPi-w_yuY0QmIGmDZeb80Q/s320/Mauritius+and+Mw+531.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-18529099000161036362012-01-29T22:25:00.051-05:002012-01-29T22:45:15.338-05:00My one Week in Malawi - Part 1: Reflections on the forex crisisI spent the week beginning January 15th to January 21st in Malawi. It is always great to land in Malawi in the middle of the rainy season. The country is green and at its most beautiful.<br />
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The beauty of the country at this time of the year notwithstanding, one cannot escape the severe economic crisis afflicting the country.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110320211112/currencies/images/0/0d/One_US_dollar_note_0127_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110320211112/currencies/images/0/0d/One_US_dollar_note_0127_22.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is the Dollar worth in Malawi Kwacha: MK165 or MK270?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There was no one exchanging their foreign currency for the Malawi Kwacha at the many banks at Kamuzu International airport. While the banks were offering K161 for every US$1, I was told I would get almost K100 more per Dollar from the informal forex dealers that hang outside many of the shopping malls around town. So I followed suit and shunned the formal banking system and later changed the few Dollars in my pocket at a rate of MK265/US$1 in Lilongwe old-town .<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Malawi government faces a big decision on revamping its antiquated forex exchange policy. Clearly, the fixed exchange rate policy is not working as it is failing to keep pace with unfolding developments. At the official rate of $1=MK165, the Malawi Kwacha is grossly overvalued. This is causing a lot of hurt to the formal banking sector, and, by extension, businesses and individuals that cannot transact on the parallel market. The crippling fuel shortages are meanwhile one of the most visible manifestations of the consequences of this failed forex policy (the fuel shortages are a blog piece for another day!) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>While a major devaluation of the Kwacha, as demanded by the IMF and most local economists might help to ease the forex shortages, I must say I am no longer convinced this will be a sufficient response. While the IMF is reported to have been recommending an exchange rate of between MK230-250 to the Dollar, these would still be below the rates currently being offered on the parallel market. It is thus doubtful any devaluation to the levels being recommended by the IMF would encourage more people to transact on the formal foreign currency market. Indeed, as my friend Joseph Chunga at Chancellor College told me during the week, chances are high that even if the devaluation matched the current rates on the parallel market, the informal forex dealers would most likely respond by adjusting their rates upwards, thus neutralizing any potential benefits from the devaluation. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.peacecorpsmalawi.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/kwacha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="http://www.peacecorpsmalawi.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/kwacha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In my considered opinion, the only solution lies in a major policy shift towards a full liberalization of the Kwacha. This would free the banks to match the parallel market and thus make them competitive again in the forex market.<br />
Many, including President Bingu wa Mutharika will argue that a wholesale liberalization of the currency market will lead to skyrocketing of prices for commodities. And they will be right. However, what should also not be overlooked is that under the current set-up, prices are already going up while many commodities are becoming scarce and unavailable. In my one week stay, I experienced first hand shortages of sugar, soft drinks, some brands of soap, and of course, fuel. The forex squeeze, in other words, is creating a disequilibrium in the market, whereby demand for goods is exceeding supply, resulting in shortages and price increases. Again, the fuel market offers a clear example of this imbalance. While the official price of petrol is K390 per litre, the price the parallel market price was fluctuating between K600 and K1,500 per litre during the week.<br />
Of course liberalizing the Kwacha is no sure guarantee that forex will become available overnight. Indeed, a currency devaluation or liberalization without any immediate infusion of foreign currency will most likely make the situation even worse than it already is. But not devaluing is no option either and it has become inevitable. At least, devaluation will encourage many Malawians in the diaspora to start transacting in the formal sector again, generating forex for local Malawian business. The dormant Malawi businesses might also rise again from their forex-shortage induced comas and begin to generate some forex through exports. Above all, a devaluation of the Kwacha will most likely lead to the restoration of the suspended programme with the IMF, thus clearing the way for foreign donors to restore the suspended budgetary support to Malawi.<br />
Will this happen? I have my doubts. Mutharika has been adamant in his resistance to devaluation. I do not see him becoming open to a full-fledged liberalization of the currency market. My best guess will be that the Malawi government will eventually be forced to opt for another small devaluation in the short to medium term. However, such piecemeal devaluation will not offer a solution to the current economic crisis. Malawi's dire economic situation requires serious shock therapy, and only a serious devaluation that at least matches the parallel market exchange rates will do. The alternative is catastrophic to imagine.Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-39386812224712895782012-01-09T05:17:00.002-05:002012-01-10T13:02:41.489-05:00Saying no to mediocrity: refusing to accept ‘bicycle ambulances’<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns="">A story in the local Malawi media a few weeks back about the donation of 'bicycle ambulances' in Salima district got me thinking about how as a country we have come to accept and embrace mediocrity. <br />
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<span xmlns="">I must confess to being troubled by the increasing frequency of the donation of bicycles to be used as ambulances. In the 21<sup>st</sup> century, it is both sad and shocking that any people should be using bicycles as ambulances. By definition, ambulances are supposed to provide primary care and quick transport to hospitals to those in need of urgent medical care. They are supposed to have life-saving equipment on board, managed by trained para-medics that provide a first line of medical assistance before one can be transported to be seen by a medical professional.<br />
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<span xmlns="">The idea of a 'bicycle ambulance', on the other hand, reduces the function of an ambulance service to mere transport for patients, albeit one without the requisite speed or comfort. Granted, ambulances in Malawi are very rarely used to provide urgent access to hospitals, with the possible exception of road accident victims. <br />
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<span xmlns="">Indeed, the definition of an ambulance in Malawi appears to be reduced to simply a vehicle that has a thick red cross painted on the sides. There are no phone numbers that people in need of urgent medical care can call to request an ambulance. Like their bicycle cousins, ambulances are simply a means of transport to or from a hospital. Most lack basic life-saving equipment on board. And off course there are no paramedics on board Malawi's ambulances. <br />
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<span xmlns="">More often than not, people only see ambulances in villages when they come to deliver dead bodies – a role that is meant for hearses, not ambulances. Many a time, ambulances are used to carry fee-paying passengers, even when they have patients or dead bodies on board, with the money going into the pockets of the drivers.<br />
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<span xmlns="">For a people that have no reliable access to ambulances or other means of transport to take patients to hospital, perhaps there is something to celebrate in receiving a bicycle ambulance. Indeed, in this day and age when fuel has become such a scarce commodity, perhaps bicycle ambulances are the way to go.<br />
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<span xmlns="">However, I still fail to see anything worth celebrating about the increasing trends of 'bicycle ambulance' donations. Several of Malawi's NGOs seem to have carved a niche in soliciting and handing out these foot-propelled 'ambulances'. If anyone outside Malawi wants to help the country, they should be told in no uncertain terms that Malawians need and deserve real ambulances. Bicycle ambulances do not belong to the 21<sup>st</sup> century, in Malawi or anywhere for that matter. It is as simple as that. Even an ox-drawn cart can make a better hospital ride than a bicycle in my view. <br />
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<span xmlns="">That we celebrate these donations and make them to be such big events as happened in the Salima episode reflects sadly on our own acceptance of mediocrity. Perhaps this should come as no surprise. It all starts with our acceptance of mediocre leadership, which trickles down to many other areas, including poor quality buildings, poor roads, poor services to mention but a few.</span>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-50533999743331560852011-12-12T18:52:00.000-05:002011-12-12T18:52:26.738-05:00Dec 9th, 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgmq-je92wNrbHddLjoz3eGUJXzFFi16hXEqLNtLK9803Xw-C1DhBkbs17sECJMlGgGiaZCe97fCDoF3dtiljTyms-p-SXEIqKAhMeF6Jy6FLuz6j4GWPWzQYqxzRsY9ktqXTKATSkik/s1600/IMG_0097+-+Version+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgmq-je92wNrbHddLjoz3eGUJXzFFi16hXEqLNtLK9803Xw-C1DhBkbs17sECJMlGgGiaZCe97fCDoF3dtiljTyms-p-SXEIqKAhMeF6Jy6FLuz6j4GWPWzQYqxzRsY9ktqXTKATSkik/s320/IMG_0097+-+Version+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-70907558725535098902011-11-23T23:33:00.000-05:002011-11-23T23:33:27.471-05:00Zonse zimatha nkukambirana? even on fuel? Let us get serious!!!The most hilarious joke I have heard about the ongoing fuel crisis in Malawi was not the story that the heat from the bright sun on the new Malawi flag has been so intense that it has caused all the fuel to evaporate from the country.<br />
Yes, while I have had a number of good chuckles at the depictions of the long fuel queues by Malawi's ever creative cartoonists, these laughs have been overshadowed by the recent ministerial statement by Natural Resources, Energy and Environment Minister, Goodal Gondwe, on how government proposes to address the crisis. According to the <a href="http://www.mwnation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27528:goodall-speaks-on-fuel-crisis&catid=1:national-news&Itemid=3">Nation </a>of Friday, November 18th, Gondwe told Parliament that one of the options being pursued by the Malawi government is "discussing with suppliers the possibility of buying the fuel using the local currency, the <i>Kwacha</i>, instead of the US Dollar as is the case now."<br />
For a man that has had an illustrious career in many an international financial institutions, Gondwe's suggestion is so laughable as it amounts to no solution at all. If paying for fuel imports using the <i>Kwacha </i>was ever an option, Malawi would not have had this crippling fuel shortage in the first place.<br />
If I may ask, why would the suppliers accept to be paid in Malawi <i>Kwacha</i>? What would they do with those <i>Kwachas</i>? Already, Malawians are struggling to find basic commodities to buy even when they have pocket-fulls of <i>Kwacha </i>currency.<br />
And talking to Zimbabwean colleagues, this is exactly what happened at the start of their own economic collapse a few years back - people having bucket-loads of a local currency that could not buy them anything. So what fuel supplier in their right mind will accept to be paid in a currency that cannot buy anything? If this is the best solution we can come up with, then we should simply brace of even more difficult times ahead. The government meanwhile should simply admit they have failed to find a solution to this crisis, caused in large part of course because of their own inept policies and gross incompetence.<br />
Mr. Gondwe's proposal for discussion seems to be reflective of a wider approach to decision making in this government - thinking we can solve our problems, most of our own making, by using the old-age Malawi adage that "<i>zonse zimatha nkukambiriana</i>" - everything can be resolved through discussions.<br />
While a lot can be gained through discussions, we have to realize that mere talking without addressing the underlying concerns that led to some of the problematic relationships will not do. Going to the World Bank and the IMF with the sob-story that Malawi is hurting without addressing the concerns that led to the suspension of the Extended Credit Facility, ECF, in the first place is just wishful thinking. Merely meeting donors and asking them to resume aid when we have taken zero steps in addressing the concerns that led to the suspension of aid in the first place reflects a mypoia of the highest order.<br />
Let us act and address the challenges and concerns that got us into the current situation. We can then have something to discuss. Until then, Mr Gondwe and your likes, you are increasingly being revealed to be the jokers that you are.Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-38313437344306037322011-10-15T11:12:00.000-04:002011-10-15T11:12:57.513-04:002011 COMESA Summit: a gathering of tyrantsConsider this: Four of the five Heads of state that attended the just ended COMESA heads of state summit come from countries that are ranked as NOT FREE by Freedom House, which asseses the democratic standing of countries on two composite indices of political rights and civil liberties (see Freedom House's 2011 "<a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/images/File/fiw/FIW_2011_Booklet.pdf">Freedom in the World 2011</a>"). Here is the full list:<br />
Burundi: 5 (Partly free)<br />
Eritrea: 7 (Not free)<br />
Sudan: 7 (Not free)<br />
Swaziland: 6 (Not free)<br />
Zimbabwe: 6 (Not free)<br />
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In other words, the Heads of states that bothered to come to to Malawi for the just ended COMESA summit trend towards dictators presiding over countries that have extremely low political rights and civil liberties scores. As a matter of fact, two of the Presidents attending the Lilongwe meeting (Al Bashir and Isaias Afawerki) come from countries that have the lowest possible score on the Freedom House ranking of 7. Both are cited in the 2011 report as being among the world's most unfree countries, with Eritrea described as an "increasingly repressive police state."<br />
The only country with a presidential delegation at the Lilongwe summit that can claim to come from a somewhat tolerant society is Burundi, whose uninspiring score of 5 falls among the category of countries rated as "Partly Free". <br />
And if anyone is interested to see where these countries rank on the <a href="http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/en/section/the-ibrahim-index/scores-and-ranking">Mo Ibrahim Governance Index</a>, I suggest you start looking from the bottom of the list and go upwards - you will save a lot of time that way. Swaziland is the highest ranked country on the Index, at number 26 among 53 African countries. The rest are: Burundi (37), Eritrea (47), Sudan (48) and Zimbabwe (51).<br />
Given how hard President Bingu wa Mutharika has worked hard to join the exclusive club of African dictators, I am tempted to opine that the 2011 Lilongwe COMESA summit serves as an endorsement of Mutharika's acceptance into this exclusive club of African dictators. While the presidents that represent COMESA's more progressive democracies have shied away from getting their democratic credentials tainted by associating with Mutharika, the dictators of the COMESA grouping have felt a natural attraction and have joined their Malawi colleague to cement his entry into the club..Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-964270001879224572011-10-07T15:46:00.000-04:002011-10-07T15:46:13.673-04:00Cry, my beloved Malawi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://manishsidhu1992.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/child-tears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://manishsidhu1992.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/child-tears.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I spent a few weeks in Malawi in the month of September. It was great to be home and to see family and friends after an unusually lengthy break. It was also an opportunity to work on some outstanding projects at home before taking on some new work responsibilities.<br />
I was impressed with how resolute Lecturers at Chancellor College remain in the struggle for Academic Freedom. On a couple of occasions, I walked in solidarity with my colleagues as they took part in their daily freedom walk around the Chirunga campus and sang the abridged version of the national anthem.<br />
I also had the opportunity to watch the Malawi Flames take on Tunisia in an Africa Cup of Nations soccer qualifier game at the Kamuzu Stadium. It is perhaps a reflection of how far Malawi soccer has advanced (well, the national team version that is) that most people came home disappointed with a 0-0 result against one of the giants of African soccer.<br />
Sadly, there were so many challenging encounters that made me somewhat happy to leave it all behind. Driving to Neno on one of the worst roads imaginable or to Nakhunda in Zomba on a road that has no right to be in a city (if one believes the bill board on the road side from Zomba to Nankhunda) made me wonder what stuff the President and his cronies are smoking when they say Malawi has made so much development progress.<br />
The constant struggle for fuel - where the only reliable source of diesel is Tsangano turn off- or the frustrating lack of forex in the country, just demonstrated how challenging life has become in my beloved Malawi. This is not even to mention the high and ever increasing price of commodities. <br />
Now to hear of extra judicial killings of innocent demonstrators and student activists while the defenders of the regime froth on their mouths with a lot of stupid diatribes; a clue-less civil society that appears to care more about preserving their jobs than standing up for the ordinary citizen, I dread to think where my beloved Malawi will be in a year's time.<br />
A failed leadership, an apathetic public, an incompetent civil society can only translate into a failed state. That is what Malawi has become. Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-23188435599753824972011-08-09T14:39:00.000-04:002011-08-09T14:39:02.775-04:00Questioning Vuwa Kaunda's understanding of patriotismVuwa Kaunda's response to the decision by the Hunger Project to withdraw the 2011 Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger from Bingu wa Mutharika was predictable - the guys currently entrusted with leading Malawi seem to have lost all sense of hearing.<br />
But what I found laughable is Vuwa's argument that the Malawians who signed a petition urging the Hunger project to withdraw the award are unpatriotic.<br />
From its Greek and Latin origins, the word patriotism represents a devotion to one's country. Loyalty and devotion to an individual do not count. Yet, the Vuwa Kaundas of this world have time and again demonstrated that their loyalty and devotion is to the person of Mutharika, a man who is single-handedly causing untold and unprecedented ruin on Malawi. This is not patriotism Mr. Kaunda. The true patriots are those Malawians that have shed their blood for the country, not those who have shed that blood on behalf of Mutharika. The true patriots are those Malawians who urged the Hunger Project to rescind their offer in fear that it will give the President more ammunition to govern the country as a personal estate and bring further ruin.Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-33123439740253740022011-08-09T14:18:00.000-04:002011-08-09T14:18:35.289-04:00Thanks, but no thanks to another Muluzi or MutharikaThe recent manoeuvrings for the presidential candidature for the 2014 elections in Malawi by Peter Mutharika and Atupele Muluzi have reminded me of one of my earliest blog posts where I <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_381332024">e</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_381332024">ndorsed the then Senator</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_381332024"> Barack Obama</a><a href="http://ntwee.blogspot.com/2008/04/us-primary-elections-and-my-support-for.html"> </a>as my preferred candidate for the US presidency. In that post, I pointed out that:<br />
<blockquote>"I am reluctant to lend my support to Hilary Clinton on one count and one count alone: in a country of nearly 300 million people, I cannot be convinced that there are only two households that can produce Presidents...."</blockquote> To hear that the DPP, as predicted, has endorsed Peter Mutharika as the party's candidate to succeed his brother, Bingu wa Mutharika, while Atupele Muluzi, son to former President Bakili Muluzi, is seriously contemplating to contest for the state presidency, brings back to mind the same notion that made me reject Hilary Clinton's candidature. While I have nothing personal against Atupele Muluzi or Peter Mutharika, I refuse to accept the underlying perception that out of the 13 million plus Malawians, only the Muluzis and Mutharikas are capable of producing presidential caliber individuals.<br />
If truth be told, the Muluzi era, which was characterized by mismanagement, corruption and incompetency, will count among Malawi's lost years. As for the Bingu years, need I say more? As they say, the works of his hands speak for themselves - murder of innocent Malawians, long fuel queues, deprivation of academic freedom, forex shortages, arrogance and corruption of the grandest scale - are showing that he is not only out of touch with reality, but also that his style of leadership does not belong to a Malawi of the 21st century. And for some to claim they want Peter Mutharika to continue his brother's legacy is, in my considered opinion, pure lunacy.<br />
The long and short of this post is that if Atupele and Peter- who admittedly have to be judged in their own merit, not by the performance of their fathers or brothers - stand for presidential office in 2014, I would, on principle, not vote for them. Malawi belongs to us all, not just for families of Kamuzu Banda, Bakili Muluzi or Bingu wa Mutharika. I would rather we looked elsewhere among the millions of my country-folk for a new leadership. This is no guarantee that we would get a better leader, but we would be giving others the opportunity to captain the ship. So, nothing personal about Atupele Muluzi or Peter Mutharika, but thanks, but no thanks. Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-17271564532307565212011-07-20T11:31:00.000-04:002011-07-20T11:31:04.819-04:00Bingu and his government have lost legitimacyThe recent callous and nonchalant way the Bingu government has handled itself over citizens frustrations, just goes to demonstrate how far removed the administration is from identifying with the struggles that ordinary Malawians are facing. It is so maddening to hear Bingu wa Mutharika talk about a Malawi as a success story when people are queuing for fuel; factories are remaining idle because they cannot import raw materials due to the forex shortages; hospitals cannot provide even the most basic medication because of a biting shortage of drugs; more people are turning to burning charcoal and wood because electricity is being rationed; streams have become the primary water sources because the water boards cannot provide adequate water; University students are remaining idle for months becuase the President and his Police feel it is right to place spies in lecture rooms; the list is longer. And yet the President and his sorry-group of hand clappers appear so oblivious and think the suffering Malawians can buy his picture of a Malawi full of roses!<br />
It is obvious Bingu and his cast of sycophants are living in an alternative dream world, a lala-land so far removed from reality. To hear these syncomphats from the public media and the DPP (I now refuse to call the DPP the ruling party because it seems to have stopped governing - it has just been reduced to praise singing for Bingu) makes my blood boil. Simply put, Mutharika and his cronies can no longer claim to genuinely represent the people of Malawi.<br />
Now, the cowardly attempts by the government and its agents to prevent Malawians from exercising their right to demonstrate (as provided for under Section 38 of the Malawi Constitution) has further demonstrated the widening gulf between those who are governing and the governed. Indeed, the spontaneous outbreak of violence across the country make Blessings Chinsinga's ill-fated lecture about how policy failures by government can cause extreme public disaffection sound prophetic. When governments fail to fulfill their side of the democratic bargain, the link between the governing and governed is irreparably broken. The only option for the people then is to take matters into their own hands.<br />
A goverment that relies on force to frustrate the people's aspirations, to take away their constitutionally guranteed rights through dubious decisions handed in the middle of the night, has lost legitimacy and can no longer claim the right to govern. The authority to govern, as provided for under Section 6 of the Malawi Constitution derives from the people and is to be used solely to protect and promote their interests, not the interests of one man or a particular ruling clique. And because democracy is government <i>pro-tempore</i>, once the link between the rulers and the ruled has been broken, as it has in our present case, the country needs to move in a different direction. Malawi, as I wrote in my previous post, is bigger than Bingu and his cronies. It is indeed bigger than any of us. We will all die and be gone but Malawi will still be there. To provide that opportunity for Malawi to move on without being ruined, Bingu and his cronies need to go. now.Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-4810715714979615632011-07-15T22:14:00.000-04:002011-07-15T22:14:26.228-04:00In Support of the demonstrations against bad governance in MalawiDue to more pressing engagements, I have been unable to update this blog in the last month. <br />
However, I would like to register my support for my countrymen planning to go out on the streets to demonstrate against the poor governance record of Bingu wa Mutharika, whose arrogance, myopia and incompetence are bringing untold miseries on the innocent Malawi folk.<br />
Mutharika is but one man. The thirteen million other Malawians deserve a better leadership that can work in their interests. Down with this dictatorship.Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531043365195904025.post-11569094112586478202011-06-15T23:16:00.027-04:002011-06-15T23:55:23.623-04:00Ranking the Performance of African Presidents - The Evidence from recent Afrobarometer Surveys<span xmlns=""><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">I have been meaning to post this article for while but never got down to doing it.The piece was motivated by the drama at the start of the year that followed the release of the <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/46590960/The-African-Presidents-Index-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly">East African Magazine's</a> rankings of the performance ratings of African Presidents<span style="color: #231f20;">.</span> Malawi's President, Bingu wa Mutharika, came a respectable 17<sup>th </sup>position out of 52 presidents that were ranked. Personally, I thought the grade "C" rating accorded to Mutharika was most generous.</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">That said, the <i>East African Magazine</i> article had a number of flaws. The one that jumped out the most was the mixing of both ceremonial and full executive presidents in the rankings, despite the fact that the former wield very little power. In some cases, such as Morocco and Swaziland, the rankings rated the performance of monarchs. Surprisingly, in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the ranking was for Prime Minister <span style="color: #231f20;">Bethuel Mosisili instead of King Letsie III. In a nutshell, the <i>East African</i> rankings were a mixed bag of apples, oranges and even peaches that were being passed off as one and the same thing.</span> </span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">An alternative way to rate the performance of African leaders is to ask the ordinary people themselves on how they assess the performance of their leaders. Granted such ratings would differ depending on country-specific circumstances, but to the extent that such assessments are what influence decisions during elections, they can serve as more objective pointers than the subjective ratings of 'experts' that are far removed from the reality on the ground.<span style="color: #231f20;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #231f20;">Fortunately, the availability of </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1579462148">Afrobarometer</a><span style="color: #231f20;"><a href="http://www.afrobarometer.com/"> </a>Survey data makes it possible for us to start to track and compare popular assessments of the performance of African presidents. So I went back and looked at the data from the most recent Afrobarometer Surveys (conducted in 20 countries between 2008 and 2009) to compare responses to the following question:</span></span></span><br />
<i><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #231f20;">"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the following people have performed their jobs over the past twelve months, or haven't you heard enough about them to say: President (name)"?</span></span></span></i><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">The 2008 surveys covered a total of 20 countries, 19 of whom have executive presidents. In the following table, I </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">combine the responses for strongly approve and approve to gauge the prop</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">ortion of respondents that expressed approval for the performance of the leaders in the 19 presidential-regime countries.</span><br />
<div><table border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody valign="top">
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: solid black 0.5pt; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;">Ranking</td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: solid black 0.5pt; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Name of President</b></span></div></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: solid black 0.5pt; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Country</b></span> </div></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: solid black 0.5pt; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Approval Rating (%)</b></span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">1</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Jakaya Kikwete</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Tanzania</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">89</span></div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">2=</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ian Khama</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Botswana</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">88</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">2=</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Hifikepunye Pohamba</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Namibia</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">88</span></div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">4</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Bingu wa Mutharika</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Malawi</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">83</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">5</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Armando Guebuza</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Mozambique</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">82</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">6=</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">John Kufuor</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ghana</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">78</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">6=</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Marc Ravalomanana.</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Madagascar</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">78</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">8</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Marc Yayi Boni</span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Benin</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">75</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">9</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Blaisé Compaore</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Burkina Faso</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">71</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">10</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Musa Yar' Adua</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Nigeria</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">70</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">11=</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Mwai Kibaki</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Kenya</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">66</span></div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">11=</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Yoweri Museveni</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Uganda</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">66</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">13</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Ellen Johnson Sirleaf</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Liberia</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">63</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">14</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Amadou Toumani Touré</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Mali</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">57</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">15</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Thabo Mbeki</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">South Africa</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">55</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">16</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Pedro Pires</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Cape Verde</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">50</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">17</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Rupiah Banda</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Zambia</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">37</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">18</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Abdoulaye Wade</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Senegal</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">28</span> </div></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: solid black 0.5pt; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">19</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Robert Mugabe</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">Zimbabwe</span> </td><td style="border-bottom: solid black 0.5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 0.5pt; border-top: none; padding-left: 7px; padding-right: 7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">24</span> </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><span xmlns=""> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"><b></b>*These rankings do not imply that highly rated presidents are more democratic than those ranked at the bottom end of the list, although it is tempting to make such a case when looking at the countries at the top and the bottom of the rankings (there is actually a strong correlation between the two).</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">*It is also important to note that the Afrobarometer Surveys were conducted between 2008 and 2009. The approval ratings should be looked at from this time specificity as it is highly likely that the figures have changed in response to changing circumstances. In some cases, some of the leaders have left office (Mbeki, Kufour) while Nigeria's Yar'Adua has since passed.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv78-fTPg3JVIJre9iHTg_NegxhNlnzn91oKDyKe6FvS5QJr5b0FcAwsJLGlf34s90VqYTeaEpPQj39ljUBeRADeM7CDuuBth48-ioCnUl3faHfSkjNvo9G-0aKZTjqPyFKRBP2fMqFwNO/s400/Rais_wa_Jamhuri_ya_muungano_wa_Tanzania,_Jakaya_Kikwete.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv78-fTPg3JVIJre9iHTg_NegxhNlnzn91oKDyKe6FvS5QJr5b0FcAwsJLGlf34s90VqYTeaEpPQj39ljUBeRADeM7CDuuBth48-ioCnUl3faHfSkjNvo9G-0aKZTjqPyFKRBP2fMqFwNO/s200/Rais_wa_Jamhuri_ya_muungano_wa_Tanzania,_Jakaya_Kikwete.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kikwete: first among 19</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">*It is interesting to note that Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete is atop the Afrobarometer rankings when he only scores a modest B- ranking in the <i>East African Magazine</i> rankings, where he comes 10th. Meanwhile, Cape Verde's Pedro Pires only gets a 50% approval rating in the Afrobarometer Surveys, coming number 16 of 19. This is in sharp contrast to the love he receives from the expert rankings used in the <i>East African Magazine</i>, where he was rated as Africa's number 2 leader.</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">*Malawi's Bingu wa Mutharika was rated as the fourth best president in the list of 19 in 2008. This was translated into Mutharika's landslide victory in the elections of 2009. Whether he continues to enjoy these high approval ratings in 2011 remains to be seen (Afrobarometer will be conducting another survey in Malawi sometime in 2012).</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.topnews.in/files/robert-mugabe-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://www.topnews.in/files/robert-mugabe-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not much home love for Mugabe</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">*Rupiah Banda in Zambia (37% approval In 2008) faces a major battle to win over the approval of more of his country-folk as he seeks a second term of office in elections scheduled for later this year. Hopefully he has used the last three years meaningfully!</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">*Robert Mugabe's approval rating of 24% is the lowest among the 19 presidents. His fellow Octogenarian, Abdulaye Wade did not fare much better either, with a 28% approval rating. </span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;">*Next time, I will look at this data more closely and look at other issues such as popular trust of presidents and perceptions of corruption by the presidency and officials in his/her office.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span>Boni Dulanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16271569044925686487noreply@blogger.com0