I have heard a lot of people speaking highly about the good job Bingu is doing in Malawi. To the contrary, the developed world thinks otherwise. The G8 has promised to forgive 18 poor African nations of all their debt because of good governance and strict fiscal policies. Guess what, while our neighbours (Mozambique and Zambia) are on the list, Malawi, the poorest country in the region is not on the list. Ask yourself why? Do these guys hate us that much? No, not at all. We hate ourselves. Read the story below:
Massive Debt Write-Off Said to Be Boon for 18 Developing Countries
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jun 13 (OneWorld) - Anti-debt campaigners welcomed a weekend breakthrough under which international financial institutions' claims against some of the world's poorest countries would be cancelled. But they urged further action to forgive Third World debt ensure money saved in the process benefits the poor.
The Group of Eight (G8)--Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States--said Saturday they would write off $40 billion worth of outstanding claims held against 18 heavily indebted poor countries by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and African Development Bank.
As a consequence, the countries stand to save a collective $1.5 billion annually in debt and interest payments, G8 finance ministers said at the end of talks in London.
The Jubilee USA Network said it welcomed the announcement as it and other groups had campaigned long for total cancellation of poor countries' debts to multilateral creditors. But more must be done than G8 members agreed over the weekend, the organization said in a statement.
''The G8 proposal for 100 percent debt cancellation for some poor nations to the IMF and other international lenders is an important first step but the deal must be expanded to include all impoverished countries,'' said Neil Watkins, the organization's national coordinator.
''Debt cancellation must come without subjecting these countries to devastating economic conditions,'' Watkins added, referring to the process countries must undergo to qualify for write-offs.
The 18 countries expected to reap immediate benefits from the debt deal already have reached the so-called completion point of an IMF-World Bank program called the HIPC (for ''heavily indebted poor country'') Initiative.
To reach this point, the countries--Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia--have had to satisfy multilateral creditors that they are pursuing market-friendly policies and budgets aimed at reviving economic growth and stabilizing government finances.
According to Jubilee USA, however, ''the use of HIPC Initiative criteria to determine which countries beyond the initial 18 receive debt cancellation is misguided as it requires countries to implement devastating economic policies that have not been proven to increase per capita income growth or reduce poverty.''
G8 finance ministers, in a statement issued at the end of their talks in London, said conditions would have to remain in place.
''We reaffirm our view that in order to make progress on social and economic development, it is essential that developing countries put in place the policies for economic growth, sustainable development and poverty reduction: sound, accountable and transparent institutions and policies; macroeconomic stability; the increased fiscal transparency essential to tackle corruption, boost private sector development, and attract investment; a credible legal framework; and the elimination of impediments to private investment, both domestic and foreign,'' the ministers said.
Even so, the IMF's African governors have warned that with all the requisite changes in place, extremely poor countries remain vulnerable to so-called external shocks--falling prices for their exports, for example, which can wipe out the economic prospects of countries that depend on one or two primary commodities for much of their foreign exchange earnings.
Existing debt programs have provided insufficient relief to offset such shocks, the African finance officials said. As a result, a number of countries that have gone through a series of economic and administrative hoops designed by international creditors to establish their fitness for debt write-offs nevertheless ''are falling back into the debt trap,'' they added in a statement issued last April at the agency's latest policy-making meeting.
Instead, the African officials urged ''a framework that will allow for a complete write-off'' of claims against their countries not only by multilateral creditors like the IMF and World Bank but also by the governments of wealthy countries.
Jubilee USA reinforced that call Saturday, adding that the G8 deal should be extended not only to another nine countries expected to reach their HIPC Initiative completion point in the next 18 months, but to 62 cash-strapped countries with massive debts that threaten their chances of achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, a set of anti-poverty targets agreed in 2000.
The G8 breakthrough followed years of activist pressure but also warnings from finance officials that Third World debt had emerged as one of several key threats to the global economy.
Prospects of world economic stability and growth were complicated by threats from rising energy costs, unequal growth patterns, and persistent poverty in heavily indebted poor countries, said finance, central bank, and aid officials convened last April for the annual spring meetings of the Group of Seven (G7, or the G8 minus Russia) industrialized powers and the policymaking bodies of the IMF and World Bank.
While officials and advocates alike said the weekend's deal would free up money for governments to spend on health, education, and other domestic priorities instead of on interest payments, few appeared to be under any illusion about whether this alone would lift millions of people out of life-threatening poverty.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer, or finance minister, Gordon Brown was quoted in news reports Sunday as telling television audiences in his country that the debt deal alone would not solve the poorest countries' economic problems.
''It's only going to succeed if it's matched by aid, by trade justice, by transparency, by tackling corruption, by dealing with the governance issues,'' Brown, a leading proponent of debt cancellation plans and other measures to boost prospects especially in Africa, was quoted as saying.
The world's wealthiest countries began discussing the latest debt cancellation proposals a year ago. In that time, more than four million children under age five have died from diseases which could have been prevented with the extra funds released through debt cancellation, said Jubilee USA, a coalition of some 70 faith-based, labor, and social-justice groups.
G8 heads of government are expected to rubber-stamp the weekend's plan when they meet in Scotland next month. The package then would have to be approved by IMF, World Bank, and African Development Bank shareholders by September.
I dont think these guys have anything against malawi. The problem should be amoung ourselves.After going through the article it shows that these G8 are looking to help those that are stable and are trying to implement several ways of poverty eradication(those that are trying to help themselves). The main problem is that at the moment we are very unstable and i dont think this is only Bingu's fault. Who would want to invest in a minor economic nation which has a president who might be impeached.
Our politicians hunger for power has gone beyond the borders.
The whole thing of impeaching Bingu and having Tembo and others run the country, what difference will this make. I would rather leave Bingu coz keeping him will be a lesser expensive option.
I dont think these guys have anything against malawi. The problem should be amoung ourselves.After going through the article it shows that these G8 are looking to help those that are stable and are trying to implement several ways of poverty eradication(those that are trying to help themselves). The main problem is that at the moment we are very unstable and i dont think this is only Bingu's fault. Who would want to invest in a minor economic nation which has a president who might be impeached. Our politicians hunger for power has gone beyond the borders. The whole thing of impeaching Bingu and having Tembo and others run the country, what difference will this make. I would rather leave Bingu coz keeping him will be a lesser expensive option. sepu sepu
Sepu, I think you got this all upside down. The G8 is not investing this money into these country. They are simply cancelling the debt to get these countries back on track to economic recovery. With this said, they are only interested in countries that are serious with economic reforms to better themselves. If you go through the list again, you will notice that some of the countries listed are more politically unstable than Malawi. I think we should not lend a blind eye and continue making excuses for Bingu. He has been President for a while and we need to start seing some notiable changes. The only change seen thus far except for selectively pursuing those Bingu does not like is the fact that our leaders are still spending lavishly without any fiscal discipline and consideration for the poor dying of hunger and a lack of medicine in hospitals. Remember Malawi belongs to all Malawians and these greedy politicians have no right to be spending like succesful celebrities in the US. Bingu is living like he is P Diddy at the taxpayers expense. Maybach my asss. The Minister of Agriculture is rolling in an X5 costing 5 times the car assigned to the VP. What a bunch of crooks!
You may call me selfish, but actually I would hate to see my tax money going to Malawi to subsidize Bingu's lavish life style. Don't get me wrong, I would be happy to see that money going to those that are trully in need. I mean the sick, the hungry, the students etc. Which part of this don't you people understand?
Quote: ''We reaffirm our view that in order to make progress on social and economic development, it is essential that developing countries put in place the policies for economic growth, sustainable development and poverty reduction: sound, accountable and transparent institutions and policies; macroeconomic stability; the increased fiscal transparency essential to tackle corruption, boost private sector development, and attract investment; a credible legal framework; and the elimination of impediments to private investment, both domestic and foreign,'' the ministers said.
Ayatolla,
I might have had emphasis on boosting private investors, and attract investors. We have to show these conditions to mention a few in order to get the debt relief. Prospective investors come or get an influence from these G8 nations.Remember these nations might have economic interest in our countries which can result into the above conditions to weigh more in their decision making.
This rock star spending by these politician should stop now. On the other hand the image of Malawi towards these G8 nations can only be projected if we as malawians work together. Criticising Bingu or any other politician in a constructive way is positive move. As public figures they have to be transparent on their day to day activities.
we dont want to rule malawi but rather create an opposition of young people that will be a formidable force to reckon with,when this opposition is created it will pressurise the government to be transparent in its financial undertakings and stop this so called rock star life style they are living at the expence of poor people.
and bring down those old buggers and put new blood in the government as this is our only way of rebuilding malawi.
we need a president who is under 40 so that he can bring in fresh ideas that will see our economy improving.look at britain and the united states they have an age restriction for party leadership,you cannot expect bingu to know what the youth of today want all he knows is what he wanted sixty years ago.
we want an independent TVM,and MBC that will criticise the government without fear of being prosecuted,up to now there is no annual publication of government budget and expenditure for the people to see.all they do is tell malawians of government budget that never materialise.
there has to be a jurisdiction for all ministers so that public sectors like the media can operate freely without being condemned by an unproffessional minister who is only trying to protect his interests.
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all i have is my word,and i dont break it for nobody.
....SO A PRESSURE GROUP TO BE EXACT. SOUNDS LIKE A VERY GOOD IDEA. BUT FOR STARTERS, TO BE EFFECTIVE ONE NEEDS FUNDS. TO HAVE ENOUGH REACH TO BE CREDIBLE, ONE MUST HAVE THE MONEY. RAISING MONEY FOR THAT PURPOSE, ONE HAS TO LOOK FOR SYMPATHETIC FOLK WITH ENOUGH MONEY.
INSTEAD OF TRYING TO MAKE THE MBC OR TVM INDEPENDENT, WHY NOT CREATE A NEW COUNTER FORCE TO IT. IT IS PRETTY CHEAP THESE DAYS TO START AN INDEPENDENT BROADCASTER. FOR A FEW THOUSAND POUNDS ONE CAN BROADCAST TV SIGNALS AROUND THE CITIES. PROBLEM WOULD BE LICENSING. BUT WITH $$ YOU CAN GET THROUGH THAT.
WHAT ABOUT PRINT MEDIA TOO. FORTUNATELY DESKTOP PUBLISHING SOFTWARE IS AFFORDABLE AND THANKS TO THE INTERNET FAR OUT-REACHING.
THAT BRINGS US TO THE MOST IMPORTANT PART... A MANIFESTO. WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE ABOUT. YOUR GOALS AND AIMS & MODUS OPERANDI.
The 18 countries expected to reap immediate benefits from the debt deal already have reached the so-called completion point of an IMF-World Bank program called the HIPC (for ''heavily indebted poor country'') Initiative. To reach this point, the countries--Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia--have had to satisfy multilateral creditors that they are pursuing market-friendly policies and budgets aimed at reviving economic growth and stabilizing government finances. According to Jubilee USA, however, ''the use of HIPC Initiative criteria to determine which countries beyond the initial 18 receive debt cancellation is misguided as it requires countries to implement devastating economic policies that have not been proven to increase per capita income growth or reduce poverty.''
The sticking point in this debt relief hullabaloo is indeed the HIPC Initiative. The gesture now while positive should not mean the talking should stop.
Regarding Malawi being left out- the debt cancellation to Malawi can not be Bingu's fault . He hasnt been there long enough - for all we know the guidelines/criteria for any country being considered for acceptance may be that the reigning administration must be in power for 3 years for example ... so if Bingu has only been in power for 2, maybe thats why were not elligible. Malawi is being judged on a time period , most of which the past 10 years was under Muluzi, If bingu misses out its b/c Muluzi f*cked up. b/c so far the world bodies have shown a lot of confidence in him and his administration.
Also, they said Malawi is being considered for debt cancellation next year, in another article i read . This is probably as a result of Bingu, If Muluzi was there there is no chance in hell. I am not defending Bingu - but I am saying lets not be quick to attack him either. 2 years is not long enought o see drastic change - Rome was not built in a day give the President a term - thats a decent enough time to see what he is really capable of... he is doing pretty well b/c the previous admin left Malawi ramshakled. Things were bad.
About the Mybach - you know - at least he is buying it as a state car- at the end of the term - the car dos not belong to Bingu. It belongs to Malawi. Also, I would rather , in all honesty, have the president buy a car through the govt, out in the open, then have the president start stealing money and being corrupt in order to buy the car he wants from his own "salary". Muluzi bought personal vehicle overnight - did he get a salary advance ? Im sure the annula salary fro the president is not equivalent to the cost of a mybach - lets keep it real . Better the devil that does things in your face 0 then the devil that will steal it. It lets us know that we can give Bingu a certain level of trust.
All Im saying is give him time - the rest of the worl is giving him time - Malawians we should do the same - we should support our president first - and tear him down second.
ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY BUT AT LEAST IT HAD A SOLID FOUNDATION TO START FROM. ALTHOUGH, I HAVE NOT ACTUALLY BEEN TO MALAWI SINCE, FROM HIS REVIEWS (SUBJECTIVE) HE HASN'T STARTED OFF ON A GOOD NOTE. HE IS FEEBLE, SHIFTY AND LIKE MANY OTHER AFRICAN POLITICANS LACKS AN IDEOLOGY. IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD FOR HIM.
WHAT DOES ONE NEED A MAYBACH AS A STATE CAR FOR? WHAT HAPPENED TO KAMUZU'S ROLLS'? AREN'T THE RUNNING TOO? IT'S NOT LIKE PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING THAT THE STATE CAR WASN'T LUXURIOUS ENOUGH!
GIVE HIM TIME??? I SAY THE ONLY WAY HE CAN IMPROVE IS IF HE KNOWS THAT HIS JOB IS EASILY AT STAKE... HELPS NIP ANY BITS OF MEGALOMANIA AT THE BUD.
Lets be realistic , ull never find a perfect Malawian president. Lets support the ones that are at least decent. that have made positve steps.
the presidentail car is not being bought b/c the previous one isnt luxurious enough - there is a need. The other car was in an accident and was banged up according to the news reports. So he is getting a new car out ot need , the only questioin is, wht type of car he needs t get..
what about media freedom,what happened to the journalist who reported on Bingu having nightmares and strange things happening at the new state house.i thought he got arrested and yet you say he is making a change.have you ever heard of a phrase "same script different actors".
as i often say that pretending all is well with the current government when its not the case it is a sign of untold oppression of the mind.malawi will never see change if Bingu clings to the same people that was with the corrupt muluzi govenment.have you ever wondered what chihana,chilumpha,Gwanda,are still doing in the government when they failed malawians a couple of times.
do you know why chihana and Gwanda are still in the government?its because Bingu wants their majority he knows that its through these people he caN SECURE a second term as president of malawi,these people made a deal and because of this deal malawians are suffering.so we dont need to encourage this type of behaviour.
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all i have is my word,and i dont break it for nobody.
Sepu wrote: This rock star spending by these politicians should stop now...........Criticising Bingu or any other politician in a constructive way is positive move. As public figures they have to be transparent in their day to day activities............
Game,
From my quotes above it shows that we are on the same page. The approach might be different.
A pressure group is a great idea coz these leaders should never think that they are untouchable. Thats how most corporations do well.
Game - i agree that the media should be free and transparents- Everyone knows by watching stuff like Farenheit 911 the media censorship is widespread everywhere - it is controlled th murdoch of the wordl - the only problem that i have with Malawian media is that the media is biased as well to a different extent then in the west . you cant always trust the journalist in Malawi - a lot of them print opnion and not facts or they speculate. As a country, we also need to have journalist who are reporting the positives of Malawi and not just stuff that makes us look stupid- when Bingu looks dumb - we look dumb - i would rather have had the media hush that story up too in exchange for a positive one - bingu should hav ejust ignored it - if the guy was slandering him though and could have been taken to court then they should have used legal means - bu toften things are hushed up for 'national security' - the may bach story is legit - i think stuff like that should be published...but who case about the president and his ghosts- obviulsy he cared though b/c he tried to hush it - but we need to have reponsible journalists as well...
bingu has no choice but to cling to some of the old dogs - and niether would any of us if we went o Malawi - but that is a part of politics. their needs to be some opposition in ur govt in order to make the system look fair.... u cant just step on peoples toes without going under urself - even though thats what u should be doing...waht good is stepping on peoples toes and then having a dead president ?
Abre - u should care that the President is not riding a bike. Thats a certain level of respect that come with the job- lets not fall in to apathy - it is worse the insurgence sometimes. Maybe u dont care if its a 300 series Merc or a BMW , but our president , who ever he may should not be riding a bike - that is an issue of self worth and national pride - Malawians , we need to repect ourselves- repect can be earned through a leadership position as well as through ur own personal endevours. He gains repect firtley, for being president. He could have been Muluzis puppet - but it takea a lot of courage to tell that big guy that If helping my country man means offending u - then u gots to go. - Corruption will always exist ALWAYS - its a part of politics. They have a corruption index - and there is no country that has none. If a president is making improvements etc and is slightly corrupt i would vote for him.
Better the guy that is 10% corrupt & educated, then the guy that is 90 % corrupt & uneducated.
for starters DPP its not a party it stands for DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTION.
Abre
do you think we can be able to start something like an independent radio station when Pillan is got links with Bingu.
and people on this forum can only talk not act,we need to unite and have trust and faith in each other then we will achieve our objective.remember talk is cheap,we will keep on talking and competing with each others vocabulary but we wont go far with it,i suggest we act not just talk.
use our word power in confronting Bingu and his camp.not just getting up in the morning and decide to write without plans to rewrite our history.
panther.
do you think tony blair consults margaret thartcher in deciding the future of britain?do you know that his political advisors are aged less than 45 which makes it part of our generation,why cant we do the same in malawi.do you think we cant run a government if chihana,Gwanda, and other old timers retire.if civil servants can retire so should politictians,they have to pave way for new blood,thats when you will see change in saigon.
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all i have is my word,and i dont break it for nobody.
blair does not need to consult thatcher. bush consults Bush snr though ! and Preseidents in the Us have been known to consult with other presidebts for advice- but its different b/c none of those guys are former presidents (gwanda and camp) In a pefect world, we could say to hell with all them old dogs - but this is Malawi and we need to play a little Malwian game to gain ths support of the masses - if its only for a term - thats fine - but one of the down falls of the new african govt that emaerged right after coloniliasm is that they had the african elite , educated come to poewer but non of them had ever ruled a country or much less run it - they were inexperienced - and I am all about learining from history because it doth repeat itself.
My solution would be to get rid of 90% of the old dogs - leave a few of them there for show - but give them as little power as possible - in other words they would either be nominal figures in a 'govt of national unity' for the people, or they would be majopr figure with real power but only 10 votes out of the rest of parliament - that would work - We cant imitate politics of the europeans yet, the regular Malawian citizen is not mature enough to vote for parties based on ideology, they are still voting for people, not ideologies, and we have no control over this right now ... I say keep some old blood, they know how to run a country, get the new blood to learn a thing or two from them, and then take the old blood completley out - no country in the world will respect sitting next to kids in diapers ...regradless of theri interllectual abilities...so have a figure or two (w/o a bad rep) up there.
sepu m'bale wanga for starters DPP its not a party it stands for DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTION.
DPP is indeed director of public prosecution. Under the circumstances i was comparing political parties in which DPP stands for Democratic Progressive Party. This happens to be the party that support Bingu.
... I say keep some old blood, they know how to run a country, get the new blood to learn a thing or two from them, and then take the old blood completley out - no country in the world will respect sitting next to kids in diapers ...regradless of theri interllectual abilities...so have a figure or two (w/o a bad rep) up there.
Black Panther,
I do agree with the best part of your posting up to the point above.You know there is a saying that "by beholding you become changed" and I believe this point of yours,genuine and sincere as it is will rob the youth of the need to change things.By letting some of the old guard to remain,we run the risk of "cross-contamination",that is we will be associated with the bad things they did and they will try to "teach or show"us the youth how to steal without leaving any evidence.
Power is sweet and thats where the danger is because all of a sudden you have access to things that you never dreamt of,all of a sudden you can call the army commander at the drop of a hat and he will there huffing and puffing and apologising for being late even though the time you called him he was in bed with his wife,he will be there.Once the old guard have shown the new blood ways of plundering the economy,they themselves will continue doing it with such impunity because they know their backs are covered,if you take them down,they will pull you down as well and because you have tasted the sweetness of power,you start ignoring their evil ways because you dont wanna lose that power and the circle continues.
The best way is to avoid politicising the civil service,the army and the Police.Every time a new President is sworn in,the Inspector General of Police and the Army commander knows their time is over and no wonder most of them resist new parties and even the SPC sometimes is targetted.These are the people we will need to apply your point,let a new blood shadow them for a while before they can be retired but not everywhere.A stable civil service,without interference from politicians will deliver,but politicians always meddle with the smooth running of the civil service,that has to come to an end in the event of anew youthful government.
-- Edited by Ngwazi at 09:00, 2005-06-21
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For have I now become your enemy for telling you the truth?-Galatians 4 v16.
MAYBE, AND I USE THIS WORD SPARINGLY, WE NEED AN OVERHAULING OF THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE ITSELF TO SAFEGUARD AGAINST THIS SORT OF BEHAVIOUR. A STRUCTURE THAT ALLOWS GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY FROM POLITICANS. MOST ESPECIALLY MPs, WHO ARE AT THE TOP OF THE UNSCRUPULOUS PILE, JUST UNDER THE CABINET.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS OF IMPORTING THIS SO-CALLED DEMOCRACY WHOLESALE MEANS THAT WE IGNORE THE AFRICAN CULTURAL NECCESITIES. AND TAKE EXAMPLE FROM THE WORKINGS OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT. I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHIEFS HAVE A GREATER ROLE IN GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES TOO.
WESTERN STYLE DEMOCRACY COSTS MONEY. MONEY WE DON'T HAVE. BUT WE CAN HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY (THAN THE WEST) FOR A LOT LESS. POLITICIANS ARE CIVIL SERVANTS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. AND WHEN A CIVIL SERVANT DOES A BAD JOB HE GETS SACKED.
I HATE IT WHEN I HEAR WESTERN STYLE POLITICIANS RAVING ABOUT AFRICAN CORRUPTION. WE'RE NOT EVEN AS CORRUPT AS AMERICA (SEE DICK CHENEY OR CONDOLEEZA RICE) BUT THE DAMAGE IS THAT WE HAVE LITTLE TO BE STOLEN.
IF BINGU SETTLED FOR A SMALLER CAR AND USED THE MONEY SAVED TO REPAIR THE DOORS OF A PRIMARY SCHOOL, THAT WOULD BE NICE WOULDN'T IT?
Abre u wrote :IF BINGU SETTLED FOR A SMALLER CAR AND USED THE MONEY SAVED TO REPAIR THE DOORS OF A PRIMARY SCHOOL, THAT WOULD BE NICE WOULDN'T IT ? Yes it would. Thats the solution.
Ngwazi u wrote :
The best way is to avoid politicising the civil service,the army and the Police.Every time a new President is sworn in,the Inspector General of Police and the Army commander knows their time is over and no wonder most of them resist new parties and even the SPC sometimes is targetted.These are the people we will need to apply your point,let a new blood shadow them for a while before they can be retired but not everywhere.A stable civil service,without interference from politicians will deliver,but politicians always meddle with the smooth running of the civil service,that has to come to an end in the event of anew youthful government
Agreed- not in all spheres- ideally though the Army should remain impartial and support the presidency and not the President per se, but we dont want a military coup so the president should pick a person that will supprt him - or we can do it like they do in the USA - the President is also the Commander and Chief of the Army - that is the best way to do the Amry loyaty part.
and people on this forum can only talk not act,we need to unite and have trust and faith in each other then we will achieve our objective.remember talk is cheap,we will keep on talking and competing with each others vocabulary but we wont go far with it,i suggest we act not just talk. use our word power in confronting Bingu and his camp.not just getting up in the morning and decide to write without plans to rewrite our history
Game,
I agree,its time people stopped talking and convert the words into action.John Tembo was there in 1958 and so was Aleke Banda and Gwanda Chakuamba.Both of them were then considered a new generation of politicians,new blood with an average age of 31.John Tembo became an MP in 1963 and fourty -two (42)years later he is still an MP and yet we are told everytime that we are the leaders of tomorrow,bwanji iwowa nawonso osapuma kuti ifenso tilowe ndale at more or less the same age as he was when he joined politics.Akufuna kuti tidzayambe ndale tonse pano tili 65 years old,this is selfish,greedy and self-serving.
We hold the future in our hands today,we have the choice,its our choice,we can either keep our future or let the old guard take it away from us,If some people(the youth) on the forum and back in Malawi want these old-guards to continue ruining our country then thats fine but for me I say I will not continue sitting and watching when people like Bingu are awarding themselves massive pay increases of 350% bringing his salary at par or slightly below to that of the President of the richest nation,the US and yet we are among the ten poorest nations in the world.Get me right,I have nothing personal against Bingu but I am against the system that is allowing him to go to that exten,thats what we want to change.Dont believe the "leaders of tomorrow"hype, akufuna kumangotiputsitsa as if tomorrow will come,never.
Rise up the youth of Malawi,rise up as one voice,rise up for the good of the country,build a better Malawi,a Malawi that will be enjoyed by all and not just a few,a Malawi that will stand out as a model of economic,social and political management and not a pariah and an acronym for political extravagance and social inequality,a better Malawi for you,a better Malawi for me and a better Malawi for our children and our childrens children.(When I say rise up I amnot talking about overthrow of the government through illegal means,no,I am talking about the coming together of all of us to speak with one strong and unified voice and be heard)
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For have I now become your enemy for telling you the truth?-Galatians 4 v16.
I agree,its time people stopped talking and convert the words into action.John Tembo was there in 1958 and so was Aleke Banda and Gwanda Chakuamba.Both of them were then considered a new generation of politicians,new blood with an average age of 31.John Tembo became an MP in 1963 and fourty -two (42)years later he is still an MP and yet we are told everytime that we are the leaders of tomorrow,bwanji iwowa nawonso osapuma kuti ifenso tilowe ndale at more or less the same age as he was when he joined politics.Akufuna kuti tidzayambe ndale tonse pano tili 65 years old,this is selfish,greedy and self-serving.
Ngwazi, with all due respect, I think your posting above is not only intellectually inept, irresponsible but also lacks any sort of altruism. While I agree with you that it is probably time for some of these forks to start considering retirement, I do not share the sentiment that the older politicians are preventing you, me or any other young people out there from joining politics. It is your responsibility to control your destiny. I know weak asses like to make excuses. I will give you an example of some young people who have made it to be MP's. There is a Koloviko girl (21 years if I am not wrong) who contested for one of the seats in BT as an independed and she won. As a matter of fact there are a number of MP's in Malawi.
So what distinguishes you from them? These people are willing to do the hard work that it takes to get into politics. They are willing to go campaign in very remote areas kissing a lot of ass to nobody's. While you with your associate degree from some no name community college from the Queens Land are expecting a Parliamentary seat to be handed to you on a Silver platter just like Bingu. Heck no!
Understand, Parliamentarians are elected by people from their electorates. Each constituent choses a candidate that they believe will do a good job for them. Any citizen has the right to contest for a seat as long as they are old enough, be it through a Party or as an independent. So you as the Ngwazi better learn to stop blaming your misfortunes on these old Politicians who are clinging to power. Suck it up, let go of your pride and go start a campaign. Kiss tons of asss and be nice. You could end up being the next MP representing Mpenu, Lilongwe
Just as a rejoinder to my earlier posting, we can not force some Politicians out of office based on the fact that they have been in power for a long time or the fact that they are old. Our constitution does not provide for such. Doing so would be tantamount to violating the rights of these people. As long as they are able to function and keep winning their seats, I trully do not see any problem. Unless some of you are just kubwebweta based on hatred for the older generations. Let us be just and prudent in our actions as young people. Malawi is for all citizens to enjoy. Age or number of service is not enough an outward disqualification for one to be a free member of the society.
It's me, the Grand Ayatollah. Malawi's most MVP. 2009 woyee!
While I agree with you that it is probably time for some of these forks to start considering retirement, I do not share the sentiment that the older politicians are preventing you, me or any other young people out there from joining politics. It is your responsibility to control your destiny.
Ayatollah,
If you can agree with my saying that its high time some of the older politicians retired,then which part of my posting dont you agree with?You are talking about "it is your responsibility to control your destiny" as if its a new statement yet all what you have said is what I wrote before or probably the wording confused you a bit,I will paste it for you down here so that you can read again and probably this time you wont miss it;
"We hold the future in our hands today,we have the choice,its our choice,we can either keep our future or let the old guard take it away from us"-isnt "our future" the same as"destiny"?
I never said I expected a parliamentary seat to be handed over to me on a silver platter,again it shows a lack of understanding on your part,simple words or statements that require no translation at all seem to elude you most of the time,do you understand the meaning of "its time people stopped talking and convert the words into action",this is what I exactly meant,we can talk or argue here but if we dont translate the words into actions then we wont get any where.
As far as I am concerned,giving out examples of old politicians who we expect to retire or should have retired is not a crime,it just reinforces the point(thats why examples are there anyway in the first place).
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For have I now become your enemy for telling you the truth?-Galatians 4 v16.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH GETTING YOUNGER PEOPLE INTO POLITICS IS THAT IT IS PERCIEVED AS AN OLD MANS GAME. UTTERLY HUMOURLESS, CRUSTY AND WORSE... BORING. IT ISN'T OF COURSE BUT OLDER POLITICIANS WOULD LIKE US TO THINK SO; I GUESS IT IS PART OF THEIR DOMINANCE. THE SAME WAY OUR PARENTS DISCOURAGE SEX AND ALCOHOL KNOWING PRETTY WELL THE PLEASURE IT IS. POWER AS WE KNOW IS THE GREATEST PLEASURE OR APHRODISIAC.
SERIOULSLY. YOUNG PEOPLE ARE A MAJORITY IN MALAWI. SO A YOUNGER POLITICANS WOULD BE CONSEQUENTLY MORE POPULAR AND WOULD HAVE MORE VOTES. YOUNGER POEPLE ARE MORE DEFIANT AND ARE MORE PRONE TO TAKING DRASTIC 'THOUGH CREATIVE MEASURES TO SOLVING PROBLEMS. I WOULD RATHER HAVE A 35 YEAR OLD MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH AND AIDS PREVENTIVE MEASURES THAN A 70 YR OLD POLITICAN. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
YOUTH POPULAR CULTURE ON THE OTHER HAND COMPETES WITH POLITICAL AMBITION AND WINS SQUARE. THAT IS WHY IT EXISTS. IT IS A CREATION OF THE ELITE TO KEEP YOUTHS AWAY FROM THE REAL ISSUES. A DIVERSION IF YOU MAY. BE IT ROCK AND ROLL, HIP-HOP, MTV OR WHATEVER IS "POPULAR" AT ANY GIVEN TIME. WHY DO YOU THINK MORE PEOPLE VOTE FOR POP IDOL THAN IN THE ELECTIONS KNOWING PRETTY WELL THAT THEY WON'T EVEN BUY THE RESULTING CD RELEASE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE RULING PARTY WOULD MAKE DECISIONS THAT WOULD EFFECT THEIR FUTURES.
I THINK IF WE NEED TO ATTRACT A YOUNGER BREED OF MALAWI POLITICIANS I.E. US, "WE" WOULD NEED TO MAKE IT MORE ATTRACTIVE AND LESS LIKE THE NORM. THAT WOULD MEAN LESS FINGER-POINTING AND MORE PROGRESSIVE THINKING AND ENGAGEMENT. ENGAGEMENT BEING THE KEY WORD.
if Ngwazis posting is intellectually inept and lacks atruism then i see no reason why you have to second it because it means you are whole heartedly agreeing with what he said,the main purpose we all want a change in our political system is because people dont want to pave way for new ideas by making themselves represenatives for life.this is not only a hindrance to development but also envisages anarchy and pondamonium in our political spectrum as those who served long in the same post wont listen to new comers because they think they are veterans which is not the case.
these people are government scroungers who are robbing malawians in broad day light thats why they wont retire that easily so we have to push them.we have to know that the longer these people stay in power the bigger the risk of malawi economy plunging headlong into the abyss of melancholy,
it never ceases to amaze me that after so much hard evidence that we noble malawians have been failed by our politictians there are some factions in our community wanting to give these people another piece of cake.they defy and ignore the inevitable that the world is changing so is the perception of the youth towards them,i stand to be corrected but if our farmers cant be subsidised because our politictians are diverting donor funds to sponsor their lavish lifestyles then our economy will forever be hand to mouth.
some of you might think am just a hate fueled plebeian its just that i have a revolutionary blood in me and as long as i am alive and bravehearted i will make a change in my country.WATCH ME.
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all i have is my word,and i dont break it for nobody.