POLYGAMY BAN, MANDATORY AIDS TESTING AND FLAG CHANGE IN MALAWI

There is something wrong with the way the Malawi Government is consulting its people on the various important issues. Crucial decisions that will affect the masses are being made without Malawians themselves expressing their views in a transparent manner.

First it was the infamous quota system (or equitable access to higher education) of which we were made to believe that a lot of people were consulted and were in support of it. But the truth is that some quarters were very determined to implement it regardless of opposing views or court cases. It has since been implemented disregarding views for those opposing it.

Now it has just finished “consultations” on flag change. From the word go one could see lack of transparency in the way the consultations were being conducted. The idea of consulting traditional leaders as representatives of the people was not the right way to hear views of all Malawians. Like the quota system, it seems government was bent on changing the flag regardless of what the majority of Malawians said. That’s why they had to rush to the traditional leaders who are already singing praises of the present government.

As if that is not enough, there are reports that government is about to table a bill that among others, bans polygamy. There are claims that polygamy is contributing to the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus. Therefore those who will marry more than one wife after the bill is passed will be fined or jailed for five years. This ahs also not gone down well with the many Malawians who think that the government is going too far in this respect. Some call it regulating morals. In a normal democracy, we should have expected this bill to be shot down in parliament but with the majority that the ruling party is enjoying, forget about this possibility. If what the Gender Minister told BBC and Capital Radio recently that government is serious in tabling this bill and the mandatory HIV test bill, then they are as good as already passed. The Muslim Community will make all the noise it can on this issue but nothing will change, ask Livingstonia Synod.
In two weeks time we will clock one year into the second term of the ruling DPP but several unpopular decisions made during this period will easily erase the good image DPP created in the first term. People who are able to read through the walls will agree with me that we should anticipate very long and hard four years to finish this term.

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IF I HAD TIME…

I could have written of the by-elections that the ruling party in Malawi lost. Yes I could have said of how a seat previously held by the Veep of the country was lost to an independent candidate. I mean if I came close to this blog, I could not have resisted the temptation of informing you how a party which won the elections with an overwhelming majority a few months ago failed to convince people from two important constituencies.

Only that I was busy doing some other things. This also prevented me of telling the end of the ‘resurrected man’ saga. I wanted to write of how the Police ended up arresting the witch doctor and the ‘resurrected man’s mother. People of a village in Nsanje identified Moses Levison as a madman from their village and not the ‘resurrected person” as we were made to believe. Since I was busy,I failed to tell you that he has since been sent to the Mental hospital in Zomba.

IF I HAD TIME…..

I could have written of an incident in Bangwe which prompted residents to turn violent for the second time in less than a month. I could have said of the Mozambican who made a mistake of performing a ritual at the same place another person was beaten by angry residents. His car and that of a sympathiser were smashed to pieces by these people believing that he is behind the various road accidents.

I really wanted to write of the recent bill that the Malawi Parliament passed and has prompted debate and accusations from various quarters. The Marriage bill which was passed in two hours has ‘improved’ the recommended age for girls to be married from 15 yrs to 16 yrs and with consent from parents. Of the over 190 Parliamentarians only one had the guts to vote against the bill.

I was very busy in the past week that I failed to write of the reactions from the civil society organisations, chiefs and many other NGO’s on this bill dubbed, Chidyamakanda bill. The last time we had this kind of reaction was when Madonna wanted to adopt Mercy James. Every NGO, registered or not, active or passive, issued a press release, statement or wrote a petition against Madonna.

Time prevented me from telling you of the Chiefs who are granted interviews by various radio stations and newspapers to speak against the marriage bill when they have lots of girls in their villages who are married and are as young as 15 years.

IF I HAD TIME…..

I could have informed you that there is still no progress in cotton prices saga. It seems farmers should forget of selling their cotton at the government set price. Time is running out and buyers are not relenting and some are buying cotton at a very cheap price. And nobody seems to care whether the farmers are benefitting or not.

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