Despite calls not to demonstrate and compelling indications that things can turn sour during and after the demonstrations earmarked to take place on July 20, the organizers are still adamant to proceed.
They are adamant because, Ralph Kasambala a renowned lawyer in Malawi told them that according to his understanding of the constitution of Malawi any person wanting to demonstrate need not to clear it with the police or any other given authority. He is on record as having said that all that people need to do is to inform the police or the given authority that they intend to demonstrate. It does not matter what the police think about it, they can still demonstrate as demonstrations are their inherent right.
The other reason the people are adamant is that the members of NGOs in Malawi believe that they have a right to do as they please in Malawi because they helped the present government win a case over section 65. They sometimes even have the audacity to give the elected president of Malawi ultimatums to meet their demands.
As for the demonstrations, it is not clear who are the leaders, what the objectives are and the place they will take place.
In the north there are arguments between FOND and Moses Mkandawire as in who should lead. There is also an element of the usual religious leaders from the region who are looking like are in the lead.
There are also calls for the people to wear red symbolizing that the disgruntled UNIMA lecturers could be leading. You have a legion of opposition parties that have come in the vanguard as well. NGO are all bringing out confusing voices randomly. Also there are Malawians in Diaspora on interactive internet sites that could be looked at as the ones leading. It is all not clear.
On this apparent confusion about who is leading the demonstrations, ironically so, most of the blame should go to government. It seems this government is confusing democracy as a system of government and democracy as a style of leadership. On democracy as a system of government, those in leadership have no choice but to have things remain that way. Malawi is a democratic government and it has to be run as such by those in government. However when it comes to democracy as a style leadership, there has to be tact and balance on how one leads otherwise when one is too democratic in the style of leadership the style becomes Laissez Faire or hands-off sort of leadership style. Everyone thinks they can do as they please without any consequences. As we casually say in Malawi, “Napuse napuse ali ndi mwana agwiritse.” One word for that in English is anarchy.
As a result of that we have leaders of the opposition, some within government like Joyce Banda, some DPP MPs, NGOs, diplomats of foreign governments, the media, the courts, university lecturers etc thinking that they all call the shots in Malawi.
This has created a security situation in country. The Bingu government needs to step up to the plate and arrest the situation before things get worse. There is need to redeem the situation and balance up the leadership style. It is very important that the peace loving Malawians can get the assurance that someone is in control of their country and to assure them of their safety and security.
On the objectives of the demonstrations, the key voices being heard are evasive. They re not clear what they are looking to get from the demonstrations. Among the things people would like to go to the streets for are fuel, forex, academic freedom, the injunction law, press freedom, the reinstatement of Jessie Kapasula Kabwira, gay rights, zero deficit budget, the UDF agenda, the MCP agenda, UK diplomatic relations, Joyce Banda, Federal System of government, quota, Rev Nyondo’s rights, the Lomwe tribe etc.
These issues are issues that Malawians differ about in certain quarters and agree about in other quarters. In that sort of a maze of confusing issues, the first punch is mostly likely to come from within the demonstrators ending up throwing the whole country into hue and cry.
The biggest danger in all that are the tribal undertones within the whole set up. In Malawi, there are political differences and there are real social differences among the people. Political maneuvers more often than not conceal the real social problems of which come out strongly in times of conflicts. For example during Muluzi’s era, though the problems we had could be deemed political, during a time of conflict at one point people in the northern region targeted their anger at the Yao people living among them. Vendors of Yao background were beaten and their vending kiosks were burnt, mosques were burnt and tenants in farms were beaten up. Also during Kamuzu’s time, people of the northern decent were targeted in Blantyre. Also Asians and other people living in areas that are considered to be affluent areas were targeted. No wonder the USA government has given warning to its citizens living in Malawi.
That can of violent express during a time of conflict reveals where it real matters for Malawians. It is not only the political problems as we think that lead people do some unthinkable things during a time of confusion but the deep seated problems among them of which the nature of our politics necessitate that they are less talked about in the country.
On the timing for the demonstrations as well, it is interesting that people are adamant that the demonstrations should still go ahead on the July 20 date and yet there is a public lecture organized on the same day. Some of the things the demonstrations are about are the very same things that the public lecturer is meant to address.
Unless if we are saying that either the demonstrations themselves are the answer we are looking for or we are just interested to see innocent blood being shed, it does not make sense to still insist on staging the demonstrations this time around.
In conclusion, what we can say is that, yes indeed there is a lot Bingu’s government has got to improve on major of which is communication with the public and there is a serious need to consolidate the democracy we have. Bingu’s government needs to take control of things in Malawi and on top of that there is a huge need to keep the people in the know on what is happening. The police should enforce the law without fear or favor. We cannot have a country that is being run by the dictates of NGOs. Most of the NGO leaders are an uneducated bunch of losers with no clue about what they are doing. They do not understand the plight of the people of Malawi apart from that they are always interested in negative statistics of which they use to convince donors to give them money. This is the time for Bingu’s government to be more in control to safeguard the lives of the people and the dignity of the nation. There is no need for blood to be shed in Malawi at this point in time for whatever reason.
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