PP Tells Govt To Save Albinos Now

Uladi

Peoples Party (PP) says plans set by Government to end abductions and killings of people with albinism will begin to bear fruits years after all albinos are killed and called Government to implement immediate plans. 

PP acting President and the party’s leader in Parliament, Uladi Mussa pointed out that plans to train personnel and sending representatives to Tanzania to learn best practices leaves room for criminals to continue with attacks and killings, but registering all albinos and guarding them by community policing will solve the problem.

Mussa was speaking in the National Assembly on Monday evening when responding to State of the National Address delivered by President Peter Mutharika on Friday.

He said this when highlighting number of security issues which he said PP is of the view that the country is in the security breakdown.

“There is complete security breakdown in this country.” He said mentioning the abductions and killings of people with albinism, gruesome robbery killings, rampant cart thefts, mob justice, killings of elderly persons who are suspected of witchcraft, random killings of innocent people, theft of drugs in hospitals and health centers making people feel insecure

“The idea of training of 250 personnel or having case studies in Tanzania, as the President has suggested, will not offer immediate solution to the current plight of people with albinism in the Country.” He noted saying PP view this as “a long term plan whose impact is likely to come long after all people with albinism have all been killed”

“When fire breakout, the immediate solution is not to build a Fire Station but, to stop the fire!” stressed the PP leader

“This being the case, the Peoples Party would like to suggest that total protection be provided forthwith to people with albinism by registering them in all the district assemblies we have in this country and providing them with adequate security either through police officers or community policing.” Mussa said and continued “In this regard I would like to inform the Minister of Home Affairs that in addition to police officers, we can use community policing, so that people can guard them here and there throughout the country but after knowing where they are staying.” He emphasized

PP acting President mentioned that there was need to mention short term plans that may protect the people with albinism and end the killings now.

“What will be happening? Will these criminals wait for that long term plan, because training them going to Tanzania, having case study, will these criminals wait for them? That is why we are saying we need to come up with protective measures.” He wondered later in an interview

Commenting on agriculture and hunger Uladi Mussa said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Government has not taken the Agriculture sector as a priority particularly because it is failing to allocate more resources to irrigation in order to eradicate hunger in this country.

He even recalled that President Mutharika's address only indicated of providing funds to ADMARC but failed to disclose amount of money allocated to ADMARC for buying food.

He futher mentioned that there are signs of poor Governance and that State of National Address failed to cover key areas that affect ordinary Malawians.

He also called for decisive plans to take Malawi to road to recovery and also take blames and not shifting it to natural calamities all the time and remined the Government that “The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is the power to harm us.”

Mussa even described the President Speech as “hotchpotch (Nansanganya) of operational reports hurriedly thrown together with no attempt at establishing overall strategic direction or policy linkages across the sectors.”

He among other things said 3 years since the DPP Government was voted into power the problems continue to get out of hand “and our people are angry, bitter and impatient.” He said people want action and not ideas only

“We cannot continue to have a Government that simply joins in to lament together with the people as if it has no tools to normalize the situation.” Said Mussa

Mussa in his remarks said there is no impact to the budgets that the House continue to pass which now for a period of 2 years it amounts to K1.7 trillion (2014/2015 – K760 billion and 2015/2016 – K906 billion).

“Dress Traditional On Friday” Idea Goes To Parliament: Business Committee In Consultations

The President Peter Mutharika’s idea to dress traditional every Friday has now made its way through the National Assmbly doors but it may stay on hold until consultations are finalised and approved.

Speaker, Richard Msowoya announced today that the idea was brought into the recent meeting of Business Committee that legislators should also start to wear local clothes every Friday.

Mutharika made directive during the launch of Best Buy Malawi Strategy that Malawians should start to put on the traditional attire every Friday as one way of promoting local fashion industry.

Mutharika himself, senior Government officials and others in civil service now follows this directive.

Men are allowed to dress this way in Parliament 

Every Friday they will be seen dressing
completely different 

However, this idea may possibly take long to make it into chambers of Parliament because tradition and practice require all Members, male or female, to dress in contemporary business attire that is; male Members wear a jacket, shirt and tie as standard dress.

So this is possibly why the Business Committee has resolved to consult before allowing members to put on African dresses in the House.

“I wish to inform the House that the Business Committee resolved that there was need for the National Assembly to consult further on the matter.” Noted Speaker, Richard Msowoya in part of his announcement about the development, “In this regard it was resolved that meanwhile the dress code as prescribed by our standing orders should be maintained”

Most Female legislators like Hon. Nyalonje 
have been putting on traditional dresses

Female MPs in this picture shows they are already 
into Buy Malawi idea unlike male Legislators

If this will be allowed, Men will basically be the ones to be asked to put on local designs on Friday's because although female legislators adhere to Parliamentary dress code, their dresses are mostly local designs.

Assented Bills and Business For the Budget Meeting 

Metrology, Appropriation Bills Assented By President Mutharika

Speaker of the National Assembly has informed the House today that two bills that were passed during the last Meeting of the National Assembly were assented by President Peter Mutharika last months.

"The bills were assented by State President Professor Peter Mutharika on 24th April 2016 and were published in the Gazette on 29th April 2016, effectively making them to be Acts of Parliament” he said 

He said the bills are Bill No. 2 of 2015 - Metrology which has been published as an Act No. 10 of 2016 and Bill No. 13 of 2016 - Appropriation Amendment which has been published as an Act of No. 11 of 2016.

The speaker continued to announce the resolutions of the Business Committee which met on Thursday 19th May, 2016 on the Business for the program for the 2016/2017 Budget Meeting of Parliament.

He said starting this week 1 of the meeting, from Monday 23rd May, 2016 to Friday 27th May, 2016 the House will spend five days debating on the motion on State of National Address which President Mutharika delivered when opening the meeting and on Friday at 10:45 hours the debate will be curtailed with winding up remarks by the legislator [Lilongwe City South East, Bentley Namasasu] who moved the motion today. 

Then on Tuesday, (tomorrow) Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development will present a Ministerial Statement on the Food Situation.

“Immediately after winding up debate on the President Speech, the House will be suspended and will reconvene at 2 O’clock in the afternoon for the Budget Presentation by Minister of Finance in this House. This means that the Minister of Finance will present his budget statement on Friday, 27th May from 2 o’clock in the afternoon.” Confirmed the Speaker

He said second and third weeks that is from Monday 30th May, 2016 to Friday 10th June 216 will be a Committee work for Budged Scrutiny. While from week four and five, from Monday 13th June, 2016 to Friday 24th June 2016 Opposition Spokespersons on Finance and Chairperson of Budget Committee will make their responses to the Budget. Debate on budget will be curtailed 24th June for the minister to wind up the debate. But the questions for oral replies will start on 14th June and bills and all other businesses including reports will be discussed during the same period. 

Week 6 from Monday 27th June to Friday 1st July 2016 the House will commence the Committee of Supply and it is being planned that the budget will be passed on Thursday 30th June, 2016 while on Friday 1st July will be passing of all budget related bills.

The seventh week which is the final week of the meeting, from Monday 4th July to Friday 8th July the House will deliberate on all remaining businesses such as bills and statements and reports and on Friday the House will adjourn Sine Die.

Chakwera Says Malawians Are Suffering

Lazarus Chakwera

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Lazarus Chakwera says Malawians are living in badly affected economy and quite different from what President Peter Mutharika has recently told Parliament that economy is slowly making progress.

Malawi Congress Party President, was responding to State of National Address this afternoon in the National Assembly.

Chakwera who themed his speech Dzukani A Malawi [Malawians Rise Up] said the President Mutharika speech was clear that he wants to keep Malawians waiting for the recovery and development of the country yet people wants results now.

“Mr. Speaker Sir, Malawians are desperate. They feel that their country has literally fallen apart.” Said Chakwera pointing out challenges like rising cost of living, cases of corruption in Government, poor electricity even shortage of food in ADMARC depots

“So even though the President claims that the economy is stabilizing, I am here to tell him that the only place where that claim is true in real terms is in the State House he occupies, where all his bills and living expenses are paid for by Malawian tax-payers. But for our people, who pay their own bills and living expenses, there is nothing stable about this economy.” he emphasized 

Most part of his speech Chakwera spoke about sufferings people are experiencing and at one point he emphasised "People are suffering in this country"

He also attacked point where president indicated in his speech that austerity measures and fiscal policies are bearing fruit as International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved the resumption of the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). Here Chakwera argued that IMF approving resumption of its programe does not make difference to the common person in the village whose life remains unchanged when comparing before and after the resumption of the ECF.

Chakwera even noted that international development partners are not coming back to resume direct budgetary support to Malawi because Government has failed to restore donor confidence for its "failure to change its wasteful way of doing business" and not that because of changes in developed countries.

Chakwera said “To put it bluntly, the Mutharika administration is a failed government!” because he said nothing is getting better adding “This is unacceptable!” 

He also advised Government to stimulate the economic activities of ordinary Malawians first in order to stabilise the evonomy of the country. He extended his advice to the need to ending the unaffordable and unrealistic interest rate policy of the Reserve Bank, which seems to base its rate on the price of maize.

"You can’t claim that you want to get Malawians out of poverty when the money they need to start business can only be borrowed at interest rates above 20%. As a result, the levels of default are very high and Malawians are losing their homes to find relief from the shackles of debt by which their own government is enslaving them. This is criminal." He observed 

Chakwera also observed that the President speech was grand claims without substance or specifics "This is called Hot Air.” he said

For example, he said there were no specifics in areas of; plan to turn the economy around, on the proposed commission to oversee national development issues, on the links between the performance of different sectors and national economic performance targets, even on actions the government will take to end its irrational dependence on such external forces as the weather.  

Commenting on Agriculture and Food Security which was greater part of his speech, Chakwera said the National Agricultural Policy (2016-2020) is a key strategic document for Malawi which is an agro based economy. But he said the country needs a clear roadmap to adequately address the current and future challenges facing the sector by adopting a broader framework designed to shift the agricultural sector as a whole towards a commercialization agenda.

He also highlighted problems facing the health sector as well as issues on rule of law among others.

CHRR, Cedep Cautions Legislatures On ATI Bill

Trapence and Mtambo

Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Centre for Development of People (Cedep) warns Legislatures not to pass Access to Information Bill (ATI) in its present form saying it is adulterated bill.

A statement reacting to President Peter Mutharika State of National Address, from the two organisations says presently, grey areas in the Access to Information bill include: Scrapping of a provision that information holders should disclose information in the public interest such as unauthorised use of public funds; The introduction of fees for Malawians to access to information; and the Removal of provision which would have enabled people to demand information before the law was enacted

The ATI bill will be officially presented in the National Assembly for tabling by Information Minister during this Third Meeting of 46th Session of Parliament, to consider the 2016/2017 National Budget.

Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapence executive directors for CHRR and Cedep respectively,  expressed in a the Statement today that " In the first place, CHRR and Cedep commend the President for indicating that the long-awaited Access to Information Bill would be tabled in Parliament within the session. We, at CHRR and Cedep, however, would like to reiterate our calls on parliamentarians to exercise democratic maturity by addressing all the undemocratic elements in the adulterated bill to reflect the spirit and purpose of the bill in a Malawian democracy."

They mentioned that they find the mentioned grey areas a regrettable attempt by government to render the Access to Information law toothless in this democratic dispensation. 

"The law, if enacted in its gazetted version, will fall short of addressing key issues such as Cashgate as well as other forms of power-abuse, among other vices." Adds the statement  

Among others the statement from CHRR and Cedep further call Government to go an extra mile in expediting prosecuting cases involving cash-gate and people with albinisms.

On cases involving people with albinisms, CHRR and Cedep bemoaned that cases of abductions and killings of people with albinism continue to escalate at alarming rate regardless of the recent stiffer sentences Courts are handing to convinced criminals.

"All this points to the fact that more needs to be done." Observe the statement suggesting that Malawi Police Service (MPS) and community relationship is key to prevention of abduction, exhumation and killing of people with albinism. 

"Government through MPS ought to strengthen its community outreach structures such as community policing in dealing with the vice" adds the statement 

The statement further calls upon parliamentarians to exercise democratic maturity and patriotism as they conduct their deliberations on behalf of Malawians who are facing numerous challenges in their daily lives.

MCP, PP Response To SONA Today: Inside MCP Response

Chakwera to respond to Mutharika speech 

Leaders of Opposition Parties will this afternoon respond to State of the National Address (SONA) by President Peter Mutharika delivered on Friday when opening the Budget Meeting for 2016/2017.

With immediate reactions the parties made through media just after Mutharika had finished speaking, expectations are high that both Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Peoples Party (PP) will be full of critics. 

PP acting President, Uladi Mussa described Mutharika’s “Towards Recovery and Sustainable Social Economic Development” titled speech as repetition of old promises of development projects and lacked pertinent issues.

Similarly, honorable Jessie Kabwila, spokesperson for MCP says as their president Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is expected to respond this afternoon, MCP believes Mutharika speech was full of concessions that he has failed.

“It was good to hear him concede that growth has not gone according to the way they had said it will grow.” Observed Kabwila, “I think the speech was full of concessions of how life is difficult for the poor Malawian.”

President Mutharika speech admitted that due to bad weather conditions, Malawi economy failed to grow from projected 5.4% and went down to 3.1 in 2015 with inflation remaining high at 21.8 from projected decline of 16.4.

He however, he expressed hope that in 2016/2017 financial year economy is expected to register real GDP growth rate of 5.1% with inflation going down to 19.8%. He added that Malawi economy is slowly stabilizing due to austerity measures and fiscal policies that are in place and was optimistic that Malawi will do better and is gradually weaning itself from donor dependency.

“Where the speech comes short is on solutions.” She added then wondered “What are they planning to do to sort out this mess?”

Kabwila also observed that the State of National Address failed to articulate to their satisfaction on ending hunger in this country and she said that disappoints her party “that believes in the food security.”

“The State of the National Address was very economical with the truth when it came to focus on hunger.  I think it pussyfooted on the issue of hunger, it handled the issue of hunger with kid gloves. Actually, it went to the point of not telling the truth because we know people died of hunger.” She lamented disclosing that “In my own constituency [Salima North West] people had died”

She went on; “When I look at the State of National Address the major gap stands on the issue of hunger. However the leader of Opposition Right Honorable Dr. Lazarus Chakwera shall be responding in full on Monday.”

Honorable Kabwila concluded that in her own analysis, Mutharika speech “was very economical with the truth, it actually grossed over the hunger that we are going through, it grossed over the health crisis that Malawi is facing, the education sector is in a crisis, we know fees have just been introduced the universities are in disarray but he did not focus on that.”

Jumbe Welcome Mutharika Plans For Agriculture

Jumbe

Chairperson for Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development says President Peter Mutharika emphasis to intensify irrigation agriculture is right direction to make the country free of food shortage problems.

Felix Jumbe, Member of Parliament for Salima Central, however, said the country can completely eradicate the hunger if more funds are allocated to agriculture sector in this 2016/2017 National Budget for purpose of procuring food for people facing hunger this year and for this years crop production and investments in irrigation.

President Mutharika when addressing the National Assembly on Friday, outlined that agriculture remains one of the key priorities for Government because of its significance to the economy and that the sector will be placed highest priority to ensure both national and household food security as well as support agro industries.

“Government has also invited interested private sector investors to undertake commercial irrigation farming in order to boost maize production beginning this year. The programme will also involve medium-scale farmers and smallholder farmers to either utilize their existing irrigation facilities or rent unutilized irrigable land.” He said adding that Government will guarantee to buy the maize produced through the National Food Reserve Agency 

“We will also prioritize the development of dams and boreholes to reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture.” And went on to add that Government will revamp extension farmer linkages by deploying more Field Assistants across the country as well as adopt some legislations and policies to guide the sector

“Government continues to prioritize investment in the Greenbelt Initiative in order to increase productivity of selected high value crops” he added

This has excited Honorable Felix Jumbe who said “This is a realization that this country is agro based and our strength in terms of economic recovery will come from agriculture without agriculture there will be no recovery”

He advised that "we need to increase production in Agriculture" and that President was being "realistic" in his speech.

“However, that discovery [that agriculture is source of recovery] is not enough” he observed, “Because we now have to put our structures, our investments and our priorities in agriculture right, to ensure that we can really produce and realize our potential” 

Jumbe said this years he expects to see the 2016/2017 National Budget allocating more resources to Agriculture sector for averting hunger to be faced by an estimated population of 3 million people and for crop production for this year which will bring food for 2017 season. He therefore welcomed President remarks to invest in viable commercial farmers to begin to produce maize for food and export

“That is a very good move because we cannot rely on the production from resource poor farmers to produce for the country” he said

He also highlighted the importance of begining to look at the investment in the sectors infrastructure "If we are to do irrigation we need to do good damming. If you put a dam in Mvera on Lilongwe river it should be able to irrigate the whole district of Salima, such investments are the ones that are needed.”

“So we need to look at the capital investments, structural investments so that Malawi can begin to move and that will also mean organization investment; we are looking at structural organization changes.” He said citing President Mutharika recently remarks that Water Boards should begin to look at irrigation as “type of actions that need to be undertaken”

He then proposed that it would make sense if Agriculture budget gets more allocation of not less than K250 billion for Malawi to change. He suggested that out of this figure, K100 billion can be used to procure food and K100 billion for farming while K50 billion can be for capital investments.

Opposition Angered By Pres. Mutharika Little Details On Addressing Albino Killings

Mutharika: said little on albino attacks

Opposition parties in Parliament have expressed their disappointment over President Peter Mutharika’s failure to give more details of how Government intends to fight against attacks and killings of people with albinism.

Both People’s Party (PP) and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) concurred in separate interviews that the issue of albino attacks is a national crisis and therefore President Mutharika should have spent time in his State Of National Address explaining more about this problem.

In his speech titled “Towards Recovery and Sustainable Socio-Economic Development” President Mutharika touched on the issue of barbaric attacks of people with albinism when highlighting various support the Government made in 2015/16 financial year to disability and eldery.

He said Government undertook an investigative study to establish the root cause of attacks and killing of persons with albinism is some selected districts and that some cases have been speedily prosecuted and some suspects convicted by courts.

He then indicated that Government will in the next financial year intensify awareness campaign on the rights and welfare of people with disability, review the 1911 Witchcraft Act among others.

"We will ensure that our security institutions continue to work with relevant stakeholders in the protection of the rights of persons living with albinism, children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups" he assured later in his State of National Address 

However, opposition Parties are of the view that the President could have said more about this problem.

Mussa

Acting President for PP Uladi Mussa who described the Statement as a repetition of promises and that there was nothing new, expressed his disappointment that President Mutharika failed to provide clear details of how his Government intends to address the barbaric attacks of people with albinism.

“It is our worry as opposition, that we have seen there is nothing on the protection of people with albinism in this country.” Lamented then also singled out issues of secondary school fees hike, status of gay marriages issues and user fees in hospitals as some of the key issues that could have been articulated in the speech

“We thought that the President will give much emphasis on irrigation because the only way of dealing with our hunger situation is through irrigation, but the president has only mentioned about already existing [irrigation systems] saying Government would like to maintain them and not really that the big share of the budget will go for the irrigation in order to deal with hunger situation in the country” noted Mussa

“There is nothing new, it is a repetition, it is a song, it is like a campaign messages we have heard from this State of National Address.” he concluded

Eisenhower

Equally, the Malawi Congress Party Deputy Secretary General, Eisenhower Mkaka reacted, “We feel that the President could have said more on the issue of albino killings, attacks and exhumations of their bodies from graves but what has been said I think it is not enough”

He added that “It is worrisome” that the president did not give much importance to the issue which their party and Malawians regards “a crisis” that requires concerted efforts.

But, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo observed that though there wasn’t much from President on ending albino attacks, however, much is being done on the ground to address the problem citing the recent president meeting with APAM [Association of People with Albinism] an institution that is driving and representing the people with albinism and strong statements from Minister of Home Affairs as well as Inspector General of Police.

“So I don’t think that there was no direct reference to people with albinism in the statement” he said, “Because there was direct reference to human rights in general, there was also direct reference to protecting the most vulnerable in the society and there was also direct reference to persons with albinism”

But she stressed that in view of strong pronouncements being made on the attacks and killings of persons with albinism with the help of the recommendations recently made by the UN independent expert on people with albinism and the existing Government Response Plan on Persons with Albinism, “the focus should now be to build on that and implementation of that response plan.”

Seppo further stressed provision of adequate funding to the Department of Disability for it to implement the Response Plan and that she is obviously waiting for Minister of Finance Honorable Goodall Gondwe Budget Statement next week on how it is going to allocate for the response to albino attacks.

“The Department of disability is an underfunded department in an underfunded ministry so it is challenging and there is need to be kind of action across the Government in terms of trying to fund implementation of the Response Plan. And again there is need have very senior levels championing these issues” she emphasized

But she further commended action taken by President Mutharika in terms of meeting with APAM and some of the statements by ministries saying they are “very encouraging.”