Public University Students Petition Parliament; Demands Adequate Funds For Loan Board

Students Union Leaders from Public Universities on Thursday afternoon delivered a Petition to Parliament, demanding for adequate funding for the newly established Higher Education Students Grants and Loan Board to enable it include more needy students to access to loans.


The Board’s national fiscal budget allocation is currently at K1.5 billion and has released names of beneficiaries.


However, Students Union Leadership says the number of beneficiaries is very small comparing to the situations on the ground at the colleges, left so many other deserving students so desperate for the help of the Malawi government for their education.

Hon Nyalonje (middle) 

Hon Nyalonje listening to the petition 

The petition which is only making three demands was presented to the Speaker through Vice Chairperson for the Education Committee of Parliament, Hon Agnes Nyalonje. 

Davis reading petition 

When reading the petition, Davis Jiva, Secretary General for the Students Union at the University of Malawi Polytechnic said the Students Union Leadership wants government to double the budget allocated to the Board so that a lot of needy students are able to access to the loan.

He also indicated that, due to inadequate funds at the Board, a good number of students on the list of beneficiaries have been underfunded. 

"Some students have just been given fees only but lacking stipend (money for food and accommodation). Statistically, the Malawi polytechnics with a population of about 3,000 only 96 have been allocated with up-keep allowance; Chancellor College with a population of 4,500, only 90 students have been allocated stipend." He said 

He explains; "For example, tuition fee at University of Malawi is K275 thousand, some students have been given K165 thousand as tuition fee. So the question is where would the needy student going to get the remaining money to pay for the tuition fee?"

Other two demands in their petition, the students wants to be consulted and involved to allow the Board to understand some of the in depth understanding of the students and that there should be a review of the Higher Education Students Grants and Loan Board Act to provide a section where the role of students unions should be clearly stated.

The petition also observe that the Board has released the names of the beneficiaries without seeking consultation and that there is no communication on the date to which loans will be disbursed to individual applicant a delay which is causing some students to be withdrawn from the colleges.

"For example, a student from LUANAR whose mother's source of income is kachasu, withdrew from university because she could not meet costs for accommodation, meals and tuition." Reads the petition

Students Union Leadership demands the National Assembly to work on their petition within 2 weeks so that needy students are not subjected to 'no fees no registration' policy.

Receiving the petition Vice Chairperson for the Education Committee of Parliament, Hon Agnes Nyalonje promised to deliver the letter to Speaker and help the students on their grievance.

The Petition has jointly been signed by University of Malawi Students Union Council, Mzuzu University Students Representative Council, Lilongwe University Agriculture and Natural Resources Students Union and Malawi University of Science and Technology Students Union.

Government abolished stipends to all public universities and introduced Higher Education Students Loan and Grants Board where students can apply for the tuition, stationary and upkeep allowance. However, the Board admitted that due to limited funding it will be difficult to consider all applicants for the Loans and Grants.

Malata, Cement Subsidies Form Of Dependency

Lazarus Chakwera

Leader of Opposition in Parliament attacks Malata and Cement Subsidy programme pursued by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Government as unsound plan which make citizens dependent to Government.

The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president said Malawians do not deserve better housing, but there is a better way to increase access to such amenities. 

Chakwera mentioned that his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) believe that the best way to improve living standards and conditions is to increase the capacity of Malawians through private sector jobs and businesses that generate enough income for them to build their own houses. 

He said current subsidy is one way of encouraging citizens overdependence on Government which encourages consumption capacity instead of building productive capacity to generate adequate revenues in future.

"Mr. Speaker Sir, instead of building productive capacity to generate adequate revenues in future, the Executive is busy building consumption capacity – continuing with its expansion of such consumption avenues as the Malata and Cement Subsidy.” He said

“Who in their right mind increases consumption when productivity is shrinking? Besides, when are we going to open our eyes to see that knee-jerk subsidy programs are the most vulnerable to abuse?" Said Chakwera in his response to the State of the National Address 

He went on; "No President can say in one breath that the Government needs to move away from dependency on donors and at the same time sink Malawians deeper into dependency on Government subsidies. Malawi does not need a President who invents new ways to spend Malawians‟ money, but one who creates new ways for Malawians to create wealth which they can spend as they see fit. How can this president administer a cure for our economic ills if he is unable to see that dependency on subsidies is part of the sickness? How can Malawians be engaged in activities that grow the economy when he is busy deepening their sense of dependency?"

Chakera also questions criteria of selecting 80 beneficiaries in the programme per constituency, parameters used among others.

"Mr Speaker Sir, the President said that 80 beneficiaries in the Malata and Cement Subsidy have been identified per constituency in all the 193 constituencies. Many questions arise: What were the criteria for selecting the beneficiaries? What parameters did they use? Who selected those beneficiaries? Hindsight teaches us that these kinds of programs are ill advised, ill-devised, and ill-executed."

    

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ARET, Chitedze Research De-linked From LUANAR

The National Assembly passes the bill detaching Agriculture Research Trust (ARET) and Chitedze Research Station from the Lilongwe University oAgriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR).

The two delinked institutions and the two colleges of Bunda College of Agriculture and Natural Resources College were joined during Bingu Wa Mutharika administration forming Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR).

Minister of Agriculture Irrigation and Water Development, Allan Chiyembekeza said during the Second Reading of the Bill 'Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Amendment)', that excluding the two institutions from forming LUANAR the country stands to benefit more.  

"Despite delinking of Chitedze and ARET from LUANAR, there will be strong collaboration between these two institutions and LUANAR on research technology, dissemination as well as teaching.

Staff from these institutions should be allowed to teach at LUANAR, conduct research and supervising research but with agreed time allocations and associated rewards while retaining their core functions over bride research to address national agricultural research problems." Said Chiyembekeza

He further told the house that the amended legislation apart from enabling ARET and Chitedze Research Station maintain their identities and core functions, said ARET will return its mandate of promoting tobacco production and remain as a centre of excellence for tobacco and no loss of jobs at both institutions;

"Government control of the National Agriculture Research Agenda will be maintained, the cost of relocating Regulatory and Technical the functions from Chitedze Research Station and ARET and Re-orientation of the other research stations will be avoided and the future of the international Agriculture Research Centres that are based at Chitedze Research Station will also be ensured." he added

The minister mentioned that integrating Chitedze Research Station into LUANAR would have brought more negative implications which includes: loss of Government control of the National Agriculture Research Agenda; High cost of relocating Regulatory, Technical and the Advisory functions from Chitedze; 

“Shifting priority for Agriculture Research, re-orientation of the rest of the research stations in the ministry, uncertainty over the livestock of research and infrastructure and uncertainty over the future on the international agriculture research centres that are housed at Chitedze Research centre." He said

The minister also noted that Government created ARET as the model for Public Private Partnership which the country needs to learn from and replicate to continue championing in the production of tobacco in this country.

Responding to the bill, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson on Agriculture, Felix Jumbe made no objection to the provisions in the bill.

However, Jumbe said; "Including Chitedze in LUANAR it was a quite an anomaly. We would rather wish Chitedze become a Commission and excluded from Ministry of Agriculture"

Similarly, People's Party (PP) shadow Minister of Agriculture, Dr. James Munthali supported the bill but taunted the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Government for making a u-turn over the decision it made some years ago.

ARET was established in 1995 through a Trust deed with the ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development and Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) as donors and trustees. TAMA and some stakeholders in the tobacco industry resisted the integration of ARET into LUANAR.

PP Contemplating Coalition With MCP: Claims To Have Solutions For Malawi Economic, Governance Problems

Uladi Mussa; no problem working with MCP

Leader of Peoples Party (PP) Uladi Mussa says his party and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) poses much needed expertise to rebound current state of economy and good governance lacking in current administration.

Mussa who stood to speak on behalf of his party in the National Assembly challenged that given chance to rule PP and MCP can turn round the current problems in a month or three. 

However, inclusion of MCP in his speech was surprising as this did not contain in his written speech. 

If that was not enough, Mussa for several times also sounded that PP is planning to join forces with MCP come 2019 elections when he ended PP response to President Peter Mutharika’s State of the National Address with declaration that PP and MCP will make good government come 2019.

Asked to elaborate more on expertise he referred to in his speech Mussa said PP and MCP are the only political parties that have experienced people when it comes to governing this country.

“Definitely, both parties are full of experienced people!” he said

“The problem we are facing now is because of lack of expertise and experience. When Bingu came in, he hired ministers of Muluzi and new ones. And when Joyce Banda came to power, he also did the same by hiring Bingu Wa Mutharika Ministers and new ones. But this one (Peter Mutharika) has just taken new ones from their party.” He explained 

On his pronouncement which sounds PP and MCP are working together readiness for the 2019 General Elections, Mussa said “I don’t see any reason or harm that PP and MCP working together. And more over Malawi is a small country and I don’t see any necessity of having over 50 parties working in this country so we need to work together, we need to amalgamate and map way forward for the country.”

"Actually you journalists must encourage party coalitions" he added

Among others, Uladi also warned during his speech that his party is ready to take to court Government over the alleged plans to introduce fees in primary schools.

“We have heard that Government intends to introduce fees in the primary school up to K5000 per pupil which is very, very exorbitant and parents in villages cannot afford that. Peoples Party is wondering why this government is going against the Constitution of Malawi [Section 13 (f)] and introducing primary school fees. If this DPP Government continues with primary school fees, PP is ready to challenge that in court because it is against Constitution which guarantees free primary education”

He added that their lawyer Ralph Mhone and others are ready to to take the matter to court.

Negotiations May Bring Back Donors- PP

Uladi Mussa

The opposition Peoples Party (PP) says Donors may resume direct budgetary aid if the current administration swallows its pride and begin to negotiate with donors and accept their demands.

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

Mussa said the main reason donors are reluctant to come back is because the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is failing to effectively negotiate with them and listen to their demands.

Donors suspended their direct budgetary aid to Malawi following revelations of massive looting of public money at the Capital Hill dubbed Cashgate.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration of Peter Mutharika says Malawians should move away from donor dependency and start to focus on ways to outsource resources locally and bringing in investors.

However, PP says “does not agree” that Malawi cannot negotiate further with our donors “donor age should not end abruptly because this is not first time happening in the country.”

Uladi Mussa said all President Peter Mutharika’s predecessors came in when donors had left but they managed to bring them back.

“When Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda got voted out of the office in 1994 the Paris Club had left. But Dr. Bakili Muluzi came in they negotiated and donors came back. Ten years later, when Bingu Wa Mutharika came in donors had also left due to bad governance and corruption. But did the same. He went to New York in September of 2004 to give his maiden speech” said Mussa.

He noted that similar development happened in 2012 when Joyce Banda came to power. Also donors had left because the incumbent was off-track with IMF policy but made negotiations until donors came back.

“So we are greatly surprised that DPP is telling people that we must suffer, no aid will be coming to Malawi. No!” he said “The aid can come to Malawi if there is a political will to negotiate with donors.” He added

Mussa then alleged that he is sure that Mutharika administration has failed to convince donors to come back because of the known problems and reasons.

He mentioned failure to honor donor demands and instructions on fiscal audit on K92 billion cashgate scam which took place from 2009 to 2012 during the time of Bingu Wa Mutharika and calls for an investigation into the murder of Issa Njauju one of the top Officials at the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and many other things are the main reasons why DPP won’t go for negotiations with donors. 

“So to avoid these conditions this government is saying No donor aid. But I strongly believe if there is political will donors can come back to assist the poorest of the poor in this country.” He added

However he made it clear that PP does appreciates the need for Malawi to be self-sufficient, but believes that Malawi should develop a plan to gradually wean itself from donor aid.

Mussa also in his response rubbishes President Mutharika State of National Address as empty statement which does not give hope but full of lamentations with no proposal about how the country will come out of current mess.

He in several times called for Mutharika resignation.

The PP leader also bemoaned over new procedure in the identification of Farm Input Subsidy beneficies and its price by saying that at the moment, the programme will benefit the rich and not the poor of the poorest.

He further bemoaned with the state of Governance and Human rights issues that includes; Conflicts between branches of government, on tackling corruption and protection of the officers involved in investigation of corruption cases, interference by the Attorney General in Parliamentary Affairs, denying former President Joyce Banda to entitlements (official salary, security, vehicles and residence) and failure to commit to amend the Electoral Laws.

Mutharika Sugarcoat Malawi Situation In His Address

Chakwera

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera, says President Peter Mutharika’s sugarcoated seriousness of the country situation in his speech when opening the Parliament Meeting on Friday.


The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president was responding to State Of National Address on Monday evening as the house begins responding to President Speech delivered last Friday 6th November 2015.


Chakwera said although President Peter Mutharika acknowledged in his address that the country is at critical stage but the rest of his speech was sugarcoating the seriousness of the situation.


The leader of Opposition whose speech lasted 38 minutes, full of number of concerns regarding what President Peter Mutharika should have spoken on the occasion of opening the 46th Session of Parliament, however, said “one positive from the President‟s address is that it only lasted 23 minutes, so at least Mutharika was kind enough to not take too much of our time with his Zero Plan Speech.”


Chakwera said the President Speech was not only empty, but also avoided so many national issues


“To be frank, Mr Speaker Sir, the President‟s speech avoided so many national issues that it is almost impossible to find anything of substance to respond to.” Said Chakwera


“The Executive may think that avoiding to say how bad things are will make Malawians think that their lives are getting better, but this is a fool‟s errand, and this House will not allow you to bury your heads in the sand like this. Let‟s talk about how things are falling apart.” Said Chakwera


He said as things seems now, it is clear that Malawi is not only financially bankrupt, but also bankrupt of sound policies and plans to move Malawi into a prosperous nation.


The Opposition Leader justified his claim saying for those who listened to President Mutharika’s speech  never got action plans to end enormous challenges facing people.


Among others he said President failed to highlight areas of deteriorating security, food situation, social welfare even rationale on hiked fees in Secondary and Universities as well as removal of Standard 8 and JCE examination. He further said the President should have also informed Malawians on the status of K557 billion audit query as well as plans to end arson burning markets.


He then requested the whole house to put heads together to offer ideas to President on how he can end the enormous challenges facing the country


“Because the President has failed to set the record straight about the poor performance of the country and his leadership, I stand here to do it. Because his government has no plan by which to call Malawians to actions that will get us out of this mess, we must all put our heads together here to offer him ideas.” He said


“We simply cannot afford to let the ship we are sailing on to sink in these troubled economic waters simply because the captain does not know the way to our destiny or how to navigate troubled waters. We cannot afford to let the Executive, with its 20 strong cabinet plus a congregation of 20 plus so-called advisors, leave our children at the mercy of its endless comedy of errors. It is unfortunate that the people have no means to fire the whole administration, and indeed a wonder that the whole lot has not resigned. After all, Mr Speaker Sir, not only are they failing to solve our problems, but they themselves have become a problem!” he lamented


He also accused President Mutharika of lying to Malawians that 2015 will be a great year, that the economy will rebound and that nothing is working now.

BMC, Parliament Want ATI Bill Enactment In the Upcoming Meeting

Chakwera (middle)

Leader of Opposition in Parliament, and Media, Information and Communications Committee of Parliament says will lobby for enactment of the much waited Access to Information Bill (ATI) during upcoming meeting of Parliament.

Members of the Bwaila Media Club (BMC), on Wednesday had an audience with Leader of Opposition Hon. Lazarus Chakwera, sought his support in pushing for the tabling of the bill and objectively pass it amid delay ‘tactics’ from Government to take the bill to the upcoming Meeting of Parliament.

Few weeks ago in Salima, President Peter Mutharika promised to take the bill to the First Meeting of the 46th Session of Parliament which begins this Friday saying all the processes were finalized. This pronouncement was reiterated by Minister of Information Jappie Mhango during the recent meeting of some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Civil Society in Lilongwe.

However, the promises are unlikely to be met now as Leader of House in the National Assembly, Francis Kasaila disclosed to Journalist on Monday in Lilongwe that the bill still awaits final inspection by Cabinet. He said it is not on the list of the business for the next Meeting of National Assembly.

Hon Samuel Kawale and Chakwera

Chakwera shared BMC concern over the delays by Government to take the bill to parliament and promised to “Seriously” take the responsibility of encouraging all members from his party and others in opposition on how they can help push for the tabling of the bill.

“I would say that am with you” he said, “The message you brought has been received and warmly so. And that if Lord willing we should even incorporate your concerns in some of things that we say”

The Opposition leader also underscored that Access to Information Bill is very important.

He said the bill empowers people to have information that is needed in order for them to appreciate what their own government is doing. And that with comprehensive view of what is happening they are able to make informed decisions.

“Let information that the public needs to have be made available. Not just on demand… but when such is needed however, there should be a backing of the law that says you have that right to access that information.” said Chakwera

“We are with you.” He affirmed “I am particularly would love for the information to be available to anyone because issues of accountability and transparency are important to us all” added the opposition leader with emphasis that information is critical in an age “like ours”

Hon Samuel Kawale

In his remarks Chairperson for the Media, Information and Communications Committee of Parliament, Samuel Kawale, said was “disappointed and discouraged” to learn that Government is keeping on delaying the bill which has stalled for so many years.

“If there were issues that needed to be addressed they should have been brought earlier on, so that we sit down again, talk over them and make sure that all the grey areas are sorted out” he said

“As Committee, our major task from now on, is to work alongside with media houses and other stakeholders to lobby government to make sure that this bill is tabled in parliament and passed into law” assured Kawale

Meanwhile, leader of the Bwaila Media Club delegation, Steve Chilundu has expressed his profound gratitude for the promising remarks from the Leader of Opposition Lazarus Chakwera and the Chairperson for the Media, Information and Communications of Parliament.

Chilundu said BMC will continue to meet with various stakeholders to ask them lobby government to table and pass the Access to Information Bill during the Meeting of National Assembly which begins this week.

Bwaila Media Club has also issued a statement expressing concern over, government recent ambiguity and dilly dallying in its commitment to table and pass the bill.