by Patrick Mwanza, Malawi, March 1998
THEME = CHURCH
The Catholic Church in Malawi is the source of hope for the
oppressed -
reminiscent of 1992 when it set the mood for change from a one-party,
to a multi-party system of government
At the beginning of Lent 1998, the Catholic Bishops of Malawi wrote a Pastoral Letter entitled: "Come Back To Me And Live", emphasising society's concerns about corruption and lack of basic freedoms in their country. The following gives some background to the bishops' concerns
Repeating what they had already stated in their 1996 Pastoral Letter "Walking Together in Faith", the bishops said: "Our new Malawi is becoming more stained by corruption which takes many new forms today... Corruption is a sin and has drastic evil effects. It is robbing our nation of scarce resources and it is the poor and the less powerful who in the majority get punished by the effects of this deplorable crime".
It does not need an expert to understand the problems that exist in Malawi which can be attributed to corruption. President Bakili Muluzi, after first saying that there's no corruption in Malawi, recently acknowledged that the practice does exist. The President, who perhaps had been threatened by the prospect of donors cutting off aid, called on the public to report all corruption cases to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, set up to help curb the practice. After ending 30 years of corrupt dictatorship under former president Hastings Banda, Malawians hoped the situation would change for the better.
The first scandal to rock Muluzi's government, concerned free primary education,
introduced to reduce high levels of illiteracy. Over 60% of the country's 12 million
citizens are unable to read and write. The Democrat newspaper, alleged that
Fair treatment of each other, the bishops note, is easier said than done. They say Malawian workers, part of the vast majority of whom live below the US $ 60 a month poverty line, "work in the homes, shops and especially on our estates, and are subjected to sub-human working conditions. These people are underpaid, but overworked. The whole concept of "tenancy" in Malawi needs to be carefully looked at. It may be another form of "thangata" (work for nothing during colonial times), or worse still, slavery," say the bishops. "Christians, who are employers, should re-examine this whole question of remuneration as a matter of justice and equity [and] we further request you to shun child labour which again is against Christian charity."
The bishops also reacted against donor-driven economic reforms which are taking their toll on the poor, "due to sudden and frequent rises in prices of commodities. Most Malawians depend on farming which has now become more difficult to manage because of the high cost of fertilizer. We seem to have left everything to the mercy of market forces in a country where the appropriate infrastructure is nonexistent."
In 1994, the government embraced the World Bank's and International Monetary Fund's reforms, and removed subsidies on agricultural inputs and fuel. The decision to liberalise the economy was however criticised by economists and the business community alike. Both the Opposition and the business community have predicted tough times ahead for the "have-nots". Other disconcerting effects of the government's current fiscal policy, include the late payment of teachers' salaries, and hospitals that cannot afford basic supplies. At the time of writing, the dental department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Malawi's biggest) in Blantyre has had to close as it lacks anaesthetics.
The bishops emphasise that it is important for government to allow people to take part in matters affecting them. "Democracy has, we hope, come to Malawi to stay, but the process is still incomplete as long as power does not filter down to people at the grassroots. At present it is only the elite who participate in the democratic process. We urge (you) to persuade your Members of Parliament to put in place the process of establishing councils at local level".
Last year, the government, saying it had no money, postponed the local elections. Hopefully, these will be held next year together with the presidential and parliamentary elections - all of which has sparked off press and public pressure for a reversal of the decision to re-schedule the local elections. "Also", say the bishops, "the government should try to loosen its tight grip on public means of mass communication, especially the radio".
Malawi has only one radio station, run by the government. Alternative views on this most powerful means of communication in a country where illiteracy is unacceptably high, are seldom heard.
The print media is the only other channel where alternative views can be heard. But that is done at a price. Muluzi's government which courted journalists during the campaign to end Banda's rule, saying they will be free to criticise, has made an about-turn. In a move calculated to silence dissenting voices, the government has ordered its ministries to stop advertising in the pro-opposition Daily Times and its sister paper, the weekly Malawi News - owned by Banda who in his Will, bequeathed it to the opposition Malawi Congress Party. It should be noted that the government is the biggest single advertiser in the country. With high illiteracy levels, circulation alone cannot sustain newspapers.
The bishops' Letter is truly a call to repentance as the Nation walks together towards the year 2000.
END
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