by Patrick Mawaya, Malawi, February 1998
THEME = ELECTIONS
When the United Democratic Front took power from in 1994,
with Bakili Muluzi as State President,
a number of promises were made which raised Malawians' expectations.
But these promises remain unfulfilled.
- President Muluzi promised that his government was very much committed to alleviating poverty among all Malawians, especially those in the rural areas. In addition, government also promised a new hospital and a new university in the North, and over six hundred new health centres, as well as improving infrastructures throughout the country. Now, many hospitals and health centres are trying to function efficiently but they lack basic medication. Doctors have been forced to retire despite a shortage of medical personnel throughout the country.
- Muluzi launched the Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP), yet PAP as a programme, was greatly criticised for it did nothing to improve the situation among the poor. Those who seem to have benefited are those who are close to the ruling clique. Today, PAP remains a programme destined for those Malawians who are already rich.
- Muluzi promised to improve the country's education standards, but these seem to be on a downward trend all the time. What's happening? Malawi's free primary education system is trying to run without enough teachers and educational material. Teachers in all levels of education are not being paid. Those teachers who have not managed to secure government houses are faced with eviction for failing to pay their house rent. All this is leading to ever-decreasing morale in the teaching profession.
- Muluzi promised to tackle Malawi's economic problems, but what's the present situation? The economy has become very unstable, with the devaluation of the Malawi kwacha and high inflation. Prices have been adjusted upwards without any justification. The devaluation of the kwacha has brought panic to investors, causing some to withdraw their investments. Since the kwacha devalued, foreign currency has not been available from the commercial banks. The reason for the scarcity of foreign exchange is that Malawi is a net importer rather than an exporter.
- Muluzi promised to bring peace and order to Malawi but now there's a total security breakdown in the country. Armed robberies, rape, abduction of children, and instances of mob justice are all been on the increase. The victims of mob justice are petty thieves, most of them caught in the act while pick- pocketing.
- Then there's the President's failure to discipline erring cabinet ministers. These include: Peter Kalilombe who was Minister of Trade and Industry and who was allegedly involved in a sex scandal with a sixteen year old girl. He was sacked from the cabinet, thanks to pressure from women activists. But now, where is Kalilombe? He's the General Manager of ADMARC, one of the biggest parastatals in Malawi owned by the government. And, Sam Mpasu who was accused of corruption when he was Minister of Education, in a notebook scandal known as the "Field York Scandal". He was dropped from the cabinet and then appointed the UDF's Secretary-General, and returned to the cabinet as Minister of Information.
- There were high hopes that when the UDF took over the government, free speech would become an established fact. But now, there is intense pressure on the Press, in the run-up to the 1999 General Elections. The UDF is trying to kill the Opposition by killing the opposition press.
END
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