CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Patrick Mawaya, Malawi, January 1999
THEME = ELECTIONS
As Malawians prepare for the 1999 Parliamentary and presidential
elections,
everyone's getting a bit jittery. At the root of the problem is:
"Will people vote in the elections?"
There's a mixture of hope and fear. In fact, there are mixed reactions with regard to the forthcoming general elections. Areas of concern include the question of independent Members of Parliament, voter apathy, media harassment, and the way in which the politicians present their message.
George Claver, Executive Director of the Forum for the Foundation of People with Disabilities says: "Regarding the 1999 general elections, I can foresee problems here and there. But I hope we shall have good elections if all of us stick to the rules of the game."
But that's not so sure when it comes to Malawi's politicians!
Voter apathy is likely during the elections. George Claver says: "People will not be willing to vote. Indeed, they're asking what is the use of voting if those voted into power don't fulfil their election promises? What's the use of voting for people who lie?"
"On the other hand", Claver warns: "If people don't vote, we shall end up having a government chosen by very few people."
Victor Kamanga, a journalist, remarks: "The feeling is that there will be a low voter turn-out. There is a growing feeling of voter apathy. In fact, people are losing interest in the whole process of democratisation."
He may be right, because turn-out has been low during bye- elections. People who registered to vote, never turned up on polling day.
Victor Kamanga suggests that the problem of voter apathy can be addressed through civic education and widespread campaigning on the duties of citizens. Any such campaign must be politically neutral - the aim is to get people to vote and explain why they have to vote.
The question of Independent Members of Parliament (MP)s is also a bone of contention. After the general election of May 1994, several MPs declared themselves to be "independent MPs". But this was after they had been voted into power on a party ticket. All the parties in Parliament (the United Democratic Front [UDF], the Malawi Congress Party [MCP], and the Alliance for Democracy [AFORD]) have been victims of this scenario. To make matters worse, Malawi's present Constitution remains silent on this issue of independent MPs. The result is, Malawi's National Assembly now includes a ruling party, an Opposition, and "Independents".
Political analysts have been asking whether the Independents are just another party in the National Assembly.
The Technical Review Committee for the Constitution puts it this way: "If any person is elected to the National Assembly on a party ticket, that person may not declare themselves independent at a later stage. Any declaration of independence will lead to that Member's constituency being declared vacant."
There have been reports of media harassment - mainly opposition newspapers. The Daily Times of 26 November 1998 reported the harassment of Amos Gumulira (a photographer) and Ayam Maeresa (a business reporter), both from the Daily Times. These two were beaten up by thugs at the Blantyre District United Democratic Front (UDF)'s Governor's office on 24 November 1998. According to reporter Chikumbutso Mtumodzi, they were beaten up in Governor Eric Chiwaya's presence, when they had gone to his office to collect a camera which had been snatched from them while they were covering a party meeting in Blantyre.
In another incident, Bright Sonani, a political reporter with the Daily Times also lost his camera when UDF party loyalists snatched it from him.
To make matters worse, a fake National Agenda newspaper is circulating. This, many people believe, is a ploy of the UDF to counter the attacks it gets from the real National Agenda newspaper. The opposition Malawi Congress Party appealed to the government to address the situation, but the government has been mute on the issue and no official statement has come from it.
Because of all the media harassment, it is not clear how effective the Media will be, in informing the people about the political parties' agenda.
However, the Chairman of the Public Affairs Committee, Father Constantine Kaswaya, has warned politicians not use the Media for political gains. He says: "The Media should be left to work professionally, to disseminate correct and objective news. It is no secret that the Media can divide and promote disrespect."
In 1994, it appeared that the political battle was against the late Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda. Political parties were formed on regional lines and during the elections, there was a clear manifestation that voting was conducted on regional lines. But Malawi cannot afford to continue with this situation.
Victor Kamanga says the future will only be bright if the campaign focuses on national issues. "People should be told that they own this country and they have a responsibility for looking after it. Leaders are elected on behalf of the people; the people have a part to play - especially to elect leaders who can represent their aspirations. The people must think in terms of belonging to the broader nation-state and as such, must be able to accommodate other tribes and other regions. There is need to instill in the people a sense of nationhood."
Malawian leaders have been hypocritical in their approach to politics. They've been promising the moon to the poor Malawi nation. Victor Kamanga says: "Our politicians are "propagandists" - not always telling the truth. They're just a bunch of hypocrites. Malawi is still living in "cloud cuckoo land", imagining that all is well whereas the majority of the population exist in poverty.
George Claver continues: "Democracy is meaningless if it does not lead to improvement in the living standards of the people. What is democracy to a people who are starving? People who cannot make ends meet? People who cannot afford better health facilities?"
MacDonald Mizati, a postgraduate student at Chancellor College says: "There is still not enough political awareness. People don't know what to vote for. The underlying factor is poverty and that can't be ignored. People only think of survival. So the real el-ection issue is not political but one which deals with economics."
For George Claver, "the key challenge is to ensure that various disadvantaged groups such as women, youth and disabled people are taken care of. Democracy is meaningless if it excludes certain sections of society. Democracy is about mass participation. Another issue which cannot be ignored is the way in which our politicians present their political message. They must set standards, avoiding the use of abusive language, and seeking to unite rather than divide".
END
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