Right to Write

IN THE NAME OF SAVING MALAWI... By Joseph Kayira | 20 November 2023 Where I live, we are still arguing; and bone of contention is the 44 percent devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha, which the Reserve Bank of Malawi announced some days ago. We were informed that the devaluation was a necessary evil that once effected it would unlock donor funds that this country very much needs for development projects and to resuscitate the economy, which has been in the doldrums for far too long. The exchange rate was adjusted from the selling rate of K1,180.29 to K1,700.00 United States Dollars with effect from 9 November 2023. The Central bank said the adjustment stemmed from an assessment it conducted which showed that: Supply demand imbalances remain in the market despite adjustments of the exchange rate through the auction system; arbitrage opportunities have resurfaced in the market due to the mismatch in the exchange rates in the cash and TT markets; and that spot checks on some of the players ind...

Casual attitude towards sexual violence and mob justice? By JOSEPH KAYIRA | 1 November 2023  In December 2020, a press statement by the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) observed how widespread cases of violence against women and girls had become at the time. It said reports of rape and defilement were widespread. Equally, MHRC said the country had witnessed increased levels of violence and mob justice against some elderly persons who – until today – are accused of witchcraft.  Three years down the line, the situation has not improved. There have been reports of instances of mob justice; video clips have gone viral of women stripping fellow women in broad day light and the intention has been to shame the victims for going out with married men. We still get police beats of men who force themselves on their own daughters. And newspapers are awash with reports of suspected murder cases. The question is: why this rise in cases of sexual violence and mob justice? At a time when...

 TOWARDS THE ECONOMIC BRINK... By Joseph Kayira | 13 October 2023 A few days ago, in a mini-Cabinet reshuffle, President Lazarus Chakwera appointed his former minister of trade and industry, Simplex Chithyola, to head treasury. It is a move that has surprised many. However, the appointment of Chithyola as finance minister should be the least of our problems. To a larger extent, Malawi’s problems go beyond cabinet appointments. The good thing is that Chithyola will not be working in isolation. There is a whole lot of technocrats at treasury who will be guiding him on implementation of financial and monetary policy. We can only wish him well in this daunting task. Chithyola: The new Minister of Finance  (Photo Credit: Leyman Publications) What Malawians should be wary of is the state of our economy and the failure to decisively deal with problems that stand in the way of economic growth and development. For some time now, Malawi has had issues with the Bretton Woods institutions...

REMEMBERING JOHN ZENUS UNGAPAKE TEMBO  Tembo: Contributed a lot to national  development (Photo Credit: Internet) John Tembo: I don’t change dogma Nobody should steal MPs right in Parliament by inducing them with monetary gifts or appointments to positions in government. By JOSEPH KAYIRA | 27 SEPTEMBER 2023 This interview was first published in The Lamp magazine (Number 74 of November – December 2008). This interview with Honourable John Zenus Ungapake (JZU) Tembo, who at the time was president of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, was conducted at his Nyambadwe residence in Blantyre. Honourable Tembo died Wednesday, 27 September 2023 aged 91 and this interview has been republished in honour of this veteran politicians who served his constituents and nation with dignity and dedication. May his soul rest in peace. JK: The Electoral Commission (MEC) is in the process of registering voters in some parts of the country. are you happy with ...

Malawi’s laissez faire attitude to ‘everything’ is dangerous By JOSEPH KAYIRA | 25 SEPTEMBER 2023 Operating under panic and in chaos is becoming a new normal for some government institutions in Malawi. Most of us have come across a situation where government officials behave as if the Ministry, Department or Agency (MDAs) they are working for is a family business or worse still, a personal estate. MDAs have become sleepy places where it is business as usual at the expense of Malawi’s ailing economy.  That is why no one wants to talk about progress in these offices. It is this laissez faire attitude to issues of national importance that is perpetuating corruption, poverty and derailing development. At a time when development partners, donors and well-wishers think we shouldn’t be going down that dangerous path, those who benefit from this chaos are dragging us down by their inefficiencies for us to remain in the vicious cycle of poverty. What is particularly disturbing is how ther...

Who should police noise polluters? By JOSEPH KAYIRA | 17 SEPTEMBER 2023 Noise pollution refers to harmful or annoying levels of noise. We must therefore underline ‘harmful’, ‘annoying’, ‘noise’ and the word ‘pollution’ itself. Anything harmful, causes or is likely to cause harm. And anything annoying causes irritation or annoyance. While noise is a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant or that causes disturbance. Pollution is the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects. All these explanations allude to the cardinal point that noise pollution should not be condoned in human habitat. Yet, in the name of democracy and the rights that come with it, no one wants to act responsibly when it comes to combating noise pollution. It is even worse when the polluters are religious or moralistic in nature. There is this sense of entitlement that no one should question these institutions if they decide to make noise all night l...

 The unending battle for the soul of the DPP By JOSEPH KAYIRA | 8 SEPTEMBER 2023 Whoever put a curse on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) must be very dangerous in modern day witchcraft.  Considering calls to stand again: Mutharika  (Photo Credit: Internet) When Bingu wa Mutharika formed the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) back in 2005, he dreamt of a political party that would be democratic and progressive – and one that would promote prosperity, justice and security. Thus, under Bingu the DPP flourished and Malawi’s economy grew at an average of 6.5 percent. That said, the DPP leadership has not done well in many ways, one of them being failure to uphold democratic tenets and values. In short, lack of intra-party democracy has been the DPP’s biggest problem. Currently, the party is embroiled in a vicious power struggle, with Bingu’s brother Peter Mutharika [DPP president] on the one hand, and several other prospective candidates on the other. They are fighting f...