Kondwani Munthali -Malawi

Today, my President is mid air travelling from Sudan, heading to Addis Ababa. Yesterday he was in Ivory Coast and later he went to Sudan, meeting Al Bashir before going to Juba for a meeting with officials of Southern Sudan. I would have said a lot, except that we are living in days of trying to define a direction for our country. Days of uncertainity, gossip and rumour mongering and at times sometimes the destruction of peoples careers based on pure hearsy. Last night I spent four hours on a petrol line and went to bed only around midnight, my bosses were expecting me at 7.30 pronto. I could not have given a damn about where my President was today, was it not for Uganda President who graced the BBC airwaves and could not say as to whether he will or not run again in 2016. Instead, he was busy saying his country might be a developed country by then. Might after almost 30 years in power he has yet to find solution to the basic challenges that millions of Uganda face. He has no shame tru...

There is a strong opinion, that President Bingu wa Mutharika does not keep freinds. He has nearly discharged all officers, politicians and even staffers that started him with the Presidency journey in 2005. A year after winning the Presidency under the UDF ticket. But at a close glance, most people that have been fired or removed, rarely do they generate sympathy from the public. In most cases, people smile and shout loudly 'good riddance'. I know several who drunk to the firing of Patricia Kaliati, while many in parliament were happy with the downfall of Khumbo Kachali. How many weeped for Ken Zikhale Ng'oma? I bet none, he had become as pompous that he was labelled as Prime Minister, the same happened with Gwanda Chakuamba, Uladi Mussa and many others that cannot be mentioned here. Humility has not been part of politicians in Malawi, that when they fall, they fall harder and the leave the public smiling. I recalled this last night after hearing the firing of Leckford Thot...

On 21 May 2010, the Malawi Parliament moved into its own new permanent and purposely built home, courtesy of the Chinese Government benevolence who pumped in K6 billion to transform Malawi’s capital city’s presidential way. The completion of the purpose built home of the national legislative body, augurs well with the proclaimed equality of the three branches of Government in a democracy namely Parliament, Executive and The Judiciary. Only the Executive had a permanent seat called Capital Hill. The expectations of a new era of a democratic and civilized politics were also raised days later on Tuesday, 25th May 2010, when in a landmark speech to parliament titled One People, One Nation, President Bingu wa Mutharika called Malawians to bury the past. “We have to move forward. We must come out of the past. We cannot live in the past permanently. The past belongs to history. There is no room in Malawi for politics of hatred. There is no room in Malawi for politics of vengeance or retributi...