Kondwani Munthali -Malawi

Still yet to get confirmation that Senior Management at Malawi Revenue Authority has either been fired or asked to resign in the wake of the K30 billion scandal which the Authority borrowed K14 billion as part of a wider scam to cheat Malawians that the Zero Deficit budget was working.... details coming soon

One thing about Africa, is that most of its Leaders, just like in Asia, Latin America and now Russia, they sometimes behave like cartoons or to the extreme babies. But Africa is rich in terms of news and lessons than any other continent. Within two weeks, an Acting President of Mali was beaten up by protesters who stormed the Presidential palace. Its difficult for one to comprehend why he is still in office when people clearly do not want him there. Politics is complicated. Of course for poor Malians this act alone will see the Acting President increase their motorcades and security detail. I am glad, my President Joyce Banda announced the reduction of her motorcade. I have noted that her deputy Khumbo Kachali more often travels light and  quietly unless there is a vehicle blocking the way. I applaud the two for such a start, I hope it will continue. Presidents of Botswana and even Zimbabwe travel quite light most of times and their dignity has never been less. P

There is no other book that classifies unequal society more pronounced that George Owells Animal Farm. I first read it in Zambia as it was banned in Malawi as we grew up. President Joyce Banda, has spoken of an equal, just and fair society she dreams Malawi to become. But this week, that dream has come under question. This is in no way justification of what is being alleged that Blantyre Newspaper Limited Journalist Clement Chinoko falsfied a story. He is innocent until proven guilty and I will go by that principle and avoid commenting on the details of the case. Malawi Police Service through its Chileka station arrested Chinoko on Saturday and he was only brought to Court only 96 hours later against the constitutional provision of 48 hours. The charges are misdemenour and he could have been granted bail. Some of online sites allege the story was a creation of anti-Government elements. I could agree to that, but the reaction by the Police damages the President and her Governmen

The Blantyre Magistrate Court has granted bail to BNL Journalist Clement Chinoko who face charges of conduct likely to cause breach of peace after publishing an article alleging that two women had a gay engagement. This blog stopped updating in protest to his continued detention since Saturday. The boycott is officially now over. Update on views of how this Government has started, soon....

Blantyre Police are expected to take BNL Journalist Clement Chinoko for hearing this morning. The boycott of the social media by this blog will be temporarily suspended pending the outcome of the hearing. Should he not be released on bail, we will continue the boycott until he is out. We do not support any unethical conduct, but we are against the arrest of a Journalist for writing a story. There are ways and manners we deal with wrong stories but not arresting a Journalist. That is the premise of the boycott. Once again there are enough measures to deal with the matter, without arresting the Journalist. That is pure intimidation!

GAGGED- NO MORE UPDATES UNTIL A JOURNALIST IN POLICE CUSTODY IS RELEASED! MY FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND ALL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN DEACTIVATED TOO IN PROTEST!

Its four hours and nobody can tell you the names of missing Officers allegedly locked by some magic. The search team keeps increasing in numbers but nobody seems to have a definite location of the couple. The crowds are enjoying themselves some cracking jokes, the best so far is we should use this "technology" to prevent the spread of Aids. This week we have not been behaving like a country, some Fake accounting from Government and MRA, some fake Lesbians getting engaged, Some nude pictures of a broadcasters and now some rumour which is looking like a hoax..... two people stuck inside of each other after sex.... May be it could have been a prank played on all gossip loving Malawians...still the search is going on! 

There Police who have been here since 5.30pm are visibly tired of the search, some keys are available some are not. Some officers are making it worse by not answering their phones. This is a special appeal from inside Gemini House if you have information that might help to locate the alleged sex-locked couple please do so. There are two possible scenarios now due to the long silence, either the couple is very weak and cannot shout for help, or they might commit suicide due to shame and fear of the crowds. Help Police to save life, now its becoming a crisis not any more a gossip story, try to account one another and anyone with the truth might save life by disclosing their whereabouts..........

But still nobody can say which office or who started the rumour.... something still not adding up here. Either the person is a big shot, very big shot or simply we are playing the Malawians best trait of gossip or rumour. Most of officers from the Ministry of Trade or Ministry of Gender are happily at home and nobody seem to be bothered. But everybody is still waiting, more beer outside Gemini...

I am live in Gemini, every top official in the building is arriving. Nobody so far has located the two who are said to be located. Over 60 Police officers and thousands of people are still hanging around. The guards around the premises have not been helpful. We have been moving from Ministry of Gender, floor number four, to Ministry of Trade trying to open offices. The names of Officers from the two Ministries that were mentioned have all been located at their names. It might be a hoax but we are still hanging around... updates every half an hour

ROBIN HOOD TAX FOR MALAWI- JOIN THE INITIATIVE The Zero Deficit Budget that Government of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika introduced contained a lot of unpopular taxes. Among them is the introduction of Financial Services Tax which Malawians got angry with. However, the tax was still implemented and Government has been collecting the money for its general use. The new President, Her Excellency Joyce Banda's administration will be presenting its first budget in the coming weeks. Many Malawians expect her to remove the many taxes the Zero Deficit Budget brought and return to normal budgeting process with donor input. But today, this blog and other equally minded players in the Health Sector are requesting Her Excellency the President of the Republic of Malawi Mrs. Joyce Banda, the Minister of Health and Vice President of the Republic of Malawi Right Honourable Khumbo Kachali, the Minister of Finance Dr. Ken Lipenga M.P to keep the financial services taxes intact.

The morning news in Malawi: Clerk of Parliament Matilda Katopola has been asked to stay home after refusing to be deployed as a High Court Judge or to become a diplomat. ACB Director Alexious Nampota whose contract expired in October has been officially dismissed. Russel Mwafulirwa, Malawi National Football Player tried to commit suicide due to marital challenges.

Today, Leader of Opposition John Tembo has declared that he has nothing to oppose against the Peoples Party led Government. In a normal civilised country, the Malawi Congress Party should have offered to resign as Leader of Opposition. But this is Malawi, where politics follows some strange principles than expected norms in society. By making an open declaration that he no longer will not oppose Government but offer advice and encourage it. His Parliamentarians clapped hands for him. Malawi used the word opposition, but other countries minority leader. He is paid by us tax payers to offer critical voice in a democracy by being called Leader of Opposition. Times have indeed changed in this country, but responsibilities, especially those in public office has not changed in Malawi. My prayer has been that Journalists should remain Journalists, Civil Society should remain as such while Politicians should all join their ranks and do politics. Of course I am always amused by the

The President delivered a speech that I believe met the expectations of all Malawians, save the young people. I wish the speech becomes a reality. Malawi will never be the same. This is what I picked, "I call upon all Malawians of all walks of life; rich or poor, urban or rural, educated not educated, employed and unemployed, boys and girls, sick and healthy, small business and big business, freinds and enemies, vendors and financiers, lomwes, tumbukas, chewas, senas, ngonis, yaos, all of you, come, come and join me in efforts to lead and develop this country. Let us unlock our skills. Let us unlock our spirits. Let unlock our ability to be free and free we shall be indeed" But there is very little focus on the majority who have the key now to changing the course of the country's social, political and economic destiny. Before technocrats shout at me and point at Education, vocational skills and YEDEF, I ask them to hold their patients. The speech failed to direc

PRESIDENT JOYCE BANDA HAS MADE MORE NEW APPOINTMENTS. MALAWI NEWS EDITOR STEVE NHLANE IS NEW PRESS SECRETARY REPLACING DR. HETHERWICK NTABA STATE HOUSE PRESS OFFICER IS RUTH GOVATI REPLACING ALBERT MUNGOMO ADVISOR ON CIVIL SOCIETY AND NGOS IS REVEREND MACDONALD SEMBEREKA OF HUMAN RIGHTS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE ADVISOR ON WOMEN AFFAIRS IS CLARA MAKUNGWA ASSISTANT (SPECIAL DUTIES) REVEEREND MALANI NTONGA MORE APPOINTMENT TO BE ANNOUNCED TOMMORROW AS CHANGES EXPECTED AT PARLIAMENT, ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAU, ADMARC AND SEVERAL STATE RUN INSTITUTIONS

Yesterday we launched two campaigns- the Robin Hood Tax Campaign which will see taxes on Financial Transactions Government of Malawi maintained and another one, We Pay, We Have a Say on Taxes. Nobody likes taxes, but we recognise we are obliged to pay. Even the Holy Bible says what is due to Ceaser should be given to Ceaser. The DPP Regime choked all Malawians with taxes and Laws and there are high expectations that this regime, after the launch of the Campaigns, we start today to agree that: 1. There are very few tax payers in Malawi. The Figure is at 500,000 who support the remaining 13.5 million Malawians. We need to increase productivity that the base should automatically increase as informal traders graduate to small and medium enterprises that can employ and pay taxes. 2. There is a need to review the unpopular Pension bill to create room for people who have worked for at least 5 years to be able to withdraw from the pension fund. This allows people to get their savin

LAUNCH OF ROBIN HOOD TAX FOR MALAWI- JOIN THE INITIATIVE The Zero Deficit Budget that Government of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika introduced contained a lot of unpopular taxes. Among them is the introduction of Financial Services Tax which Malawians got angry with. However, the tax was still implemented and Government has been collecting the money for its general use. The new President, Her Excellency Joyce Banda's administration will be presenting its first budget in the coming weeks. Many Malawians expect her to remove the many taxes the Zero Deficit Budget brought and return to normal budgeting process with donor input. But today, this blog and other equally minded players in the Health Sector are requesting Her Excellency the President of the Republic of Malawi Mrs. Joyce Banda, the Minister of Health and Vice President of the Republic of Malawi Right Honourable Khumbo Kachali, the Minister of Finance Dr. Ken Lipenga M.P to keep the financial services taxes

DPP third Vice President Dr. Jean Kalirani was on Thursday evening to the Malawi Police Service headquarters at Area 30 by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) where this blog understands spent four hours being quizzed over the alleged coup plot plotted by Cabinet Ministers on April 6, 2012 after the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. Dr. Kalirani has been warned not to speak to anyone about the matter, but family sources indicated Police officers went to her house earlier in the morning to look for her and she reported at Area 30 around 3pm. Police sources indicate its in relation to her role she played. Other sources indicated to this blog earlier in the week that some warrants of arrests have been obtained for Former Information and Civic Education Minister Patricia Kaliati, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kondwani Nankhumwa, Former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Henry Mussa, former Deputy Minister in the Presidents Office Nicholas D

1. Fuel:: Petrol from K390 to K490, Diesel from K380 to K475 2. Sugar, up by 23 percent. 3. ESCOM electricity tarrifs from K11 per KW to K16 per KW 4. General goods average between 20 to 20 percent. 5. Night Queens: Yet to send their new price list (lol)

I listened to Dr. Ken Lipenga, calling the transaction of K15 billion unethical and in bad taste. But I heard him say he does not understand why he needs to resign. I respect Dr. Ken Lipenga, but he no longer has the trust of Malawians. The longer he stays at the Ministry of Finance, the whole country will stop trusting even President Joyce Banda's ability to make crucial decisions in certain matters. K15 billion borrowed on behalf of already over taxed Malawians, then repaid with interest and be cheated all over and all over again, does not seem to be a joke for any serious minded administration. Some of us questioned some appointments at the beginning, we were asked to give her time. This is a Minister of Finance who has been in office for nine months and wants to shift blame to Lloyd Muhara and Joseph Mwananvekha.  If he indeed did not know about it, even after Mnesa spoke about it, then we have a serious flow in our treasury. We have a Minister who is not in control and

From Parliaments Hansard: Thursday 16th February, 2012: The First Deputy Speaker: Thank You. Honourable Member for Balaka South.  Hon Mnesa (MAFUNDE-Balaka South):  Thank you very much, Mr. First Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute towards the speech that the Minister of Finance and Development Planning made on 10th February, 2012. In his deliverance of speech, he was quite flowery although he was discussing serious issues and I congratulate him for his good delivery. Mr. First Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister actually outlined the challenges that we are facing. The performance of the country over the past six months and also attempted to outline what Government is going to do to address those challenges. The challenges that Malawi is being faced with are common to everybody even school children know that we have problems with fuel and forex. Mr. First Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have a lot of respect for the Minister of Finance and Development Plan

Constitutional principles 12 SECTION 12 OF THE THE MALAWI CONSTITUTION TALKS OF TRUST FOR ONE TO CONTINUE EXERCISING FUNCTIONS OF A PUBLIC OFFICE This Constitution is founded upon the following underlying principles -     All legal and political authority of the State derives from the people of Malawi and shall be exercised in accordance with this Constitution solely to serve and protect their interests.     All persons responsible for the exercise of powers of State do so on trust and shall only exercise such power to the extent of their lawful authority and in accordance with their responsibilities to the people of Malawi.     The authority to exercise power of State is conditional upon the sustained trust of the people of Malawi and that trust can only be maintained through open, accountable and transparent Government and informed democratic choice.     The inherent dignity and worth of each human being requires that the State and all persons shall recognize

Due to some telephone calls, the detailed updated version to the one published first in the Nation will be delayed until further notice but not further than Friday this week. As of Now enjoy Psalms 35 as proposed by one of the followers of this blog: e Holy Bible: King James Version.  2000. The Psalms 35 A Prayer for Rescue from Enemies A Psalm  of David. 1   Plead  my cause,  O L ORD , with them that strive with me:          fight against them that fight against me. 2   Take hold of shield and buckler,          and stand up for mine help. 3   Draw out also the spear,          and stop  the way  against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I  am  thy salvation. 4   Let them be confounded and put to shame          that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. 5   Let them be as chaff before the wind:          and let the angel of the L ORD  chase  them. 6   Let their way be dark an