Kondwani Munthali -Malawi

I decided to take a break from my own blog after some scares- dont ask me- on one expressing his freedom of speech. In reality it is never there, someone who think you are talking of them can create problems for you. But at least I am back and in West Affrica trying to make sense of Lagos, Abuja. Accra and Freetown in two weeks. So help me God. As I prepared to leave Malawi, there was plenty to write about, Big Brother- the reality show that has been changed for the worse, whether Malawi representative in the house should be smoking on TV and many other issues. Of course there was a scare on swine flu, some political comedy from Malawi Congress Party which is now of course in the news and the death of several characters who made news for some of us. Yes Inkosi ya Makosi and T/A Chimaliro of Thyolo and old freind Ishmael Chafukira whose death is now talk of the town and getting the whole country into witchcraft debate. But I want to start with the Brother Leader Ghaddafu who seem is he...

Are African leaders peverts? This is a question that I have failed to come up with an answer and I hope as many as followers of this page would try to give me their verdits. This question has lingered on my mind since US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially the war torn zone of Goma. She met women who were victims of rape and one woman had a chilling story. She said: " I am HIV positive I asked them to start raping my garls and finish with me. They did not listen they raped me and later my four garls. They raped us two times each the six of them. I am afraid my girls are infected. They should just have killed us. Just a month ago the African leaders in their wicked wisdom resolved not to recognise the Interntional Criminal Court if it pursued the warrant of arrest against Sudanese president General Al Bashir. I felt sick. I was involved in what was known as International Peace Carvan into Southern Sudan and then onyl aged 19 I hea...

I had taken time off after the elections to allow people to set down. My cabinet list missed about four people and the majority were as predicted. I am happy the Lucious Kanyumba is the Minister of Youth we go a long way in youth empowerment issues. I pray he will perfom as expected. I had decided not to comment on cabinet appointments, but a change at Ministry of Information is soothing and a welcome change. Its peace time and worriors should be recharging for 2014. I welcome the good professor Peter Mutharika, I am sure he has learnt a few tricks including not to park his vehicle at the door as many prying eyes surely note everything. But today its not about the cabinet, but a matter of health. There are two issues which i find very sick on part of Government. I am a member of the Media Task Force on Service Charter for Salima which aims at improving service delivery for five key sectors of Health, Agriculture, Education, Police and Social Welfare. I spent the whole of last week in r...

We are not a foolish people and niether do we spend time hero worship a human being. Malawi is a God fearinf country, ranked number two in Africa as the most peaceful country and by the Economic Intelligence Unit as the fastest growing economy in Africa and number two in the World. British Media should be told this in clear terms. I have respect for some British newspapers and the BBC- though at times the BBC behaves like we do not have success stories in Africa, but I am tired and sick, very sick of the type of reporting found in the British media related to pop singer Madonnas recent adoption of Chifundo James from my motherland. There is a report in Gurdian by one Jacques Peretti , which mocks Malawi and another in the Mirror which claims Madonna bribed Malawians with US$19 million to get the child. Sick and very sick reports. Mr. Peretti when he comes back to Malawi we will take him back to our schools of Journalism that he can learn to report "facts" and not his own crea...

After elections, I have been quite involved in development of a service charter for Salima district. The charter will basically allow people to demand services and complain about poor services from Government departments. This raised the expectations of many. Of course among the critical issues will be, will Government supply enough teachers, nurses and agricultural extension officers among others to meet the raised expectations of the people. This is one of those issues that the Salima District Executive committee will have to look at seriously. Still on the same, there are high expectations from the administration of President Bingu wa Mutharika, from the health sector through to basic empowerment. I personally look forward to the K3 billion Youth Entreprise Fund to be instituted soon. I know Mutharika personally has an interest in it too, this is the basis of engineering small scale businessess with potential to grow into national entreprises. The youth have enthusiasm, the energy a...

I believe in my country and my people. Their choice of leaders is endorsed by God and that hand annointed President Bingu wa Mutharika to continue for the next five years. What does the margin of 2.7 milli0n say. Check my last blog, 1.5 million are new voters and Bingu and his DPP excited them, both in style and content. In big screens. moving coaches, hummer and a riot of blue DPP vehicles. Enough baseball caps, t shirts as Wakuda Kamanga would say, it will be too blue for all to see. But Bingu had issues for the youth: K2 billion youth fund, which young voter would vote for an alliance whose primary agenda was to remove the President. I look forward to his cabinet of merit. He has six professors and a hordes of PHD holders. This was an election of merit. My thoughts today wonder around who could make it into cabinet: looking what Bingu has, I would have restricted my cabinet to around 30 and this would have been my choice. Lets debate this, improve it and those who know those better...

Finally the hour has come. Malawi is full of anticipation. The country is about to blast into anxiety. The two long days are ahead of the Nations voting day. May 19, 2009. It is and has always been a Tuesday. But they are issues in this election that might never equal another elections in years to come. A bruised presidential candidate who has just been denied a return to offices. An opposition leader who still cries of what he calls a rigged election and a President who left a party which sponsored him to form another. Thats what brings the drama, anxiety, hope and fear in the mind of the electorate. Then there are young minds that are voting for the first time. I would put them between a million or 1.5 million. They are excited to join the club of voters to decide what section 12 of the republican constitution calls authority of the people. I am happy to have lived to see another election, another great time for Malawi to prove its peace and democratic credentials. We are one family ...