‘Blame politicians’

Our Features Editor JAMES CHAVULA engages Minister of Civic Education and National Unity Timothy Mtambo on the growing divide between some sectors of the Malawian society.

Q

: What do you make of the public outcry that one group owns nearly all land in major cities?

A

: It is a big problem that all the prime land is owned by the same people or foreigners while Malawians cannot even access it.  But how do they access that land? They do not just say we have taken this land, but they meet the very Malawians, the very politicians, the very civil servants, directors, principal secretaries  within the ministries, who give them prime land because they have received kickbacks.

So, is the problem the one giving the bribe or the one who is receiving? It’s give-and-take, isn’t it?

Q:

  What do you think about that give-and-take transaction?

A:

 If the one being offered a bribe refuses and stands firm on principles, no one will give a bribe. So, on the issue of land, we need to see how best we can redistribute the land, how best we can be fair to say land should be accessible to everyone. Being poor should not be a crime. Being rich should not be a crime. No one should say: “Why is he rich, then let’s fight and take what belongs to us.” No. We need to find a way of dealing with these issues and it has to be diplomatic, whether we will have to apply quotas or apply affirmative action.

We need to engage in a discussion and probably we will also have to learn from some people who are doing better to say: How did they do it? It is not everyone in the blamed community who is dirty. Let us not paint all of them with one brush. If we are not careful, these issues can contribute to xenophobia.

Q:

 So what are you doing about the issue?

A:

 The government needs to provide a platform of engagement.  Non-governmental organisations [NGOs] have a huge role in this.  They need to raise mass awareness and do the research on the ground so that we have accurate information and reliable dates when we are speaking these issues.

Q:

 How is your ministry working with other ministries to confront the inequalities at play when it comes to business, land ownership and government contracts? 

A:

 Our government is basically in to challenge the status quo. That is why ‘prospering together’ is one of President Lazarus Chakwera’s Hi-Five, the founding principles of this government. This principle is there to bring in macro- and micro-economic initiatives that will start reducing inequalities. All of us must be prospering, not only a few people.

We are also looking at how we can regulate some of these things, not ruling by decree. The Chakwera leadership respects the rule of law, so we are pushing the policy of 60 to 40 to address inequalities and we are pushing land reforms looking at how relevant policies and laws are promoting inequalities. We need an honest discussion. If we just impose things on the people, we may think we are solving the problem while we are not. When reviewing land laws, our people should understand and participate. But the first step in problem solving is to understand the root cause, so we can prescribe an accurate solution to the challenge. We do not want to treat fever when the patient is suffering from malaria. One contributor to disunity in the country is unequal distribution of wealth, development projects and other resources.

Q:

 Has there been any conversation between your ministry and other ministries?

A:

 Exactly, there is already a conversation within the government. We all understand that we need to do something to address the existing inequalities because this government is being guided by the Tonse philosophy of prospering together.   So, we have to end corruption. We know that corruption contributes to these huge inequalities. The one who has the capacity to corrupt has the biggest opportunity to access land, government contracts and those in power. We have had discussions at the highest level of government to find ways of eradicating corruption and how to regulate foreign business and foreign direct investments. When you have an investor coming in the country with everything from his country—including workers and raw materials that are plenty in Malawi—that is bad. We have to inculcate skills in our people. We need to have with a proper resource distribution formula.

Q:

 There is a thin line between nationalism and xenophobia.

A:

 That is right. We are calling upon NGOs to intervene. The government would like to develop radio programmes on the ills of xenophobia. We have to learn from other countries. Xenophobia starts slowly, but it grows. We need to ask ourselves:  What fuels the existing inequalities? We need to address those factors, not hating each other. The association of Malawians of Asian origin has already approached us to discuss how we can address the current challenges. They find it unfair that they have all been coloured with one brush. I categorically say no to any form of racism, but we will not sit and watch while some people suffer. We must empower the weak and have policies that will be fair to everyone.

Q:

 What should happen to Malawians who sold the land unprocedurally?

A:

 For them, this must be a lesson learnt. They should know that land is a valuable asset they have to take care of, not selling cheaply. Secondly, we need to civically engage citizens to make informed decisions.

For those contributing to the widening of this inequality, especially government officials and politicians, the law must take its course. They must be held accountable. Currently, some citizens are always complaining of Malawians of Asian origin, but forget that those who have been facilitating corruption and inequality are the same brothers and sisters we elected to govern us. Enough of this pretence! The people you call Malawians of Asian origin did not get that land by themselves or by force.