MCP in Lilongwe supporters, students in ZA plant trees
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) on Saturday planted 1 500 trees at Nankhani and Chipiri primary schools in Lilongwe.
The party also distributed exercise books worth K200 000 (about $500) at Chimwala, Chagogo, Kanyandule and Kang’oma primary schools.
MCP national youth director Lobin Lowe, who led the MCP in both exercises, said the party is concerned about environmental degradation issue; hence, they planted the trees.
Lowe said: “When MCP was in power, preserving forests was one of the priorities of government. But now forests are no longer a priority as evidenced by the state of Chikangawa Forest in the North.
“We have planted these trees to remind Malawians that we are still concerned about forests. We want to turn Malawi green. If each school or village plant some trees, we can reclaim the lost glory in as far as forests are concerned.” he said.
Lowe also said the party distributed the exercise books to pupils as one way of promoting education at primary level.
He said the money for the donation was the contribution that the party’s headquarters youths made.
In another development, students in Zomba courtesy of Lead organisations and other partners teamed up to plant trees on Zomba Mountain Forest Reserve.
Only history will judge us in the way we have handled and managed Chikangawa, the largest man made forest in Africa which has now been reduced to a mere wasteland of tree stumps. Kamuzu was indeed a visionary man, he recognised the need of forests in our country and not only Chikangawa but many forests up and down the country were well managed during his time.
But since 1994 when UDF came into power, thanks to uncivilised, uneducated and myopic leaders who had no clue on what multiparty democracy means, Chikangawa became a free for all back garden where wanton cutting down of trees was the norm.
When DPP and PP came to power Chikangawa became and still is a political tool for appeasing their party members. Nobody thinks about the future generations, or the contribution that trees plays in the rainfall cycle, soil erosion and oxygen formation all they think about is their short lived happiness.
My only hope is that MCP will take advantage of the political landscape that lies before them and conduct a relentless, formidable campaign which will leave no stone unturned across the country in order to win the next general election. We need MCP back in power to claim back our lost glory in many sectors of life. Malawi has been reduced to a laughing stock amongst its neighbours due to poor and weak leadership. Poor schools, roads, hospitals, and livelihoods except for a few individuals, thanks to corruption, we cannot go on like this forever, May 20 gives us a chance to bring our current politicians to book by voting them out.
Keep it up MCP!! Malawi is our land, we have no other! May God bless our land