Guest Spot

‘Our people have lost control of their economy’

Malawi clocked 25 years under multiparty democracy on Thursday. Our reporter AYAMI MKWANDA caught up with former advisor to president Joyce Banda Shyley Kondowe on how Malawi has fared under democracy so far. Excerpts:

How would you say multi-party democracy is important to Malawi 25 years after its inception?

The Malawi nation-state (1963), then Nyasaland, had a system of multi-party democracy until the declaration of one party State in 1971 when Malawi Congress Party (MCP) was decreed as the only constitutionally approved party in the country. The importance of multi-party democracy to the country has not changed since then. Multi-party democracy provides a legal framework where citizens and ideas compete through various organised structures such as political parties, mainly with a view to secure, exercise and control power on behalf of their fellow citizens.

Multi-party democracy, therefore, affords citizens to hire leaders, political parties, programmes and policies that can best govern them; or reject those who may not have a convincing agenda and fire those who have failed to deliver what they promised. And indeed our Constitution has underlined this principle in Chapter 111(12) (iii). Multi-party democracy provides a platform where right ingredients of policy, people’s political will, external opportunities and local ownership can progressively drive economic growth, create wealth and project a competitive nation-State.

As one who fought for multi-party democracy in Malawi, would you say the lamp of democracy is still shining?

I would say that we have made some good progress. We have many institutions to support our democratic process. We have one of the best constitutions on the continent. We have a citizenry that has embraced a democratic culture with a vibrant media and civil society. We have seen our Judiciary and Parliament improving their governance structures to respond to democratic challenges that the country is facing much better than before. The separation of power is more visible now than 25 years ago.

However, we are wanting in many other key areas: lack of capacity to practice good governance; failure to build a capable State; a compromising attitude towards the rule of law; and unwillingness of the political leaders to adopt servant leadership attitudes.

Which areas would you say we need to do better?

I would still argue that the four challenges highlighted in the question above are critical in taking Malawi to the next level of democratisation.

  • Lack of capacity to practice good governance: By governance is meant the exercise of political power to manage the nation’s affairs. Because countervailing power has been lacking, State officials in many instances, have served their own interests without fear of being called to account. The leadership assumes broad discretionary authority and loses its legitimacy. Information is controlled, and voluntary associations are co-opted or disbanded. This environment cannot readily support a dynamic economy.
  • Failure to build a capable State.
  • A compromising attitude towards the rule of law: In many instances, the State’s attitude towards the rule of law has not been establishing a just and fair society but a tool for oppression, harassment and punishing critics. As a result of this, we have not effectively used the rule of law as an instrument of socio-economic development.
  • Unwillingness of the political leaders to adopt servant leadership attitudes: The model of politics that has evolved since the advent of multi-party democracy is where our leaders are regarded as “big boss, from above, big brother, untouchable, etc”, other than one that fosters team work, collective responsibility and engenders servant leadership. Here the leader should see himself or herself as an employee or servant of the people to champion their development agenda.

How do you see the future of democracy in the country?

The future of democracy in Malawi is bright. There is no turning back. The democratic culture has been entrenched among the people. The bottlenecks are around achieving effective leadership and adherence to rules and systems of governance in building a capable State. And if these bottlenecks persist, Malawi may yield a third liberation to free itself from these shackles.

Lastly, how would you describe the fight for multi-party democracy to those who were born after 1993?

Those of us who fought for freedom and democracy for this country were not necessarily centered on becoming Presidents, or Cabinet Ministers or Board Members of parastatals, even though these are good ambitions.

However, our policy of liberation was seen as freedom from oppression, hunger, poverty, ignorance, and disease: and usher in a democratic system that could actualize self-governance, opportunities and capacities.

In this struggle, we fought against nepotism, cronyism, and regionalism. We fought against police and paramility brutalism. We fought against arbitrary arrests and detentions without trial. We fought against the rule of the few, by the few and for the many.

We fought for rule of law. We fought for freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of movement. We fought for freedom of the press. We fought for human rights and dignity. We fought for an accountable, transparent and a people-centered government.

Based on what we have gone through, how would you describe this verdict of democracy?

This democracy was secured at a high cost with heavy pain and suffering that needs to be guarded, defended and promoted at all times. It requires a cautious, sustainable and vigilant vanguard. As much as we have improved on political rights, we are yet to make progress in social and economic rights.  As a nation we need to recognize the role the faith community, civil society and the media are playing in fostering a democratic culture and values of accountability, transparency and rule of law (and not rule by the few).

It is shameful that after 25 years, we still fight tribalism, cronyism and nepotism. It is shameful that after all these efforts, we are ranked world 3rd poorest country. It is shameful that after so many years of democratic governance, we still deal with the same problems: freedom from oppression, hunger, poverty, ignorance, and disease. We are still promoting rain and hoe dependent agriculture. Most of the industries we inherited from President Dr. Kamuzu Banda’s era have collapsed. Our housing industry is almost stagnant. Our education and health systems are almost collapsing. Water and electricity supplies have dwindled. Our people have lost control of their economy.

 

Related Articles

Back to top button