The United Nations (UN) has condemned the acts of violence that took place in Balaka earlier this week. Violence broke out between Christians of the Anglican Church and Muslims on 4th November after two Muslim pupils from M’manga Primary were chased from school for wearing an Islamic religion regalia, hijab.
Speaking in a statement released by the United Nations Resident Coordinator Maria Jose Torres condemn all forms of violence and called for religious tolerance in the country.
Torres described the wrangles as unacceptable saying the rights to freedom of expression and religion are fundamental rights that ensure human dignity and a functional democracy.
UN Resident Cordinator Maria Jose Torres
She said: “Preventing access to services such as education because students choose to wear an expression of their religion goes against these important human rights and international standards on freedom of education.”
She cited Section 36 (3)(c) (III) of the Education Act (2013) which she said stipulates that: “the school or college shall not impose restrictions of whatever nature with respect to the admission of students, recruitment and appointment of staff.”
She went further by saying such actions discourage girls from attending school, denying them the right to learn and actively participate in society, at a time when Malawi is focusing on ending child marriage and keeping girls in school.
The United Nations has called on all Malawians to respect each other’s religious beliefs and engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve differences.
It has also called on the State authorities to ensure that all people of Malawi are able to exercise their beliefs and cultural practices free from persecution and discrimination.
Two people were injured and various properties destroyed, including residential houses, M’manga Anglican Church, M’manga primary and community day secondary schools and a mosque.
His Excellency the President, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, on Tuesday challenged Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) graduates to walk the innovation talk and make a difference to the country in their various fields of expertise.
President Mutharika was speaking at MUST Campus, Ndata -Thyolo when he presided over the award of certificates, diplomas and degrees for the first congregation.
He urged the graduates to think positively at all times and be creators of solutions to problems societies encounter.
“I say to you, our graduating students, that you are a living testimony that with determination and hard work, we can achieve our dreams. Believe in yourself. Be different!
“You are going with skills to bring electricity and quality water to our homes in the villages. You are going out with a mission for us to regain the glory of indigenous knowledge systems that once made Africa a great continent. You are going out as creators of solutions. You are the very spirit,” said President Mutharika.
The Malawi leader called for the spirit of doing business unusual and said as a nation we should be aggressive enough to capitalise on business opportunities. He then commended the University for inculcating the spirit of entrepreneurship in the students.
He said: “Every problem can be an opportunity.That is why people come to our country they find us poor, make money for themselves and leave us poor. Good education must be balanced and practical. We do not teach knowledge for the sake of knowledge. We must never be afraid to break with tradition and start something new. There is always the first time for doing something new.”
During the ceremony, President Mutharika presented a gift to Enelesi Rasheeda Nsamila for graduating with distinction her Bachelor’s Degree in Earth Sciences (Geology).
President Mutharika was also presented with the Bingu Drum that symbolises inspiration, excitement and passion in honour of the former president and founder of MUST, late Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika.
A total of 195 students graduated in various disciplines. The university is registering rapid growth from an initial enrollment of 120 undergraduate and 25 postgraduate students in 2014, currently, the university boasts of figures around 2,073. All things being equal MUST eyes to have an enrolment of not less than 5,000 students.
About 15 760 people are participating in a by-election for a councilor in MatenjeWard, Kasungu North West Constituency.
Candidates for governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Mbakuwaku Movement for Development (MMD) and independents are participating in the polls.
UTM Party pulled out of the voting recently, although its candidates standing as independent.
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) opend polling in the 26 streams in the Ward at 6AM and voting is expected to close at 6PM as per the country’s electoral laws.
Voting in Matenje Ward was supposed to take place simultaneously with that of parliamentarian for Lilongwe South Constituency. However, MEC postponed the by-election in the constituency due to political violence during campaign
Malawi’s landlocked status places a huge burden on its economy. This makes imports and exports expensive. Because of time-consuming and poor-quality rail and road transport, the country’s transport costs are among the highest in Africa.
The search for a solution has dominated Malawi’s foreign policy since independence in 1964. Malawi relies on four main trade corridors: the ports of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania; Beira and Nacala in Mozambique and Durban in South Africa.
An alternative route is a waterway to the Indian Ocean through Mozambique. It was first proposed in 1891. The now controversial idea was revived in 2005 by Malawi’s third president, Bingu wa Mutharika (2004-2012) as a signature foreign policy project. It was known as the Shire-Zambezi Waterway.
Believing it would be an important legacy of his presidency, he consistently claimed that using the route from Nsanje in Malawi to Chinde in Mozambique would drastically reduce Malawi’s transport costs and boost economic growth.
Malawi’s main exports are tobacco, tea, sugar. It imports oils, consumer goods and fertilisers.
But Malawi has so far failed to get access to the Indian Ocean. Our research suggests this is because of two important factors: Malawi’s diplomatic strategy and the absence of Mozambique’s buy-in.
We found that for the project to happen, Malawi must change its diplomatic approach and the two countries must ensure that their national interests in the project are closely aligned.
Yet there may be renewed hope for the project. This is because there are recent signs that the two countries do in fact have interests in common and can collaborate on a project.
The Shire-Zambezi waterway
Malawi’s diplomatic relations with Mozambique have not been harmonious since independence. Historically, Malawi was aligned to apartheid South Africa, which provided support to the Renamo rebel movement during Mozambique’s 16-year civil war.
Mozambique’s leaders therefore showed little interest in Mutharika’s vision of a waterway running through its territory. The other factor was Mozambique would likely lose out on the toll or freight charges for foreign vehicles that use its transport network. Instead, in 2009 they announced plans to rehabilitate the port of Beira, rather than Chinde’s, and improve the country’s road network.
Still, Mutharika pursued the waterway project. First, beginning in 2005, he sought support from other African leaders at meetings of the African Union, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and New Partnership For Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
Second, he bolstered the credibility of the project by formally and informally including Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As a former Secretary General of the Preferential Trade Area of East and Central Africa (PTA), he believed that a regional integration component would win his project favour.
Third, Mutharika insisted that the project be completed quickly, even in the absence of Mozambican approval. He may have reasoned that if he demonstrated his commitment, Mozambique would be forced to comply for the sake of neighbourly relations.
Megaphone diplomacy
Mutharika’s strategy demonstrated the shortcomings of “megaphone diplomacy” in international relations. Megaphone diplomacy is generally understood as the use of mass media to advance contentious diplomatic aims. This is the opposite of “quiet diplomacy” through traditional diplomatic channels.
Without consulting the Mozambican government and after almost a year in power, Mutharika organised a highly publicised groundbreaking ceremony in Nsanje port in southern Malawi in October 2005. Subsequently, his administration engaged a private Portuguese company to begin phase one of the construction of the port.
This phase was quickly completed and Mutharika’s government went ahead to publicise the official opening of the waterway. Billboards went up across the country emblazoned with the words
“The dream becomes reality: Nsanje Port opens October 2010”.
The presidents of Zambia and Zimbabwe were invited to the public ceremony to celebrate the planned arrival of a barge carrying 60 tonnes of imported fertiliser. Mozambican authorities, however, impounded the barge and detained four Malawians for navigating the river without authorisation.
Mozambique objected to the project on grounds that no economic feasibility study or environmental impact assessment had been carried out. It also claimed that Malawi had not even requested official clearance of the barge.
The final blow for Malawi’s diplomatic debacle was the publication of the feasibility report commissioned by the SADC. The 2013 report concluded that the project is
“technically feasible but not financially viable.”
Although the waterway is Malawi’s shortest route to the sea, the report concluded that only 273,200 tonnes per year could be transported through the waterway. Annual dredging and removal of aquatic plants would cost 80 million US dollars per year, the report further said.
Mozambican response
The report provided a legitimate reason for Mozambique’s withdrawal from the project, but failed diplomacy undoubtedly led to the collapse of the waterway project. Mozambique was operating from a position of power as it controls access to the sea. And it was unlikely to benefit much from the Shire-Zambezi Waterway. If Malawi changes its diplomatic approach, the project may ultimately see the light of day.
Indeed, Malawi’s tactics appeared to reinforce Mozambique’s opposition to the project, which it felt undermined its national interests.
In recent months, Malawi’s current president Peter Mutharika (Bingu Mutharika’s brother) has been drumming up support for the project again. Mozambique continues to ignore such signals.
But the two countries recently signed an agreement that will allow the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi to purchase 200 megawatts of power from Mozambique starting in 2022. This is a clear case of a successful partnership with both countries sharing a common national interest on power generation and supply.
Despite the African Union’s talk of globalisation, regional integration and partnerships, national interest continues to rule in international diplomacy. For the Shire-Zambezi project to go ahead, Malawi and Mozambique must have a frank discussion about how they could both benefit from it.
