Is Malawi ’s Banda Supping with the Enemy?

Quote: THE future of Malawi is in trouble. Since taking over following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika more than two months ago, Africa ’s second female president has adopted controversial economic and political policies. The decision by Madam Joyce Banda not to invite Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir to the African Union Summit that had been scheduled for her country, and her subsequent announcement that she will not be attending the summit, which has now been rescheduled for Ethiopia, simply because of the ‘implications’ for Malawi’s aid-depended economy, is appalling and should be treated with the contempt it deserves. This runs counter to the African Agenda and the decision by the rest of the continent to shun the International Criminal Court, which seems to have been specifically tailored with African leaders in sight. The argument that as a signatory to the Rome Statutes, which created the International Criminal Court (ICC), Malawi is obliged to, “carry out the court’s orders, including its arrest warrants,” does not hold water. Other signatories to the court’s statutes, such as Chad , Kenya and Djibouti have permitted Mr Bashir on their territories. Her actions alone have managed to trash more than five decades of the continent’s efforts at attaining African Solidarity, which can be traced to two historic conferences; namely, the Accra Conference of Independent African States held in 1958 in the Ghanaian capital and the Liberia ’s Sanniquellie Conference of 1959. The Accra Conference was attended by Libya , Egypt Morocco, Ethiopia , Sudan , Tunisia , Ghana and Liberia . There, it was decided that the level of cooperation among the then few independent African states be increased and strong effort be made towards the unity of African States. It was also decided at Accra that the struggle for African independence be made a priority by all independent states on the continent. President William Tubman of ‘ Liberia, President Sekou Toure of Guinea and President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, the architects of the Organisation of African Unity, must now be turning in their graves on seeing a free people practicing self-subjugation for the love of the proverbial 30 pieces of silver. The International Monetary Fund and the United States fund at least 40 percent of Malawi ’s fescues. Alienation and public humiliation of Sudanese head of state Omar al-Bashir is not the answer, especially now, as the AU is helping to mediate in the very delicate negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan, President Banda as Malawi’s chief diplomat should know better. Jeopardizing the talks would risk an all-out war between the two Sudans . It seems the president has not learnt anything from the recent demise of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the future can only be dire for her country. The stubborn fact is that the West has no ideological friends, as she seems to believe, but only interests, and ‘allies’, are quickly discarded when expediency calls. It is an open secret that Madam Banda decisions are inspired by her lack of political experience, her ideological bankruptcy, and has nothing to do with her fellow countrymen. Two days after assuming the high office Madam Banda announced that she will work to overturn Malawi ’s law which bans homosexual acts. This was done in order to appease and normalize relations with the country’s “traditional development partners, who were uncomfortable with our bad laws”. Following this announcement, Western governments and so-called human rights activists hailed the small and economically struggling southern African nation’s appalling stance. It did not matter to them or her that legalizing homosexuality would actually offend the ‘traditional’ sensibilities of the people of Malawi . Mrs Banda’s moves have led to the reestablishment of ties with the West. Malawi has invited Britain ’s Chancellor of the Exchequer to work directly with the Reserve Bank of Malawi , supposedly to help it cope with the impact of currency devaluation. Secretly the country has surrendered its financial sovereignty to its former colonial master Britain . In a lucid moment of her madness, Malawi ’s President introduced a number of austerities, which included the selling of the presidential jet and luxury vehicles that were gobbling millions of dollars from the cash strapped government. However, Madam Banda’s flirtation with these vultures will only lead to her own demise. Theirs are only interests, which they do not hesitate to discard when the need arises. Already, the country’s inflation has shot up on the back of an International Monetary Fund demanded devaluation of the country’s Kwacha. It seems as if the more she tries to extricate her nation from the economic doldrums in which it finds itself by pandering to the West, the more she will sink into an endless mire of debt and dependency. Meanwhile, Malawi finds itself alienated from the rest of the continent. Poignant developments coming out from Malawi should scare all right thinking people here in our country and Africa . It has brought close to home, a classical case of what will become of a country once vassals of imperialism have taken guard. At least, it has given our country a chance to ponder on and appreciate ZANU PF’s ideology and its principled leadership, which has always been advocating economic emancipation and empowerment through indegenisation of the entire economy. President Mugabe, the remnant of the architects of Pan-Africanism has always been reminding these new generation leaders of the need to be economically independent. President Mugabe has said it and developments from Malawi have proved it- the electorate should be wary of ideological bankrupt political parties and opportunistic individuals whose existence is for the sole purpose of advocating for Western agenda and values. It’s high time someone reminds the Malawian delegation that will attend the July 6 bi-annual AU summit, that as far as the West is concerned, diplomacy is the art of saying “nice doggie” until you can find a rock. Surely some stray dog will soon get the shock of its life! Written by Patriot Reporter

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