Malawi has been heavily dependent on donors during its 53 years of independence, raising questions on whether the country should really be described as independent.
Speaking in an interview with Malawi24, political analyst Wonderful Mkhutche said Malawi is not independent as it still looks up to donors to support its budget.
“We are not independent. I totally agree with such people. Five decades after we gained self-determinations our budget is still heavily dependent on donors and we have a public service delivery system that is falling to support the population,” said Mkhutche.
He however said with time and long term strategy Malawi can do away with donors.
According to the analyst, the first thing the country need to do is to move away from traditional and subsistence farming and go for large scale farming.
“We talk about industrialization but in the history of development there is no country that becomes industrialized without first managing to feed itself. Agriculture is our most important step,” he said.
Mkhutche also advised the current administration to plan for future generations.
”To the current DPP government, some do understand the effort you are giving to the country to the path of development, you are making sacrifice and working overtime just to make sure we are there. But it is still not enough. The numbers are just too many and the use of the resources is not proportional to them. There is a lot more to be done.
“As you are leading, keep in mind that Malawi too belongs to the future generation when making plans for them as well and not be carried away with immediate delivery for the sake of votes,” he advised.
Mkhutche further said that Malawi can do better when it comes to the political status of the country. He said there is need to strengthen the country’s democracy by managing its institutions.
According to Mkhutche, stability is the country’s number one political resource and Malawi need to make use of stability by allowing debate on how best it can act as a nation.
He further highlighted that the country has leaders who are failing to make political sacrifice for fear of losing their ground if, for example, they make Malawi Broadcasting Corporation or Anti-Corruption Bureau independent saying this is not the kind of leadership Malawi deserves.
Malawi is independent but Malawians need to start getting, feeling, believing, acting Independent. Independence is not conducted off someone’s sweat! You think to yourselves how can I improve my country! Malawi has all the resources to be independent ! And I am Malawian! Its all there but look what we are a nation of
Thieves- Cash gate
Beggars- Donors
Shallow thinkers!- we indulge in kujeda! Kunyoza! kunama!
How is the above supposed to support independence? Start feeling proud to be Malawian and do things, everyone do things that develop you and in turn your country. Read to inform yourself of your rights and know what is happening around you so you can find useful ideas!
There should be no time for the list above if you are using your time properly
NOT A LIE BUT A STRUGGLE AND WE NEED TO CORRET IT.START WITH THE MINDSET THAT SAY WE ARE POOR WE NEED HELP! LETS START SAYING WE ARE POOR HOW CAN WE DO BETTER!
Malawi is not independent even if there is a fellow leader from malawi still the decision makers are from abroad thats just a figure
Then as a Malawian work to correct that!
This is true, how can one chase someone who provide you with food?
You should be ashamed , when you live in a country with fertile soil and you still beg for food. Independence was given to Malawi now take it! and become indepoe3nt!
Whether we like or not we may colonized again Malawi is going no where now the country is not developing its only the population is growing i feel sorry for my nation God may u guide our country please
Yes, Malawi is not an Independent State yet cos of the millions of People like myself & the Analyst who is nothing more than what he is now. There’re no Countries beyond Europe who’d have been responsible for building their Wealth but themselves, from our resources of which we’ve had for long but don’t own. We have our socalled Experts but I’d not know in what cos everything we’d have to be done always calls for Foreign Experts & Investors who we work under, on our supposed to be resources.
It’s normal to be different please.
tikamena kt tili ndiatsogoleri odzikonda zoona kmano olonso tikhala ife tikuyankhulafe tikhozanso kuchita chimodzimodzi timayankhula fukwa tili patali ndithumbalo,kutereku amene mukuwawonawo smkapempheranso kwa Mulungu kumati Ambuye mukangondipatsa mpando umenewu dzachita mukhulupilika pano Mulungu waapatsa mpandi uja anasinthiratu,chimene amadziwano ndikutenga zomwe abazo kukapereka kutchalitchi avekere mau odzilimbitsa mtima Ambuye mukudziwatu mmene ndimalowa mmenemu mnalibe kenakalikonse akapereka mnawonso atsogoleri akumpingowo kusololaponso palibe chabwino,timayankhula fukwa zinthuzo tilinazo patali.Akuba ku church ndiye mwawasankha udindo wadziko mukuti asabe kkkkkk,akubera weniweni owapatsa moyoyo kma abale
ine ndiyankhule chiyankhulo chathu chinyanja,izi zakambidwa apazi ndibodza lenileni ndichifukwa tikunanena atolankhani chonde tadzilembani zomanga malawi,amene mukunena kt analyst yo mimba ilikuno kuli kunenepa magalimoto osanena ndalama zake zama donor kmwewo,mmene lili dzikoli muyende midzimu muone anthu ambiri mmene moyo wawo watsiku tsiku ulili mwina simungayankhule samisalazo,ma donor akuthandiza muzambiri,ena kumanga zipatala,kupereka mankhwala,kukumba mijigo,ndizina zambiri zinthu zoti tokha sitingakwanitse mmene aliri malawi lero,kuima kwatokha ndimmene zililimu kulamulidwa ndimmalawi zathu kuchoka kulamulidwa ndi azungu osati mmene zinatero kutanthauza kt asatithandize fukwa amene amkamenyera ufuluwu anaona mmene angerezi amkazuzira makolo athu kalero kma kutithandiza ine sindikuonapo vuto umphawi dziko mwathu muno ngwaukulu ndiye kungodzuka tivekere paja ife munatipatsa ulamuliro tokha musstithandizenso ovutika simlembi wankhani iyi kma anthu ovutika ndiye tisanamizane apa,amene mukumuona malawiyu ndimmene analili chama 90s wasintha kwambiri watukuka amene mungatsutse izi ndikaika mulidi mmalawi weniweni
ine ndiyankhule chiyankhulo chathu chinyanja,izi zakambidwa apazi ndibodza lenileni ndichifukwa tikunanena atolankhani chonde tadzilembani zomanga malawi,amene mukunena kt analyst yo mimba ilikuno kuli kunenepa magalimoto osanena ndalama zake zama donor kmwewo,mmene lili dzikoli muyende midzimu muone anthu ambiri mmene moyo wawo watsiku tsiku ulili mwina simungayankhule samisalazo,ma donor akuthandiza muzambiri,ena kumanga zipatala,kupereka mankhwala,kukumba mijigo,ndizina zambiri zinthu zoti tokha sitingakwanitse mmene aliri malawi lero,kuima kwatokha ndimmene zililimu kulamulidwa ndimmalawi zathu kuchoka kulamulidwa ndi azungu osati mmene zinatero kutanthauza kt asatithandize fukwa amene amkamenyera ufuluwu anaona mmene angerezi amkazuzira makolo athu kalero kma kutithandiza ine sindikuonapo vuto umphawi dziko mwathu muno ngwaukulu ndiye kungodzuka tivekere paja ife munatipatsa ulamuliro tokha musstithandizenso ovutika simlembi wankhani iyi kma anthu ovutika ndiye tisanamizane apa,amene mukumuona malawiyu ndimmene analili chama 90s wasintha kwambiri watukuka amene mungatsutse izi ndikaika mulidi mmalawi weniweni
Whether your are drunk or sober,don’t think like a child.indepence doesn’t mean not to recieve any economic aid.you need to understand that we have limited resources for our survival here in malawi.you are supposed to give scencere thanks to the donor country.
Words of wzdom
Thanks!
What is your description of independence? Davie mickson
It’s when you are doing things without being directly contralled by someone.
I think that sounds to be a very shallow definition.And invites alot of questions.What if you are indirectly controlled?
That’s how we live.we always make our decisions by also considering the views of others.so what is your reall definition?
chilembwe fought for political independence which has failed to bring about economic freedom to Malawi
Abegging family deserves no respect in the village
53 years of dependence.
legalize Medical Marijuana if she is independent
Mr Kajombo mwatani kodi?
politicaly we are indpendence bt economically we are not
Malawi is full of gready, selfish, foolish even dull minded leaders just to mention afew. Leaders who keep on encouraging people to vote when elections come but when voted into offices they became the betrayers. They even reach the extent of stealing donor aid intended for the local masses and thats why Malawi is getting poorer and poorer every year when our neighbours are beneffiting. Because Malawi is land rocked and thats why these so called leaders (for me ‘monkeys’) swallow all the government funds thinking that its their mines. Even putting US DOLLARS in sacks in the state house as a matter of stealing, (a big shame). Malawi is not independent and it will never be because even when people vote the outcomes are not what they expect. The Electoral Commition put wrong people into offices after being bribed, (rubbish). Malawi is no longer a nation but a stream, where water come in the rainy season and gets dry in the dry season leaving all the fish dead. But one day God will do something no matter how long it takes.
talking sense Dennis! i like your comment. good day and God bless.
Thanks alot…I love you all!
Is that the so-called dictator in the pic?
True
Very well said
Let be colonised again
we can’t afford on our own ,Malawians face the reality.we don’t have our own resources ,is it denial or what face it we have lived like this ever since independence is just a name.
In my opinion, whilst Malawi is officially independent, it has to conform and abide by rules and requirements set by donors. This means it is not truly independent. I agree with the author, that the path to development lies in any country’s ability to be self sufficient. The only path to this result is by moving to a large scale industrial farming system, perhaps even a type of cooperative system, whereby all resources including labour, are pooled, and the end crop is divided amongst the participants in the cooperative. It allows this to managed on a business level, and ensures that profits from excess crops sold are literally ploughed back into the land. Additionally, it will allow for proper crop rotation, correct forestry and land management, erosion and soil management and water and irrigation systems to be put into place. This all reduced dependency on the rains, and will enable Malawi to produce more than enough food to feed itself. It will then also be able to focus more on longer term cash crops which can be exported, like tobacco does today. Many are scared that this type of system is “communist”, and in reality, they did practice such a system, but that doesn’t mean that it is inherently bad, and it can be easily adapted to the benefit of all Malawians.
Failing to supply electricity and we are saying we are independent
.
lie
Kwakula ndikusathokoza,but anyway every life ulindichiyambi chake,dont be fooling urself with ur low education.
Those called analysis r fools, where were they all along? U were busy criticizing bingu, now u don’t know what you’re saying F**
Surely it’s ridiculous to claim independence lip service fully when there is an ongoing involvement of country’s affairs by colonizers…..and leaderships hell bent neocolonialism Stance on all matters that affect the multitude
Wow what intellectual enlightenment brother always u keep it real and well versed
And whites are our rulers they just changed the style of ruling us b4 they were ruring us here in offices and now they are ruling us outside the country and we go in white offices to beg so what is independent here?
What is the definition of the independence we are talking about?
If we are being ruled by fellow Malawians it simply means we are independent. In fact those who fought for independence were fighting against colonial ruling not donations.
There must be no sense in your thinking
No they were fighting against colonialism, we are still colonized, it’s called neo-colonialism
Do u realy know the word independent. mean?
Ndiye vuto ndichani?mumatipasa chakudya?
Independence is incredibly multifaceted, heavily nuanced and ridiculously pervasive. That we are not economically independent might compromise our independence but it doesn’t take away the political independence…. In an increasingly global and interdependent world we live in, no country is independent in every sense of the word.
Malawi has never been independent and there is no prospect to become one with the phenomenon of globalization. Again, with a deficit national budget Malawi can not claim to be independent.
I 100% agree to this assertion.
True. If Malawians can stop importing everything and start making stuff themselves, Malawi can be less and less dependent on the world, and avoid the evils of globalism. The more you are dependent on UN, IMF for “help” the more you are in bondage/slavery – the more you produce yourself, the less likely you will be forced to implement policies to appease overseas “or else”. Why the heck is Shoprite selling potatoes, meat, 90% of everything, from South Africa, does Malawi not produce their own food and drink?