With scores of Malawian young women still stuck in slavery in Oman as Malawi Government is failing to repatriate them, the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) says it is dismayed at the way government has conducted itself in the labour export deal with Israel.
Over the weekend, Malawians witnessed the departure of their sons and daughters to Israel and government, through Principal Secretary for Labour Wezi Kayira, followed the development with a statement confirming the same.
Currently, Malawi is struggling to repatriate about 60 Malawians in Oman who have been facing sexual, physical and emotion abuse from their employers.
CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, while appreciating the worrying level of unemployment in the country and welcoming any opportunity for labour export, said CDEDI is demanding Malawi Government to provide Malawians with proof of assurance of the welfare of people during their stay in Israel which is currently at war with Hamas.
“The labour export to Israel meets with the current war, raising concerns about security and welfare of our people since it is happening at a time when Malawians are still agonising over government’s failure to rescue scores of our young women stuck in slavery in Oman following a similar attempt on labour export,” said Namiwa.
He added that much as it is commendable for government to find something from which Malawians can earn a better living anywhere in the world, such initiatives will always betray government’s intention if they are transacted in secrecy, and compounded by conflicting information from government.
According to Namiwa, this is the scenario in which the country is in at the moment, in view of the purported labour export to Israel.
“If it were not for the Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa hinting on this issue in Parliament, most Malawians would not have heard about it. Probably, only those whose relations have benefitted would have been privy to such information,” he fears.
He argued that the attempt by the Leader of the House Hon Richard Chimwendo Banda and Speaker Hon Catherine Gotani Hara to sweep the matter under the carpet after Nankhumwa brought it up in the House is what should worry all Malawians considering that Parliament is where Malawians expect matters concerning them are transacted transparently and not what was witnessed over this issue.
“Should it turn out that, indeed, the Leader of the House and the Speaker were not aware of the labour export issue as they claimed, then there is a serious cause of worry as to who in government is supposed to know such matters of national importance. Obviously, this is a matter which must have gone through Cabinet, to which Chimwendo Banda belongs whereas the Speaker heads the legislature which ought to be a major player in the running of the country’s affairs, such as a decision to export labour,” said Namiwa.
According to the a statement which Minister of Finance Smplex Chithyola presented in Parliament, Malawi plans to send 5000 young Malawians o work in farms. Over the next five years, government plans to export 15,000 workers with the hope that they will help raise forex for Malawi.
Meanwhile, government is also silent on its resistance to allow medical personnel that government is failing to employ to go and work elsewhere, particularly in Western countries.
Research shows that World Health Organisation (WHO) raised red flags for Malawi to export health workers since it has less than the required numbers in its local facilities but individual practitioners can apply abroad.
