Asians fear MCP’s Gotani talk ‘we must end dziko ndi wanu, ndalama ndi wathu’: Malawi economic freedom
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) deputy secretary general Catherine Gotani Hara has encouraged the opposition Tonse Alliance under the leadership of MCP president Lazarus Chakwera to push for indigenisation and economic empowerment policies that will have black citizens in the country to have real opportunities to enter and participate in the economy.
Gotani Hara, who is also Speaker of Parliament, said at a televised Tonse Alliance opposition rally in Blantyre that Chakwera leadership should liberate Malawians from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation and economic inequality.
She said the MCP government should economically emancipate its people from living below the poverty line and ensure economic empowerment through participation in government procurements fairly.
“Malawians are lamenting that we are treated like second-class citizens in our own country,” she said.
Gotani made her point using a lamenting line in which she mimiced an Asian boast: dziko ndi wanu, ndalama ndi wathu (you, Malawians, own the country but we, Asians, have the money).
She said if Chakwera is elected Malawi President in the fresh elections, it should be: “Dziko wathu, ndalama wathu (Our country Malawi, and we have the money).
The government business, according to information seen by Nyasa Times, shows most of the contractors are of Asians from the Indian subcontinent.
From supplying materials to government to supermarkets to shopping malls, Malawian Asians have the prominent role in the country’s economy.
In 1970, President Kamuzu Banda during the one-pary dictatorship of MCP ordered Asians out of local trading centres including rural areas and restricted them to Blantyre, Lilongwe, Zomba and Mzuzu cities.
Critics say foreign businesses with cheap imports and shady practises have been given the free reign to push locals out of business. The also accused the Asian business community that they externalize foreign currency, they hardly ever invest tangible in-country infrastructure, they pay the locals slave wages, they dodge paying taxes, and they leave Malawi much poorer than they found it.
The odds are stacked against Malawians in favour of Asian and, lately, the Chinese.
Former legislator Frank Mwenifumbo, who is backing the Tonse Allaince, is on record saying government should ensure there is a deliberate policy, “where we should make sure that a certain percentage of those procurements must be given to Malawian businessmen, that is only when we can grow this economy. “
He said the economic hardships that Malawians are going through are “uncalled for and unnecessary.”
MCP official Nick Yiannakis is also on record for taking it to Facebook to attack Asians that they are looting the country’s resources, land and property .
But Yiannakis provoked many when he inserted the religious card to his post, calling on Malawians to “remove all Muslim Asians” from Malawi.
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Gotani is damn right. Ku Malawi too much kususuka ndi kuopa anthu akunja ndi amwenye. Most of the filthy rich indians are accomplices to corruption in this country. I listened to her and she said, “nafenso tidziti dziko lathu ndalamanso zathu” now what’s wrong with that?
Who says local Malawians Have not prospered all the Cabinet Mps and the Ministers check on them also the business people like Mulli Brothers and others have succeeded well not to mention all the presidents that have come and are are trillionaires look at all the anti corruption bureau the cases that are with them are all of Local Malawians who have been taking everything from the poor Malawians, who is in charge of the public funds in Malawi where the Indians are the biggest contributors to uplift the lives of the local people but where does the money go… Read more »
True, true. Prospering by paying workers peanuts.
Tili ndi ma engineer oposa 1000 koma Mota-Engil (Portugal) and China Civils akupatsidwa contract iliyonse. Ndekuti pa Poly palibe sukulu ya nzeru? This is the time to say Malawi First osati ma policies opusa oti mpaka pano munthu kuti alemere azikhalira madhilu. Kudos Madam Speaker
It’s not a matter of school it’s a matter of work ethos – we Malawians have now ethics compared to these outsiders .
Uchitsilu basi kuthedwa nzeru. Most of those Asians are Malawian citizens most of them by birth and naturalisation. Kukamba zopanda pake basi. Uchindere a Gotani Hara
Gotani is right. You can’t go to China and be given any contract olo citizenship. Better empower you indigenous Malawian, you’ll invest in Malawi and empower relatives. Osamaganizira kumatako iai
Ndi dzinalakoli ukukambadi za nzeru mbuli iwe. Ntchito kudya Chamba basi. kukhala chitsilu online kulemba zopusa, kusapota zopusa. Usiye Kusuta sizikuyanja
Excellent Malawian should have equal opportunities. SA and Zimbabwe are doing the same
So what is wrong with giving Malawians same opportunities as Amwenye? Amwenye bring their stuff in the country duty free in the name of investment. Can’t Malawians be investors? Anyone who is against this is not patriotic and should move to India and do business there! Mxieeewwww.
Malemu why don’t you get off your backside and seek opportunities and not wait for it to drop on your lap.talk is cheap go out and do it like the indian comunity has done worldwide. They don’t have time to bicker like you .jealousy creates animosity.
Maybe you missed haras point on equal sharing. We can’t just have a land with no money. Dziko ndi ndalama ziyendere limodzi baba.
The issue is about equal opportunities and distribution of resources really, no race can stand alone because we all have our different strengths and resilience hence together we can grow and increase…..If you observe, you will agree that the most racially mixed nations are the ones owning the best financial might……I rest my case!
When people say that MCP will never change, this is what they mean. These guys are talking xenophobia against people of Asian origin. They are talking of destroying Muslims of Asian origin yet they are floating in Sidik Mia’s money, who is of Asian origin. Stop blaming Asians for the poverty in Malawi, no Asian has ever been president or vice. We as Malawians are responsible for our poverty because of illiteracy, nsanje, witchcraft, and ignorance. How many Asians do we have in cabinet? None. How many Asians do we have in Parliament? Less than 5. So who is to… Read more »
Guys so you want the status quo to remain like this? My Nalawi what it is wrong? Why are the called Asians? Akufunabe tizingokhala ma cook and ma garden boy awo eti? Ndiye enanu mwatenga mbali ya and Mwenyewo? Aaaaaaa chisoni.
Change of what is it bad to say we Malawians also need to have money in our pockets in our own land? The foreigners not meaning Asians only yes are doing well in our country that’s great development but we as citizens we also have to look in to our daily solutions if having something to give us money, gotani is right but the speach doesn’t match with the hating on the Asians sorry this is just politics.
We surely need each other only let our leaders come up with policies to balance the playing field some how!!! Common MW Let’s go!!!!👍👍👍👍👍👍
Tikufuna Kut Malawians should be empowered with businesses and other opportunities.kukala ndi ndalama ndichinthu chabwino.Ngati all government tenders 80% azipita Kwa amalawi.Osati chilichonse amwenye ayi . Enough is enough, Ngati amalawi sakupasidwa mwayi ndiye Kut mavuto sangathe.Amene mukutsutsana nazo ndinu amalawi wosafunira dziko lanu zabwino.Ndinu amene mumafuna anthu azisauka.Gottan’s ideas are good.Malawi akuyenera kukhala ndi ma millioners ake ake, ngati momwe alili USA.Ma Indians sadzathamangitsidwa,azaziwa who owns the country and the money.
1. One unwritten responsibility of the president is “to lead, champion or guide change of mindset of the people”. I submit that if the president has not been able to touch his/her people at the mind-set level, they have failed. Mind-set doesn’t change passively, on its own. Our next president must lead us even psychologically into prosperity. These should be accompanied by deliberate policies to empower the locals. 2. Almost every country has deliberate policy regimes to empower it’s citizens. For example, a local may register a business with a small capital, while a foreigner requires a large capital investment.… Read more »
Well said @Harold👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾! I hope some of these brilliant comments should make their way to those at the helm. We are killing our country with some of these policies no wonder we simply count anniversary of our independence yet it is yet to translate to something meaningful for our country and our people.