Calls for Malawi to bring back Freedom Day: Scrape off Kamuzu Day holiday, ‘it’s glorifying rejected dictator
Some Malawians and commentators have argued that Kamuzu Day holiday on May 14 to celebrate the life of founding president Hastings Kamuzu Bands who died on November 25 in 1997 must fall and Freedom Day should be reinstated on June 14.
arrested, tortured, sent into exile, and sometimes maimed or killed.
Those who spoke to Nyasa Times said holiday on May 14 and should be scrapped off and the nation should stop glorifying the rejected dictator if democracy still matters as it did in 1993 when Malawians wanted change.
Kamuzu Day has often been a low key event and is mostly celebrated by his family and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
Malawians want to the Freedom Day on June 14 back so that citizens should commemorate reintroduction of multi-party democracy in the country and share history to the youth on the struggles to end one-party dictatorship.
June 14, 1993 is a day Malawians took to a decisive referendum to publicly reject their long time silent hatred of 31 years of Kamuzu Banda’s dictatorship.
The day was set aside by former president Bakili Muluzi, Malawi’s first democratically elected president in 1994, who gallantly fought for multiparty democracy and defeated Kamuzu in 1994 elections.
Muluzi’s handpicked successor, late Bingu wa Mutharika who rose to the Presidency in 2004 —charged by politicking not a sense of statesmanship and collective memory—just moved and scrapped off June 14 as a public holiday.
“Hypocrites are leaders who muted the June 14 holiday immortalizing the Big No to the excesses of the so-called ‘father and founder of the Malawi Nation’ in preference for an overdrive in honour of the very monster we wholeheartedly wanted to forget,” James Chavula is on record writing.
And another writer Ephraim Nyondo also argued that is imperative that Kamuzu Day must fall and Freedom Day should be reinstated.
He argues that the nation should not value the deeds of one man whose rule left terrible scars on people’s conscious.
“I don’t know about you, but I refuse, with a deep sense of arrogance and protest, such a discourse. I refuse to let the might and spirit of those that—amid threats, whips, property forfeiture and killings—braved the seasons and voted NO to continued Kamuzu’s 31-year-rule of ‘death and darkness’, to use the late Chakufwa Chihana’s catchphrase.
“Kamuzu Banda, like every subsequent president, was not extraordinary. I argue, and I can write a paper on this, that he was just an average leader with a privilege of having too much power to dictate things to the advantage of himself and those close to him,” he wrote.
Great and honoured in his fighting times, revered and reviled in the three decades Kamuzu ruled and fallen graciously in his end, he was one of Malawi’s rare son, the nation’s fighting and liberating spirit only fallen in the memories of posterity as ‘that dictator’.
University of Malawi political scientist, Blessings Chinsinga, believes Kamuzu was responsible for atrocities since he was the president of the country.
“We may not say he was directly responsible for the killings. But since he was a leader and in control of Malawi’s administration, he was to blame. Thus he sanctioned those incidents just as leaders give authorities,” explains Chinsinga.
Some political experts share the view that Kamuzu was responsible because as president, he was responsible for the welfare of his people and incidents as those could not have happened behind his back.
External and internal pressure forced Kamuzu to call for a referendum in 1993, giving Malawians a chance to choose whether they wanted to continue with his one party authoritarian rule or to adopt multi-party democracy. 64% of Malawians chose the latter. This led to a 1994 general elections where Kamuzu lost to Bakili Muluzi. Kamuzu was gracious in defeat; he congratulated Muluzi and wished him well before the vote count was over.
Before his death November of 1997, the aged and frail Kamuzu made a public statement asking Malawians who suffered under his autocratic leadership to forgive him. It was an unprecedented and unexpected move. The once mighty “lion” had been humbled, it could no longer roar and it was now owning up to its brutal past. Malawi prides itself as a “God fearing nation”, so probably Kamuzu knew that these “God fearing people” would indeed forgive him, as their Bibles teach. Kamuzu tolerated no dissent or opposing views for the entire 30 years he was in office. If Malawi is indeed a “God fearing” nation then Kamuzu was second inline – he was a demigod to be feared and revered.
Kamuzu created an inward-looking country, where he acquired this divine status that all his people were supposed to look up to.
Muluzi was slightly different probably because he was a direct successor. Yet he did his best to erase Kamuzu’s name, renaming almost everything that bore Kamuzu’s name. It was Bingu wa Mutharika who built Kamuzu’s lavish mausoleum at taxpayers’ expense. Yet in life Mutharika , who also copied the Kamuzu title of ‘Ngwazi’, feared Kamuzu so much that he spent years in self-imposed exile during Kamuzu’s reign. After only one year in office, Joyce Banda also already renamed State House “Kamuzu Palace”.
It is this kind of nostalgia that has compromised transitional justice in Malawi. Malawi could well be the only country that celebrates the life of its autocratic dictator.
Tossing around Kamuzu’s name and image as a political tool is making Kamuzu into a heroic saint that bears little resemblance to the historical record. He was a ruthless authoritarian that caused a lot of pain to many people whose relatives and parents languished in jails, exile and some were killed without committing any crime at all. He ran a state without a justice system. He was the sole arbiter of truth. This is the side of Kamuzu that is slowly being erased from nation history, deliberately or not, and as we blur the lines of our past, it becomes more and more difficult to understand our present. Airbrushing Kamuzu’s legacy and creating false nostalgia that is only aimed at diverting the national psyche from current leadership failures is not only injustice for those that suffered during his reign, it also stifles national progress and development.
Malawi will not develop if nostalgia and hero-worshiping are drivers of its leadership. The country needs visionary leaders ready for public service. Leaders with policies that can drive the nation forward; this has nothing to do with anybody’s age, gender or tribe. Here the electorate have a role to pay: look beyond personalities and focus on their policies instead.
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All leaders who became presidents after colonialism in Africa were dictators as thatwas the only way to enforce what they believe will promote their movements. Its not only Kamuzu, but also all African leaders you can name. Democracy came later in life as the best way of sharing leadership. As such you people who still harbrour hatrage of Kamuzu you must grow up. Whether you want it or not he was the one who lead us after colonialism as such Kamuzu day should stand. However, if you have grudges against him I can only feel sorry for you
Chilembwe Day shoud be the first to be removed. Palibe anachita iye.
Hosting young chaps at sangika is not good leadership. Masanje eni. Anawo sangayiwale Mavuto amend akukumana nawo ku ma universities. Alibe fees, salandira allowances ngati kale, akuphunzira mmalo oyipa, too many strikes.
Appeasement of qouta system products. Kkkkkkkk. Brainy students of past can’t act foolishly like this. l
I think the students themselves are to be blamed here cos imagine someone from College of Medicines, Chancellor College, Poly, Banda whatever you call it these days to go Sanjika just because of 20k? They’re supposed to be those who are well informed, well knowledgeable that they can resist but alas they’re the ones who say they go to endorse The Professor. It’s not not their duty to endorse him, it’s the duty of the party members from the branches at the convention to do that.
Banda did not create the Nation of Malawi and afterall,he is not a Malawian per-se.I strongly uphold those patriotic Malawians who demand that Kamuzu day be scraped once and forall.His rule has created dangerous divisions tribalistically and politically.He did this deliberately to rule the people like goats and indeed,he succeeded in his mission that has its roots up to this day.Having spent most of my lifetime in exile,iam not sure whether John Chilembwe is accorded the same respect.Personally,I would be overwhelmed if he is indeed,accorded such an honour by the Malawians.This is the man we can call the father of the nation because his precious blood galvanised the desire for our freedom.Banda was brought by Kanyama and Chipembere in the height of the nationalistic revolution in Nyasaland and therefore he had nothing much to contribute in the freedom struggle let’s say like Masauko and his friend Kanyama.He got the leadership of the nation like manna from heaven and spent some few months in Gwero Hotel of which he was proud of that and yet,it was from Gwero,Rhodesia where he sold our country to his European Masters as S.Mia is planning to hand over Malawi to his fellow Middle East Arabs.Malawians of integrity,comes 2019,VOTE FOR OTHER PARTIES THAN SATANIC MCP!!!!!!!!!
MCP is now new blood so don’t lie to us and mislead people. Nkhalamba zonse who were cruel in the 70s and 80s now belong to DPP, UDF and PP. FYI Bakili Muluzi was the leader of MYP and he authorized all cruel activities. Go back and read history books.
Such stories are Created to divert our attention from Real Issues. Why should government vehicles be Used to ferry Students to Sanjika for a Party Function? Police and Immigration vehicles. Osati izi.Ntchito za a Ngwazi zawachitira umboni zokha.Olo mutatothesa maholiday.Dzuwa salozelana.
Whatever you are for, whether changing it or retaining it, I have no problem. I am a Malawian living in diaspora in the first world. All our holidays are observed over the weekend. So I would advocate for moving the holiday to be a simple weekend celebration and let national development continue during the week with normal week work. Unless you tell me that the Malawian worker is not productive then we can continue to lose those precious hours of work.
Which diaspora Sir that observes public holidays only weekend?
A malawi ndinu anthu ogana kwambiri no wonder chifukwa chake wina aliyense amangonena zoti kamuzu anali munthu oyipa ngankhale ndi ife amene tinabadwa ma 90s we say kamuzu anali wakhaza. That cheap politics is the reason why Malawi remains the poorest nation on this planet. We are busy fighting for useless thing’s koma Chaponda akamaba ma billion we come in numbers praising him. Keneth Kaunda in Zambia it is said that anapha anthu ambiri mu ulamuliro wake but they still regard him as a father because they understand that mundali muli zambiri. Chisanu of Mozambique ana anthu ambiri koma amamutenga ngati hero. Paul kagame of Rwanda anapha anthu ambiri komanso akuphanso mpakana pano koma the world considers him as hero. Amalawi musogoleri wabwino ndi amene akufunira zabwino anthu ake monga muja amachitira kamuzu potipasa ife anthu ake zofunikira mumoyo wanthu wa siku ndi siku. Nthawi ya kamuzu kunalibe njala, china chilichonse timachipeza, ntchito sizimasowa ngakhale munthu osaremba amatha kuipeza ntchito, maphunziro anali abwino, katundu anali otchipa, zakudya mu ptc timagula mochipa. Tikamapita mu town timakwera ma bus osati lero tikukwera njinga, mabasi anali poseponse komanso mitengo yake inali yotchipa. Misewu yathu inali ma street lights, pochoka mu limbe kupita mua town timakwera bus, kuchoka ku luwinga kupita mutauni timakweranso bus dziko limakoma nthawi ya kamuzu. China chilichonse tili nacho pano ku Malawi anamanga kapena anachita ndi kamuzu. Kodi usogoreri wabwino upose apa?
Most Malawians are jelousy, ignorance rules much in their minds than sanity. Bakili Muluzi was once a secretary general of MCP and especially when MCP committed those atrocities such as Mwanza killings, Dausi, Henery Mussa, Gwanda Chakuwamba and many more in DPP, UDF AND PP were members of the notorious MYP. Kamuzu like Bingu and like Peter Mutharika were was fed lies on what was happening on the ground. This article is burnt on propaganda against the Kamuzu Banda. Whether you prople like it or not Kamuzu was a hero and non of your so called professors can much his economical thinking. Despite much of setbacks Kamuzu made Malawi a nation with a value and your 14 June freedom brought a reckless life among Malawians. Education had a value, youngones were respecting elders, markets were real, universities were of the state of the art, bunda was competing with Makerere in uganda as best universities in Africa, farming was superb, food security was not an issue, electricity was not an issue at all and many more. Cowards gives an excuse of population growth, tell me is Rwandan population not growing! Yet Rwanda is advancing highly in all angles of development! Is china population not growing? Yet China was less developed than Malawi fifty years ago! May be you may talk of Minerals, other countries like Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho are advancing towards better economies yet their popultions are growing. The so called freedom day brought less benefits than the Kamuzu rule. Malawians are jelous, evil and full of subjective poverty, most people think below the best lines of life, they prefer m’bale wawo, mtundu wawo, wakumudzi kwawo, etc so they feel proud of such a persons achievment. By the mare fact that Kamuzu was a chewa from the central region and of Malawi Congress Party is a thorn to may poor thinking Malawian yet you are buying dzibuku for ana asukulu. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT KAMUZU WAS A HERO AND EILL REMAIN A HERO, A GENTLEMAN WHO APOLOGIZED FOR ALL ATROCITIES COMMITTED DURING HIS ERA. CAN THESE OTHER COWARDS STAND AND APOLOGISE FOR JULY 20 KILLINGS? CAN BAKILI MULUZI APOLOGIZE FOR MURDERING MATAFALE? Then you want 14 july to replace Kamuzu day for What?
Of course Kamuzu was not supernatural but it is grossly inaccurate claiming he was no any different from post-multiparty mediocrity. Yes, almost all post-independence leaders in Africa were dictators? But on a balance of scale Kamuzu’s contribution to the country far much outweigh the negatives.
Most acclaimed atrocities Kamuzu is said to have committed, to us who were young in the 70s & 80s would easily derive inferences now. There’s a culture of hero-worshipping presidents in Malawi wanting to maintain the status quo esp by those surrounding the president “Ayimanso” nthawi ya Tcheya…..the rest we know.
Do not demonise Kamuzu or we are deliberately choosing mislocate & misdiagnose our real problem. SHAME!!!
Despite shortfalls of Ngwazi Dr H Kamuzu Banda i still respect him alot.When i remember during crop inspection with mbumba dancing around oh those were good old days.
Let’s Call it POLITICAL ACTIVIST day, since everyTom/Dick and Harry are now political activists!!
I agree! We need to move on and forget Kamuzu and his MCP
Despite the atrocities that happened during his time, Malawi was a country to be proud of, we had so many family entertainments like the May Fair, Christmas Fair, train and Bus rides, DRIVE-IN CINEMA, we had companies manufacturing products like STORK MAGERINE, COVO Cooking oil and most products were affordable, no blackouts, education system was excellent, even the poorest student would have good education at Kamuzu Academy for free. Kamuzu asked for Forgiveness for his Atrocities which makes him a person with Heart. We are yet to know if someone will ask to be forgiven for Killing Polytechnic student Robert Chasowa who unlike Kamuzu’s atrocities which were commited during one Party system, Chasowa was killed during Democratic system.
my conclusion is that Kamuzu was better than the Leaders we have now who despite being in a Democracy are still killing people like ACB’S Njaunju.
Kamuzu Banda was a dictator period. Many people were killed brutally, in public, in jails mercilessly. He was a bad leader. That’s why it will take me time to forget all atrocities committed by MCP. MCP kawiri, eeee anthu apepetulidwa ndithu.
If you say many people, how many are many people. Do not lie to your self and say many people. You alone can not be many people. Stop fooling yourself!
What do you mean by many people. You are only one person. I lived a fulfilled life during Kamuzu era. I worked and was able to earn a comfortable life from my hard. To hello with you fake freedom
The second sentence in the last paragraph reads: “The country needs visionay leaders [who] are ready for public service. Leaders with policies that can drive the nation forward …” Kamuzu showed off visionary leadership qualities in the manner Malawi registered her good economic results upon the country attaining independence in 1964. That went on very well until the oil crisis in early 1970s because of the 1973 Arab – Israel conflict, drought and civil war in Mozambique which had an impact on her economic performance. The structural adjustment programme the country followed in the mid 1980s under his leadership were less extensive and they showed relatively moderate macroeconomic change and post-reform performance. At that time Kamuzu was very old and administrative powers were slowly slipping away from him. As for the atrocities, Kamuzu was not alone. Some of the figures that perpetrated them using Kamuzu’a name are still alive. Personally I see them moving around in the country in particular those who sold us the MCP party cards. On holidays, it is proper that the country should have eight public holidays. The rest merely encourage national wide strike during which everybody stays at home thereby bringing economic activities to a complete halt. However, Chilembwe Day Kamuzu Day and Independence Day should all be scrapped off … Freedom Day should replace Independence Day.
This article makes me sick! It is clear that the author was full of hatred and resentment for our two former presidents – the two NGWAZIs.
Ironically in their time Malawi experienced great economic growth, great security, great sense of self reliance and pride and very, very low levels of corruption! Most of all, there was a high level of discipline. However Bakili’s time was the worst in Malawi’s history – high levels of corruption, nepotism, sectarialism, ignorance, lack of ethics, moral bankruptcy, and complete lack of discipline generally. Such is a leader recommended by this author. I have just touched a tip of the iceberg here.
Makomentetazi, omwe alankhula apa ndiaboza , ansanje, opanda kuthokoza zabwino zomwe wapanga mzao, komanso ndi mfiti.
Kuti ndikufunseni, omwe anaukila Bakili sanaphedwe, sanasowe, sanatemedwe ndi zikwanje?, mabodegadi a Bingu sanatenge mfuti kwa anthu a UDF omwe alikulowa pa geti yasanjika pangthawi yomwe Bingu anaganiza zoyamba chake chipani?
Ndiangati anthu omwe aphedwa panthawi yomwe tilimudemocrase? ndiangati anthu a chialubino, nkhalamba,
Njauju, chasowa, azimayi odulidwa mabere ndi ziwalo,
Mukamalankhula inu makomenteta muzikhala ngati ophunzila, makomenteta inu ndinu mwaba ndrama zathu mboma.
Omwe amaonongetsa Kamuzu pano erna anali a pulezident, ena akhala akuyendayenda mzipani zosiyanasiyana ena a iwo ndi Amtaba komanso Dausi.
Anaichotsa freedom day ndani, ndikamuzu osanena nthawi yomweija Bingu anachotsa freedom day bwanji? A UDF inu mwamupezerela Pita eti mufuna muchotseso maina onse omwe anabwezeretsa Bingu kulemekeza Kamuzu. Makomenteta awa ndi UDF osati ena ayi.
Palibe cha nzeru apa baba. Ife Kamuzu ayi ndi ndale zakezo. God will justly judge that brutal dictator. We don’t need Kamuzu Day in Malawi but Freedom Day rather.
Lakula ndi jelous ndi kaduka baba Kamuzu was a hero whether you want it or not?
Kamuzu deserves a special place in our history.There is no way you can just wish off Kamuzu just like that.He did a lot for the country which these leaders after multiparty democracy cannot even dare to dream. It is Kamuzu who founded Malawi as a nation. He single handedly built Lilongwe as the administrative capital of our country.In fact Kamuzu borrowed ZAR 8 million from the dreaded apartheid government of South Africa to fund the construction of Government offices at Capital Hill in Lilongwe. We are saying we have Lilongwe as our capital city and indeed as a city we see it today because Kamuzu decided that Lilongwe should be the centre of administration for our country as well as a city.He founded the University of Malawi where most of you people talking on here went to. He may have his shortfalls as a human being but I think he did a lot to make Malawi a better country than he found it.
Golo wa golo, was it not ZAR 6 million? And the lay out of New Capital City looks impressive save for the single lane drive roads. But progress is on the way as evidenced by the dual carriage way in some roads – Chilambula Road …
I totally agree with everything that people in this article have contributed. We don’t need a holiday 4 kamizu. Let MCP & kamuzu family have it just like DPP & bingu’s family do.
I for one hated Kamuzu so much that i didn’t want to hear his name, but now looking at what’s happening in this country after him gone, then i think we removed the bad person and replaced with the worst kind. What’s better between a king who takes away your freedom but feed, dress you and protect your diginity as a human and the one who gives you freedom but starve you to death, strip you naked, take away your security, take a roof off your head while him and his inner circle live like angels in heaven? If i could choose then i could choose none of it, even the freedom day you are advocating for is not worth the salt; people don’t eat and live freedom though freedom is paramount. Look countries like China and Russia which Malawians admire alot, are worse than Kamuzu when it comes to freedom and human rights but their people are very happy-why? PEOPLE DON’T EAT AND LIVE FREEDOM. How many people died because of opposing Kamuzu and mcp? How many have died and still dying today because of no medication in hospitals, hunger, breakdown of security, unaffordable cost of living and so on? The suffering of Malawians today is affecting 70% of the populace while Kamuzu and his friends were cramping down on political dissents who were just 5% of the population, it wasn’t good but today is not better either. Kamuzu is part of our hist
I agree to these notions
this is absolutely true other wise there is no value to this so called kamuzu day as a public holiday of which it is celebrated by the family members and the MCP party.
#freedom day must come back
#scrap off kamuzu day as a public holiday
what is your argument here? Don’t say I can write a paper on this. Your argument will speak for you and not necessarily making it plane while you are not delivering at the same time.
This is madness. Africans why?? Go to Russia, Joseph Stalin was a serious dictator, he introduced what was called purges in which he dealt with his political opponents but on their other hand,he developed Russia and placed it on world map using his 5yr plan…He is still honoured today! Amalawi ndife anthu otembereredwa no wonder umphawi paliponse,this true son of Malawi developed the country and you are what you are bcoz of him today,fools. Adolf Hitler is still honoured in Germany despite his atrocious acts. Even in Nguni tribes,Chaka Zulu is remembered despite he was a butcher,,zinazi osamazilowetsa ndale agalu inu
Even the era we are now is as autocratic. I don see any difference. Anthu kumawabera ndalama chinchi what does that imply
Freedom is too difficult a term to apply. Lets call multiparty democracy day
Which freedom can freedom day reflect. We wanted it but only to be shocked! Let us celebrate Kamuzu Day to remember most of the facilities we are enjoying today.