Catholic priest says Malawi in sombre festive affair

December 30, 2014 Nyasa Times Reporter 29 Comments

A Catholic priest Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba said Malawi has been gripped with a  sombre economic atmosphere making it  a subdued nation with no celebratory mood during  Christmas and as it welcomes new year.

Fr Gamba: Sombre mood in Malawi
Fr Gamba: Sombre mood in Malawi

Fr. Gamba, a Monfort missionary, said cash-strapped Malawians had  to kick off preparations for critical New Year expenses at the expense of the festivities.

“What I want to say must not be seen as criticism of Malawi or because I want to judge or even seem negative, but simply reflect on the  challenges for us to start again, stresses Fr. Gamba in an interview with Agenzia Fides, the news agency of the Vatican.

He said this year’s Christmas had challenges for Malawians as a nation.

“The security situation in the country has taken a dive for the worst. Recently, a policeman was killed by armed robbers at First Merchant bank. The criminals got away with 90 000 Malawian Kwacha. Amidst the growing insecurity in the country, an official from the Embassy of the Republic of China warned that Chinese investors would relocate to neighbouring countries due to insecurity in the country. Wang Jiaxin Hudson, the Embassy’s Economic and Commercial Counsellor said this,” the priest noted.

Fr. Gamba further said: “The delayed rains in Malawi are worrying farmers especially peasant farmers who make-up 80% of the population. Similarly, the Government programme for the distribution of fertilizers has not yet materialised. Without fertilizers, there will be no harvest to feed the population.”

Among other woes Fr. Gamba spoke about include the industrial action by the judiciary and the continued lack of donor support to the Malawian budget by the international community.

Fr. Gamba reports that the Reserve Bank of Malawi has even launched a campaign that teaches people the good use of banknotes to avoid having to print new notes.

Ironically, Fr. Gamba added, “Malawi exports an entire forest of timber and imports toothpicks, exports cotton and imports clothes, exports millions of Kilograms of tobacco and imports cigarettes”.

Malawi government hope and wish for 2015 to be a productive year.

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29 replies on “Catholic priest says Malawi in sombre festive affair”

  1. Balaka wouldn’t be what it is if it were not for Fr Mario and Fr Gamba. They deserve an award these guys. Kungoti aMalawi enanu simufuna kuuzidwa chilungamo that’s why Malawi is the poorest country on earth. Walakwitsa pati Gamba polemba zimenezi? Gamba, Mario, and all black and whiter priest of BK and Mangochi, we love you. You are our development. Please fight for a government boarding secondary school for Machinga District. Until now there isn’t any in Machinga yet MPs and Chiefs ali phwiiiiiii!

  2. Balirani. Peter Mathanyula is enjoying himself just like his brother back in the day. Kugona a Malawi. How could you let someone force his presidency on you and inu basi sitting phwii. A Malawi munailira coz the majority of you wanted a president from the South and as such you couldn’t stand together to resist wakubayu. Za ziii. I’m a Southerner and a Lomwe too but I will not support someone just because timachokera kumodzi.

  3. Gamba ndi mzako Mario getting rich at the expense of malawians,cheating people with stupid handouts.You get a lot of money from Italy and other european countries but the billions are ending into your pockets

  4. A Gamba inu, why saying things like these to the outside world, do you remember that MCP wanted to kill you and it was us students who had to protect you after you printed the pastoral letter?, was there security in MCP in those days? you have the capacity and money to start some more companies, why can’t you start making tooth picks yourself, we also know that you are a chain smoker, why don’t you start making your own cigarettes? we know that you have access to billions of money from Vatican. Thank you for starting alleluia band but we know that you can still do more a Father Ndangodutsamo (I am just passing)

  6. And to add on Fr Gamba’s remarks, Malawians are just hearing of greenbelt initiative talk but nothing tangible is gaining ground.
    Why can we not say a thing and put in place mechanisms to implement it?
    Am sure if there was political will ochestrated by our incumbent politicians, food insecurity could have been dealt with through the greenbelt initiative.
    We have heard the talk long enough and we now need action.
    Mr vice president, please start acting. Some of us do not doubt your credibility and we don’t want to start.

  7. Future of Malawi does not look good at all in everything. So now what to do at this situation?
    Was amai better in her policies?

  11. Truth pains. Keep it up with the good work of exposing these kleptomaniacs. We know around 2011/12 they wanted to threaten foreign journalists with deportations for telling the “truth” to the world.

  12. Do we really have capacity toroduce what you are suggesting. Are we having comparative advantage in tooth pick production or cigarette prdn?
    If not that is why we import them than export

  13. In international trade it very expensive to export value added product than raw material because tax. That’s why African countries export raw materials than value addition product. SADC should help us to fight for free trade with our competitors

  14. yah indeed fertilizer ndi deal for malawians. Bingu priotised agriculture and people had to harvest bumper yield and Amayi brought a vibrant fertilizer loan programme. During campgain DPP could mislead people by not paying back the loan claiming it to be free. Now the dpp z ruling, surprising enough, they are unable to declare officially. Ngongole ya fertilizer ndi deal kwa mmalawi pakhala palibe political influence. Chakha chino tiona zokuda* 2015. Plz let’s pray 4 the president to open up his ego and area of intelligence and wisdom. Faiure z bad en don’t fail malawians. Sitingathe kudya cement ndi malata

  16. That’s the very truth from fr.Gamba.we knw all the gud work u hve done in malawi & Balaka in particular we also believe that God is stll using u 2gether with the likes of fr.Mario to reach-out to the needy pple around balaka. Andiamo&Montfort media has benefited a lot of us. Ansembe achitukuko ngati inu siambiri m’dziko muno

  17. Hahaha! koma a Gamba mwatero? Nsungwi zonsezi koma ndithu we are failing to polish and sharpen a piece of bamboo? That’s why we even didn’t that we can sale water in plastic papers, until the Burundians came, we even didn’t know that we can sale beans at a hawker…. Shame! We even don’t kno that the National budget is like yo own family budget, u don’t wait for yo “friends” or donors to buy the underwear of yo wife! If they want, they can bring U “gifts” so as a country we need to make it on our own, shame! only in Nyasaland!

  20. A bamba. Gamba, waphalireni wanthu awa, chalk chasuzga ichi. Getu nayo wakwamba. BEAM kweni ndalama walije. Wose uwu mbunkhungu pelapela.

  21. Over 9million unemployed yet we fail to find people to clean our streets. Alot of timber yes and we cant make enough school desks. Failed state/Clueless governments

  23. This coming from a priest provides no reason we should pray. Priest are supposed to provide hope not promore hopelessness.

  25. When are going to help ourselves? Most of times I sit and ask myself why we Malawians are not innovative? Do you want government to start producing tooth picks? We have rich people in Malawi with billions of Kwachas in their banks why not start tangible things with their money yet its them with their billions import tooth picks? We Malawians we think only oyera khungu produces good things yet they steal money from our country. It is what our behaviours are that will leave us poor. Malawias have tendencies of buying more from whites and things made from outside than Malawian goods. Tomato from Dedza is sold at local market not shoprite. Yet we leave shoprite importing tomatoes from South Africa. A Malawi tizachangamuka lti? Tisamangokhalira kunena boma yet amene amagwira ntchito mboma ndiwochepa kwambiri koma oziimira pawokha ndiambiri. Chimene tizikamba kwambiri ndi insecurity not for foreigners but ourselves kuti tisamawopsezedwe ayi. Lets hold hands and develop Malawi.

  26. …..and we have dry water taps, yet we’ve got a whole lot of Lake Malawi, shire river, rivers, rivers and rivers everywhere. A failed state indeed.

  27. MALAWI WHY IMPORT TOOTH PICK WHEN WE EXPORT LOTS OF TIMBER.EXPORT TOBACCO AND IMPORT CIGARETTES. TIME TO LEGALIZE THE SALE OF CHAMBA OTHER COUNTRIES IN WEST HAVE DONE IT .AZUNGU AMAKONDA KUSUTA GOOD WAY GETTING FOREX.

    1. W r far behind development,hence our foolish leaders r full of boosts,,,Peter ndiye Presdent opanda vision Malawi hav never had b4….Unabela and Mulungu akulangila pansi pompano coz u will hardly enjoy ur term of office…i can c more and more problemz arising!!

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