Don’t blame it on ‘Amwenye’: It’s Malawi public servants and politicians, stupid!
Public opinion is, with each passing day, pitching Malawians of Asian origin as a great danger to this great Republic.
Just look around.
In Parliament, some legislators have been visibly red-eyed against some Asians for, we are told, buying off the best part of land in our urban areas.
On social media, Asians are being slewed from all directions. Their crime? They are always having a larger cut in all key government tenders and businesses in the country.
Not only that.
All the key businesses in the country, I mean visible ones not mandasi selling, is in the hands of our Asian brothers—property, transportation, construction, and all that.
Unarguably, we have an Asian monopoly problem in the country; it’s real, it’s being felt and, if you look around, a feeling of ‘enough is enough’ is crippling in the minds of indigenous Malawian and, if left unchecked, it will blow up to something nastier and regrettable.
But before we blow up, as a nation, we need to ask ourselves some really tough and, of course, nasty questions that we must confront.
How did Asians monopolize our economy, what have we done to stop that and why, till date, do we still have this challenge?
It’s only if we confront such questions and, in the process, find hard answers then we can, frankly and honestly, point the right people to blame in this ‘Amwenye’ bashing game.
Historically, Asians have been in Malawi from the first and second decade of this 21st Century doing several retail and transport businesses.
However, their economic prominence emerged between 1960 and 1965 when white people, who owned much of the property and land in the country, were leaving the country because they didn’t want to be led by a black president.
Most white people, hurriedly, sold off their property and land to Asians because by then, it’s mostly Indians who had the power of purchase. Most indigenous Malawians were still very poor.
What didn’t happen in the 31 years that Ngwazi Hastings Kamuzu Banda ruled Malawi was a deliberate policy to empower Malawians to own property and land—with a goal to ensure that Asians don’t capitalize the advantage of purchase their enjoyed in the 60s.
Unfortunately, with indirect and direct protection from the State, Asians were left to expand—inviting their sisters, brothers, cousins, aunties, all that—and, through their connection, each was buying up land, properties and opening businesses, you name it.
Bakili Muluzi and his ten years, Bingu Wa Mutharika and his 7 years, Joyce Banda’s 2 years, Peter Mutharika’s 6 years—all these years have done nothing to curb the rising Asians monopoly apart from partnering some of them in the grand theft of public resources.
What we are experiencing today, this t we call an Asian, is a problem that stems for years of neglect by authorities to put in place measures that should curb the ever-rising monopoly of Asians in the country economy.
These Asians are smart capitalists and as any capitalist they buy their way to profit using whatever means.
Instead of containing the Asians, our governments chose to collaborate with some of them in looting this great nation.
So, should we still be accusing Asians and painting their community with one brush? No, it’s personalities in parliament who makes laws to blame; its personalities in public service to blame; its personalities at State House to blame. These Asians are only taking advantage of our weak and thieving governments.
The Asian community have proved that they can contribute effectively to the economic growth of the country as law abiding citizens. They pay tax, they create employment, they are involved in charity activities and yet we also have our own so-called indigenous Malawi entrepreneurs who are corrupt, treat workers inhumanly and all sorts of bad things.
Time to change the course and look at issues in right perspectives.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
What a sober analysis…. Ku Malawi kunoko timagulusana tokhatokha. The foreigners just take advantage of our weakened brotherhood system; where we don’t care of our future generations. Timangofuna pompopompo. The same applies ndi ma estate a ku Thyolo and Mulanje; azungu sanalande tinaapasa tokha only to start crying after some 200 years. Apanso tizalira mtsogolomu kuti amwenye used force kutilanda malo mu Area 9, 10,43 and 44 while tikuwapasa tokha
Anyone blaming amwenye should first look at
Zikomo
Don’t complain. There is something called ‘CAPITALISM’. Asians are investing their hard-earned money in this country, for the benefit of everyone, and that is why they are rich. All that Malawians know is how to steal and eat, and then complain about foreigners. You Malawians with a backward, African mentality.. Get real.. By the way I am a Malawian raised and lived in USA my whole life.
You have lived in the USA and have no idea about how crooked the panels here are. It’s about to change
This is a very honest and and good analysed article, congratulations to you Mr Mike Fiko! To point a finger to others like foreigner is always an easy task, but to look at ourselfs and especially our decision making leadership and there shortfalls should be the topic of the day, because each Nation on Earth is only as good or bad as their own human resource!
Amwenye ndiakuba kwambiri but the blame should equally be placed on the shoulders of our police officers, MRA, politicians and all people in position of authority. I really hope degenerate into something nastier because they are raping us day in day out. To hell with Amwenye mbava za anthu.
It’s really true Indians must be second to blame but first of all our politicians are fueling the problems
You forgot to write that asaians are screwing our women and wives left and center because they have the money.
Come on. It’s because they accept and want to be screwed. Remember it takes 2 to screw
To do business you need capital and capital is not picked on the road side. A caring government will assist the nationals to becoming entrepreneurs by empowering them financially as well as provision of business knowledge/acumen base. The few Malawians who are coined as rich people, have disgusting choices of businesses they own and run. Most of them have businesses that will never assist government and the local people, if anything, the few people they employ will be paid peanuts. Minimum wage in Malawi is a joke, very despicable. Unfortunately, our custodian (government) has its arms folded and continues to be an observer. Didn’t Kamuzu order all Asians to operate their businesses in towns and leave the village shops to Malawians? Soon as they departed, what became of those buildings? Most of them were turned into accommodation, beer halls, tobacco storage and some just disappeared in thin air. Know why this was the case? The locals had no enough muscle to maintain those businesses and the government didn’t jump in to assist or advise. Actually, these Asians help each other by disbursement of self controlled loans amongst each other. Some of these issues should be discussed in parliament but instead of doing that all we hear is only increasing their own perks, talking issues that will not help the very same poor person who made it possible to have him/her in that house. So stop shifting the blame onto Asians when the main culprits are Malawians and her leadership. Ministers are just sitting phwiii!! because they too don’t know their job specifications and responsibilities. That is why they will waste time talking highly of an already established sports man/woman instead of grooming the upcoming ones in order to reach the same levels as the ones they are pumping-up. A sheer waste of time and space.
You blame the government for not supporting individuals with capital, you must be head dead for thinking like that, are we telling ourselves that Indians are given capital by their government?
If the Amwenye left the buldings and all that, and Malawians are failing to capitalise on that, is it Govt’s problem?
Have you not seen people who were not left with anything either by their parets and their Govt and still did better financially in businesses?
If you can always find someone or something to blame, consider yourself retarded in thinking.
Minimum wage is not an issue, the issue is a working economy because even if you can be paid K30,000 in a good economy, it will sustain you and even if the minimum wage is at 500,0000 with the worst ecomomy, what are you going to buy, if you force companies to pay you minimum of 500,000 will they be in business? am talking of currency buying power.
So when things are not working don’t blame it on the damn mosquito, because in the same situations, others are flowering and you are there complaining, wincing and blaming.
wake up
Truth…
What truth…. u must be one lazy dude too
The biggest problem is that indigenous Malawians are way too envious and jealousy of each other especially if one is doing well. They would rather buy items from foreigner shops rather than from fellow Malawian shops. Inferior complex. And then, bad governance that is full of corrupt public servants that only gives business to one of their tribesmen. The government’s luck of seriously empowering and supporting Malawians with real provisions and not fooling them to start zitumbuwa business.
Why is everyone not blaming themselves but the Govt?… riddle me that, coz ena anayamba ndi mtedza wa mbale and pano ali patali, inu busy kulimbana ndi the next door neighbour
Fiko your are a jackass. Like Silungwe said shit is shit. So in your fucking opinion Asians should be spared in all this mess. Do you know that people
like Honoble Suleman is fighting this battle for each every Malawi ndi iwe yemwe. They have smelled the rat. Wait for another 5 years and see your if folks in your village will have a place to farm. Palestinians have no land in their own country because foreigners like your dear Indians kicked then out of their own their land. Your are a joke and very short sighted. Your article reveals your naiveness and lack of exposure. This article is dangerous. Damn Fool!
You are my friend lost.
I have never seen a Mwenye who waits for the process to finish, want to pay or play fairly. When you see a a mwenye, you see a crook, you see someone who is ready bribe his way through. they are the owners and drivers of corruption. I know They have bribed Mike fiko to write this nonsense
Its because the entire fucking system encourages corruption and bribery. In the end its the Malawians, government officials who benefit financially from the corruption and bribery. Its a shame.
You are right. The corrupt officials give away land that is useful and valuable on a lease of 99yrs and yet whatever bribe they have received only lasts a few months if at all. Really??? How smart is this. This land is then passed on for generations to benefit.
Who is the idiot here???
Let’s wake up. Call a spade a spade. Our desire and greed for quick financial solutions has put us in this mess.
True, most of their profits are not declared 100% to the MRA to avoid paying more tax , that is why business grow fast , yet most malawians are struggling with tax.
You have talked sense – we are always picking on mwenyes, mzungus, Chinese, Lebanese but these are the people who have developed the nation.
Even if they are corrupt what made them to do so ? Let’s think about it – if government worked effficiently if systems were in place then these guys wouldn’t even want to do it the wrong way .
But because in Malawi everything requires Fanta even a simple license renewal needs Fanta then what do we expect.
Let’s question our integrity, values , ethics and beliefs as a nation rather than always looking for scapegoats and passing racist and derogatory remarks !!
Bravo to whoever wrote the above article
Not surprising BCA has Davie Malemu who even has an office at one of the Indians factory and his main job there is to sale plots to Indian. Davie Malemia is a mere enforcement officer yet he welds more power and can order a survey of land and sales to Indians.. he is even known to even sale grave reserves and the CEO does not act on him because he works like a middle man for the CEO is plot sales to Indians.
It is time the public procurement act was revisited. It is not accruing the intended benefit to beloved land.
I would argue that we have seriously I ever playing field when it comes to the follow up and levying of taxes in our nation. In so doing, product appear cheap in some shops, purely because they do not pay their fair share of taxes.
Others have fronting businesses, which conceal their real sources of income.
I feel our enforcement agencies either do not have an adequate skill set, or they overlook non compliance for personal gain.
The flip side of the coin is that as a country, we have a responsibility to make beneficial investments as opposed to purchasing depreciation luxury assets, which generate no beneficial income.
Great to see Nyasa write something positive about the Indians.
It’s the first
Let it not be the last.
A lot of fellow Malawians have benefitted from the Asians charities be it Hindus or Muslims, many help in malawi.
A lot of schools clinics colleges etc run by the Muslims in rural areas let not the good deeds be washed away due to few haters.
See the good that they do rather than low out of proportion the bad that u see.
Amwenye have to be blamed together with our stupid politicians. They both have the power to say NO. They both have the right to report on each other. If they decide to jump into bed together, they are part and parcel of the rot. They both should be given extremely stiff sentences in order to deter fellow Amwenye and our public servants from committing the same crime.
All who writing in support of Fiko’s article are aliens from India and Pakistan
Aliens or not,but it’s the truth.
You’re quite right, Fiko. We should not always blame the Asians for the mess we’re in. The Asians, of course, are very good at sweet-talking one into accepting a bribe. The indigenous Malawians, on the other hand, are also good (and greedy ) at readily accepting the bribe.
Once you accept a bribe from an Asian, you are hooked. You become blackmailed, in a way. Once a politician accepts “campaign contributions” from Amwenye, that politician is “captured ” permanently.
Do you mean first and second decades of 20th century? Cause if not please go learn your history, we are currently living in the 21st century, please fix your facts. The families that came that early also left for other countries (after independence) if I’m correct for they were Hindus (some do still reside here), the Muslims started pouring in between the 40-50s till date.
You call yourselves journalists. Don’t embarrass yourselves Nyasatimes
What is the Cintribution of Malawians in growing the Economy of Country How many Indigenous Malawians Doing Business are Paying Income Taxes to MRA Negligable Even Malawi Govt Sector and other Govt Office which are Direct or Indirect they Not even paying PAYE and FBT and PENSION
RBM published a List of Defaulters on NON PAyMENT PENSiON
MRA has to still work on the same as there are Several Govt Sectors who have Not paid Taxes to MRA
Asian Business people Do Pay Taxes as MRA peoples come and collect Every Month from Targeted Tax Payers
Even MRA never Targets Malawian Business for Taxes Recoveriers or Penalties take the case of EFD Machines throughout Malawi only Asian Business People are Targeted Not Malawians as very Few Malawian Business have EFD Machines Most of the Shops do Not have Any Machines
So Malawians Should STOP Targeting Asians or Any other Nationalties for any wrong Doings
This is our land and it doesnt matter whether we are damn fools or whatever you may wish to call us. Why dont you go back wherever you came from. You have plenty of opportunities in your countries.
Another racist Malawian with a backward mentality..
Now we have someone who writes objectively because the writer points out that yes there is a problem on both sides of the aisle. We have amwenye who are corrupt but a few and we have governments officials who are corrupt and also a few. On the other side of the aisle we have the amwenye who work hard give their dues and try and live honestly, then we have Malawians who also live honestly. Now that you have a say we should not paint everyone with the same brush we should hope that those that live honestly should clearly differentiate from those few so that they maybe singled out.also if I may ask did kamuzu do the right thing when he gave the order of 1974 to restrict any foreigners(Indians) doing business in districts? Could we have had a different owners of Poland in our cities? Could we have perhaps had vibrant districts had the Indians stayed there?
Kamuzus intentions were good. The idea was to give Malawians a good starting point. Unfortunately we did not take up the challenge as usual. Look at the so called trading centers now. All dead. So the mwenyes were moved to the town’s and that’s where they now acquire land and build their empires. Sadly the customers from the rural areas even come by the truckfull to buy from the mwenyes shops. Go to Limbe and see how people come in trucks early in the morning, do all their shopping then return in the afternoon. And this is every day. All because we havent developed our trading centers that were and are still reserved for us. We want everything for free I suppose. The moving of the mwenyes from the trading centre turned out into a blessing for them through our own doings.
In order to correct this mess we have to firstly accept where we went wrong.
Look at the state of Namadzi Lirangwe Thyolo etc These were vibrant trading centers. People didnt have to come to town to buy their needs.
This is very true. We always blame Asians for taking all our jobs, businesses and sidelining public servants. Just take a good look at scandalous activities that have been happening in our country.
Peter Mutharika the whole president was involved in K 145,000,000 with Zameer Karim.
Norman Paulosi Chisale and others are have been involved in cementgate with Chunara.
Even if you can trace the infamous cashgate during Joyce Banda era you will find many Asians involved.
Our weak system of government is contributing to these Asians to take our nation for granted
It takes two to tango.people think that all mwenyes do business with government,but in reality majority of them don’t need government business,focus,steadfast,consistency,hardtoil and business acumen testament to their longevity in trade throughout the globe,.admittedly there are huge amounts involved in government tenders/contracts,but I for one can’t think why someone would want to do business with government,cause in every transaction,there is a cut for technocrats,politicians,big kahunas,their wives ,offsprings,clerks at capital hill,regardless who the suppliers or contractors are.president Chakwera recently said it’s just a few Indians,we all know who they are involved in corrupt practices,initiated by public officials,yet there’s been a virtual onslaught ,as if all are involved.though people are entitled to an opinion but only if they had chanelled the same aggression to hard work maybe they might become as prosperous as others.