Reasonable Hatred: Resolution

Livingstonia Synod carries a billboard with big letters "CHICHEWA". One with curiosity would look at the top line only "we say no to". He won't even bother to look at the bottom for he is disgusted that a church in the north would hate the Chechewa.

I understand not why it was put and why chichewa should not be in the constitution. For as an official language chichewa bridges several tribes and therefore convenient for communication among the unlearned who can't understand english (farther this was proposed during the tenure of a yao president). The ngoni, to whom Mzimba region is their area of settlement, decided not to hold on to their language and learn the language of their neighbors for peaceful co-existence for they left down south due conflicts arising from language difference. The Tonga, to whom part of Mzuzu also belongs, adopted Chewa names for peaceful co-existence. Livingstonia Synod then does wrong to put this bill-board in Mzuzu. As a church it should be the first to point towards loving our neighbors. Just that.

When it is not wrong for them let down the boundaries and cross into the central region nor the Nkhoma Synod to cross up north for the sake of their flock(Nkhoma for chewa speaking population who may not understand in tumbuka or english services, Livingstonia for their flock who with difference in procedures find acceptance problems in Nkhoma Synod). But with the placard they carry, their action was interpreted on tribalistic grounds.

And very possible, the quota might have been proposed to the president to punish the north by those angry at Livingstonia's action. Since Livingstonia had taken a political responsibility to speak for the north through its bill-board and actions and the rest of the north in protesting their action again is interpreted on tribalist grounds and selfishness.

While this remains my theory, I think its time Livingstonia Synod to let go the "tribalistic" message on its bill-board. I would also love the government to throughly scrutinize the implemented quota system for their might evidence of unfairness. I would love the center and the south to let go the perception that the people of the north are selfish for not all are. Though tribalism might be present as it would be present in the center and the south.

I would love the universities to be really sped up and the quota system to go soon.

We are one people of one nation Malawi and created by the same God. We are all related-in-marriage. Why hate one another?

Reasonable Hatred: Education Distribution

Early urbanisation in the south was coupled with christianisation of a pagan population of the south. The center seems not have benefited much from this being of warmer weather(among other reasons) therefore not attracting much settlement.
The north had good weather for white settlers but not good enough terrain for economic settlements.

Most schools in the early days were built by Catholics who conditionally provided it. The condition being conversion to christianity. For people in the south who had been converted to islam earlier, this was a barrier to do school and most developed a negative attitude towards it.

In the quest to educate to educate the whole nation, government then might have partnered with missions and prioritied developing the center and north. For the center at around the same time as well as mulanje and thyolo, the need for labour might have affected the motivation to do school for at the same time schools were being built farms were also starting.

The north was lucky being blessed with terrain that limited activities other than education. The did excell educationary.

Kamuzu might have seen this imbalance and also with good intentions might have wanted to implement the quota system. This caused much pain for people of the north for among those implementing the quota system there were some filled with hatred and jeolousy against this people.

He decided to atleast educate a grown education in technical jobs like carpentry, sawing and other trades. Even School za Kwacha.

Technical Colleges might have been a temporary solution as well maybe with a hope that people will then encourage their young ones to go to
school.

But life might not have been easy still for moslem kids. They faced much stigma as moslems were percieved as sinners. As such they wouldn't receive much acceptance in government among the majority christian. School then for such students was tough.

It is only recently with the birth of democracy and sensitization on freedom of worship that moslems went to school without stigma. At Chancellor College it was only when I was in 3rd year(2003-2004) when I saw female moslems wearing their head gear. It even felt strange
then to have them around in school for I had never had them around all my life of education till then. It really felt like some kind of exagerative rebellion on their part. But its better now. It seems normal to have them even in work places.

Technical Colleges does not make people bosses unless the people on their own effort have advanced themselves in their education. This still leaves a gap among the north and center and south.

The Presidents plans to build universities over the nation is an even better solution. Are we going to let our anger stand against even this solution?

It is said none is more intelligent than the other none is less intelligent. We all know as much knowledge as has been exposed to us. And as much knowledge we have grasped. Some have had a previlage of access to so much knowledge some none. Some have had encouragement some have discouragement in its place.

A person with good intentions will encourage or discourage for good reasons. A person with bad intentions will encourage or discourage for bad reasons.

Who are bad then? Those with Bad intentions. How shall we know them? By the fruits shall you know them.

Of the 5000 students qualifying for university only 1,200 students get selected into Public Universities due to lack of Bed space.

Of these 1,200 students, I would assume a greater percentage to be from urbun schools than rural one as urbun center has a larger flock of teachers therefore a better teacher/student ration. Urbun centers have better access to learning resources than the rural ones.

The Quota System ensures that every district contributes 10 students. So that of 1,200 students, 290 students have been guaranteed a place. The rest 1,200-290 compete for a place.

Common sense tells me they don't select from the bottom up but from the top down.

Quota system has brought pain among us. But look also at all these things and then maybe we can hate reasonably.

Reasonable Hatred: Development/Urbanisation of the North

Unless the wrongs done are rightly attributed to the people who have done them, it is difficult to let go of hatred against one who
recieves all the blame.

If a wrong done is exagerated the hatred is difficult to let go as well.

If only the wrongs of one are put forward it is difficult as well to
let go the hatred in the absence of the good.

In the age of multi-party democracy, because each party wants the seat there very great temptations to misrepresent reality and exagerate wrongs. Many parties capitalise on the wrongs of others.

Why has the north been unhappy? We are very sidelined. I want to try
to remove the "very" so politically emphasised so that we might look at reality and maybe hate reasonably.

In our times, development would be intepreted in terms of urbunisation. There are natural ways a place is urbanised and also artificial ways which tries to emulate the natural ways. So many are times when we have tried to put in the results of urbanisation to urbanise a place. To no avail. Chitipa is one such example. Natural urbanisation has a life in which it grows it does not rush it does not delay. Its growth is solid. Artificial ones might grow fast and die a natural death but might resurrect slowly naturally.

Governments in the light of few resources will almost always prioritise to put in infrastructure to improve operations in already growing
sub-urbans. These now include schools, hospitals, police,
administrative centres and roads and bridges and also communication infrastructures and entertainment centres. There are few centers in the north which have had natural urbanisation growth.

Jenda is one young urban center due to the road block. The delayed
people have provided income to the regions around. People coming to settle around to do better business have attracted more people from the two regions to trade and so that the place has become a trading
center. Now the trade has encouraged growth of Tomato and other products which is now the reason why there is a factory being planed for Jenda. Soon there will be need for engineers and managers and so cars moving around the region finding more and more areas of interest. Therefore a requirement to extend roads and a more complex town is
established.

Other places Raiply, and nearby Chikangawa is becoming less and less an area
of attraction. Mzuzu's establishment follows simiral patterns being at junction of the M1 and the NkhataBay road. It is coupled with a cool weather and good climates for the then cash crops which were attractions to early settlers.

Blantyre's growth has been the same Mzuzu's with Blantyre being older and faster due to closeness to other economic regions around: Mulange for Tea and Coffee, Chikwawa for cotton and maybe Sugarcane. Blantyre itself for a good weather for settlement. And so easily a center of
trade. A commercial city.

Zomba benefited a lot being an administrative capital city and hosting the
parliament though now the permanent center of attraction for economic growth is Chancellor College. Which means its urbanisation is slowed down.

Phwezi seems much more urbanised than the time I went there for school.

Karonga and Most areas around the M1 have benefited a lot due the permanence of the Northern Corridor an inlet of imports to Malawi. A border town which becomes a center of trade. Chitipa seems to have
less and less activity but can benefit alot from the University built there than in Karonga.

The road between Chitipa and Karonga has received less and less attention due to the lack of economic importance in Chitipa. (It is
easy for a road that is used daily to be developed than that which is infrequently used).

The are towns which are older but have not grown as fast as younger towns. Mzimba would have been more urbanised than Mzuzu. But since the
M1 was diverted from Mzimba Boma it has grown slower and slower than Mzuzu. Other towns are Rumphi which could be categorised among the same. There are other towns like Dedza, Dowa, Ntchisi along the M1 having received less attention than others. Dedza is much better with structures developed there. This is an example of artificial urbanisation from which Chitipa can benefit if it is given structures attracting activity.

People have said Mponela is much more urbanised than Dowa.

All this are few examples with different factors affecting (limiting/facilitating) urbinisation other than political push.

Most politicians go into government believing the will urbanise the North in five years. All of them seem to have failed. Why? Rome is not built in one day. With all the factors affecting urbanisation including availability of resources, Politions have found they really can't urbunise it as fast as expected. Of course, there might be evidence of sidelining. It is important then to weigh it down with all these other factors. Then we will hate reasonably.

Lest We Cry Foul: YDEF Situation

It has come to my attention with already HOT hearts of outstanding
misunderstandings that a situation is developing that if added to this
pain might turn very volatile.

In Mzimba, the YDEF forms are non-partisanly being distributed. But
not always available. The Forms should have been available at the
District Youth Office or Mardef Office. It had been decided that all
forms be distributed through Mardef Office. But it seems the officer
has been ill for the most while. The main office in Mzuzu is aware,
all the related officers are aware and the MP Mr Akimu Mwanza, who is
also against Quota System, is also aware. But no replacement has been
made. The alternative would have been to return the forms to District
Youth Office who were also given the same task of form distribution
previously. For atleast at DYO, there is someone who can distribute
and there is someone(a volunteer even) who can explain what to do and
unlike the Mardef Office, the DYO seem to be more knowledgiable about
the loans. Currently an Officer has to come from Jenda to distribute
forms in Mzimba Boma.

Why do I say this? These actions might be in place to act as bridges a
very serious person has to cross. But it might be also a deliberate
calculated move to be used as a political weapon.

So lest we cry foul. Let this post be a witness.

With this I am wondering what is the situation like in other districts
and regions?

Operation Bwezani: China

Somebody lamented: "Chilichonse chalowa china". Everything
Counter-feit and Substandard.

I was talking to some guys on Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) stand
at this years international trade fair about issues of substandard
goods and what they are doing about it.

Their first reaction they said they have no control on what goods
should be on the market in a liberalised market. Is this true? But do
they not ensure use of correct weights, safe products, etc for
Malawian Products? The insence to ensure consumer safety and to some
extent fair trade?

How liberal should a market be? I wanna look at some realities about
counter-feit/substandard goods(fake goods in short).

Just across from MBS on the left there was Escom. They have a problem
of power shortage. They can't satisfy the power needs of the nation.
The lady was explaining the need for using energy savers. She did
point out some energy saving bulbs on the market a fakes they don't
last long and don't save energy. So the purpose of their use
frustrated. For there are very few shops to be trusted to sale real
energy saver bulbs. Escom does not know what to do about this.

Energy savers is not the only problem. Look at hotplates, cookers,
geysers(maybe). There some of these use energy exponentially. They
will keep drawing more and more power until they burn out. Most of the
times you have to switch off avoid their being destroyed. The list
becomes endless when you look at phone chargers, and other small
electronics using power. Has it ever occured to you why electricity
should switch off every evenning from 6 to 8 pm? It is at this time
when people are back from work and they have to cook bath press
clothes for tomorrow etc. What a consumption of energy with china
goods!

Does an increase in power production help? I doubt for some consume
like holes without a bottom. What can be done?

Ministry of Trade establishes trade relations at political level.
Companies trade at company level. MBS controls standards in Malawi as
other bodies control in their lands. MBS has certain standard
particular for Malawi and would establish relations with foreign
standard bodies. MBS can, in coraboration with foreign standard
bodies, create a list of companies that are satified by Standard
Bodies in their lands which are compatible with ours. Local companies
can access this list through MBS and Ministry of Trade and trade with
foreign companies of their choice.

Meanwhile on imports if products are imported that do not satisfy our
standards they are not to be allowed to get into our land.
Does this infringe on free trade laws? No. If these products don't
satify our standards, it means they don't satify standards in their
lands as well. Which might mean they are counter-feits(infringing
copyright laws therefore illigeal) it also means they might be
hazardous. Frustrating the whole purpose of having standard bodies.

There are some products which satisfy standards but of different
quality grades. It would also be fair if their grade be indicated on
them so that they are sold at correct prices. Otherwise they break
fair trade laws(for consumer protection and against consumer
exploitation).

In this way we have a liberal but safe market. Liberal in the sense
that companies can chose whoever they want to trade with. Safe in that
the goods they sale are safe for consumers and are not sold to exploit
the consumers.

Then maybe after cleaning away counterfeit electrical appliances, we
can conserve and be able to predict our energy consumption better and
be able to increase power generation wisely.

Consumers would also benefit from not buying fakes when they would afford
the real ones. And they would be able to buy cheaper products
according their pocket and still be safe.

If a company does not see good in this, I doubt if as consumer I would
want to buy their products. For then they are just their for profit
and not my safety.

How good can it be that while you benefit from profit of something you
sale your customer is also happy! Why have an unhappy customer when
you have already taken their money? Why give them something less than
good when you can?

I long for this day when I will go home with smiling not broken
hearted for I have been sold something fake.