Devaluation Finally?

Malawi Economic Justice Network does not seem to know what happens to the ordinary person that uses public transport. Though it is this person they should have considered first other than the donors wishes who don't even live in Malawi.

Shall companies operating in Malawi make profit with such a huge percentage of devaluation? In my opinion, those that sell their products locally and make international transactions to enable them to do so, if they do not cut their international transaction costs, they may decide to raise the costs of their local sales to cover up because they are buying the dollar 49% expensively.

In short, companies whose Forex earnings are lower than their Forex expenditure, will operate at a loss unless they cut their Forex expenditure. If they do not cut their expenditure but decide to raise the prices, they contribute to the high inflation.

In my opinion, these companies are not of benefit to Malawi but are its economic drain into wastage.

The government will need to make sure they separate their donations so that, they cover expense requirements that will require importation of goods and services.

If they use this Forex for local expenditure, it should be first after covering all the importation costs requirements, it should do this transactions with the reserve bank not the local ordinary banks otherwise, this Forex will get in the hands of individuals and companies and make an appearance of Forex shortage.

For all its development contracts, the government should make sure it is using Kwachas for for transactions not external currency.

This is necessarily what will help the Kwacha to regain its value because of its usefulness in local transactions.

For all its Forex transactions, banks should not hold the Forex in their own reserves but should exchange it with our local currency to the central bank at the official rate.

If the banks decide to still hold their Forex within them and not exchange it, the government will keep on failing to make imports of public goods and services like fuel, medicines, machinery, etc.

I would then also consider that banks should stop keeping money in foreign currency but convert the foreign currency at the official exchange rate.

The expectation of maintaining value of the amount at point of deposit should motivate the desire to stabilize the exchange rate. So then, those who put foreign money in banks will not have to worry about their foreign money losing value but get it bank as they put it in.

This will also help our currency regain its value for its usefulness.

Other, things the government can consider and prioritize with the gained Forex is to buy machinery and vehicles to rebuild back PVHO.

It is most often difficult and expensive to maintain the condition of public infrastructure if the government does not have the required machinery. Furthermore, it is cheaper for consulting companies working on building or construction of public infrastructure to hire the equipment from PVHO, than to individually acquire some.

The amount paid to hire this equipment should be enough to cover costs of maintainance, to cover the salaries of the employees, to allow for acquisition of new equipment and also to contribute some to the central treasury.

The idea of a self-sustaining government should not be bad if we understand that government has employees, the civil servants who have to be paid at the end of the month. They have administrative costs which have to be covered on daily basis in order for it to accomplish the duties it has. For without these, a nation is ungoverned. It is then useless to have a government in place if it cannot settle disputes among its citizens, if it cannot protect its citizens, if it cannot feed, educate, cloth and provide good health to its citizens.

After all, these are the same things that donors wish to achieve at the end of the day. Yet, what then motivates their wish to govern us? For look, they do end up leaving us without our necessities when then they desire to.

It is better then to let our elect government govern us than have donors govern us leaving us hungry when they want to.

Only malawians can better take care of malawians. A European will someday remember his Europeaness and cease to care about Malawi. They will destroy our land at wish. But look, we malawians have no where else to go in the world but right here in Malawi. Allow us therefore to take care of our own home as we wish to. Allow us to protect our own home from those that destroy it. Allow us from our own homeland grow our own food. For if we do not grow our own food, no other land will grow food for us. For land should feed those who dwell on it. And each of those that dwell in that land will always have enough. But if some land is left uncultivated, then the world will have a food deficit.

Let priority for land ownership be to the natives. If possible a foreigner should only have temporary use of land and also of limited size maybe just enough to sustain him and his family in their time of stay in that land as a global citizen. Then we might never again have conflict like of Zimbabwe.

Let the owners of the land retain their right to regain it when they need for their own use.

For if there is such a right granted to the natives, the foreigners dwell with this expectation and when the owners require it back, a good amicable settlement is possible without inviting sanctions like Zimbabwe because the foreigners have to forcefully give up the land.

It is not good to get citizenship fraudulently for you necessarily infringe on the natives right to their land. If you do, get kicked out, forcefully, take it humbly.

This reminds me on the citizens of Burundi recently vandalised. Why hurting another human being is a crime, government should work on repatriating the Burundi people as there is now peace in their land. I believe international laws of repatriation of refugees should resolve every problem they may encounter as they get repatriated.

In the end, it is good when foreigners decide to settle down to start businesses, consider where they come from. After all, you require work permits or other permits to operate in America or Europe. It should not be different in Malawi for the same reasons.

Devaluation Reloaded

In a discussion with two economists on facebook yesterday, I established the following: 

In a liberalised economy, there is little regulation on forex reservation. The forex ends up in circulation among the citizens this leaves the governments unable to do any international transanction without the forex reserves. 

The decision that follows is to devalue the currency so that the population would find it attractive to sell their forex. But what this decision neglects is the fact that for businesses that depend on imports, the cost of their imported goods gets higher. As a result of this, the prices of things gets high. and the rest of other things also gets high. Now of these changes, those dependent on salaries, suffer a lot as the salaries are the least considered in all these changes, for a rise in salary also raises the labour cost also requiring a rise in the price of the products.

The cost of living gets high. After devaluing, the exchange rate is left as is. That means that every year the currency has to be devalued to recover the forex earnings.

This is devaluing is necessarily a fix to the problem arisen due to liberalization of forex management. But it creates many other problems in the the money flow ecosystem.

What devaluation does is economically depress a region that uses the devalued currency. In the end the region's benefits from exports gets smaller and smaller and the loss from the imports gets bigger and bigger since the currency can only be devalued with relative to other currencies for the the government to get required benefit from the devaluation which is in fact: getting back the forex from circulation into the forex reserves.

The benefit from devaluation is smaller than the loss from it. Hence there is need to find other ways of regulating forex with the benefits of liberal economy but also to allow regulation of some economic activities.

On devaluation

I asked hotel rates in blantyre. After devaluation, the rate in dollars currently exchanged at K167. Will increase by the devaluated percentage.

For instance, the room selling at $35 dollars, and K4000 will increase in cost on the malawian kwacha side, but will remain the same on the dollar side.

The rate at which our earnings are exchanged to foreign currency to buy imports like fuel, will require that we pay much more than we are currently paying, fuel cost, will have to go high.

And due to this increase the cost of everything else, will have to go high.

If all businesses including government increase the salaries of employees, the effect on the citizens might be negligible but if some employing organisations decide not to increase the salaries of the employees, these will suffer the worse effects of devaluation.

While, these so called, economists are speaking, the decision makes are two. The president and the reserve bank governor.

Let these act wise amidst all the noise. For they shall cause indeed a lot of suffering for malawians.

I must not speak this again. It's not worth troubling my mind over if it achieves nothing.

As for me, while I am using a provisional rate of $25 per hour, rounding it up to K3,500 I will necessarily do the same just change the K3,500 to the new devalued rate.

My earning is not limited by a companies decision.

I will have to increase my rate to $75/hour and so for malawian clients, it will be on the hire side. But if I increase my customer base, my earnings are greater than my employed colleagues.

It's high time I found a living for my own I believe.

Wish you the best.

Of Apologies and the Lack thereof.

Chewa Heritage Foundation seeks an apology from Henry Phoya for the remarks he made against the Chewa custom gule wa nkulu.

While seeking apology seems easy to demand, sometimes without proper basis, it is useless to apology without discussion of the real matter at hand.

I must speak, for a similar demand for an apology derailed much important work in the year 2011 including a whole generation of students missing their classes and have to be made to repeat their classes.

This wasted the government a lot of millions, I should say, of tax payers money, though in fact it is donor donated since Malawi has never fully funded its budget until the same year 2011. This wasted the parents, pocket money and transport apart from their tax. And is wasting even more money this year because more lectures have to be recruited (of course, I also applied, I had to deliver the letter by hand).

This money is hard earned and the government does not have the luxury of wasting money for it has no source of funds than donations and tax revenues. A mere useless apology should not cost this much.

So, Henry Phoya speaks his experience with mcp and his dislike of cultural ritual he was required to do.

It wasn't right for MCP to do that. If anything, MCP is necessarily the one to apologies, for using the cultural ritual in this way.

Whether the Chewa themselves find this ritual useful, they should always expect that someone who does not understand the culture will always look at it in this negative perspective. And might publicly express his dislike as Henry Phoya has. If they do so value it, then what good it has should be demystified for there might religious conflict in the practice which if the whole heritage of the Chewa hinges itself on this value which does introduce religious conflict among its own descence.

Most of these that are today cultural values have undergone refining according to various new problems the culture introduces. And there is no reason these cultural heritages should not refine to incorporate the challenges of this age. Including religious values.

For it might be found the cultural heritage is highly lacking than what the bible offers, and what the bible is not easy to translate to the masses in a single day, that is why it is difficult to resolve issues like marriage for a generation that has understood that sex before marriage is sin. And this with the expected high costs of having a wedding.

So, unless we fix the current bad in our cultures, unless, we make known the good values of our culture to generations that do not know these good values, a public expression of a bad cultural practice does not seem to require an apology in my opinion.

So, I have spoken. My speech costs me less than K80. How much will the apology or the lack of it cost?

The previous refusal to apologies is still costing Malawi government of millions if not billions of tax payers and donors money. To make record straight on those who keep claiming tax payers money. Malawi is still dependent on donors. Though it did once manage a self funded operational budget last financial year.

Wish you a good day.

Ps: I must say, Henry Phoya managed to apologies even before I made this post.

Wisdom: The Beginnings

Solomon says in the proverbs: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

The book of proverbs seems dedicated to putting boundaries of what wisdom is and what is not. And to put the boundaries what foolishness is and what it is not. It has also put the advantages of wisdom and disadvantages of foolishness.

It is too teach the foolish mind what wisdom is so that they can leave their foolishness and leave wisely.

When I was young, knowing I cannot comprehend in detail every proverb, I read through the proverbs like a novel and finished it in one day, I resolved to keep what I had read in this way without worry and try to follow any proverb I could remember when faced with a situation. If I need to understand in detail, I had always a small Gideon bible in my pocket to refer to.

I similarly read through the book of psalms to learn how David prayed for it is always difficult to pray. From I all that I could remember, from it, I made known my requests to God and went on in my life.

The stories of the bible characters is interesting, I read them all like s novel from the beginning to the end. When faced with a familiar problem, I could always go back and refer to the particular character that faced the same problem.

So in that way, I have lived this far. The principles of the word of God have greatly guided my path.

I chose a motto inspired by the Phwezi motto which says, accept the challenge, God will guide. My motto was, Fear God, Shun Evil. It's a proverb.

It takes faith always, to step out on nothing and believe that something is there.

The motto, Accept the challenge, God will guide inspires faith to the students.

My motto was Fear God and Shun evil.

And it is said, the fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom.

The little that a man who fears God can do, is many times better than that done by a man who doesn't. History is there to give testimony.

Yours truly,

Kondwani C. Hara.

It's not alright!

Single, 28 years old. And looking for marriage. Previously, disappointed by fiancee, and family is not making things easier. The place I live in Mzimba, I am surrounded by MSCE school leavers whom parents wish to push forward to get their degrees. At the end of the first degree, the parents of my fiancee pushed her to get a graduate degree. I had just finished my graduate degree then. So, we did not end up married up to this day. And I am surrounded by temptation.

Does not Paul advise Corinthians that it is better to get married than burn with passions? I am a Christian. Getting married in church has better safety for me than anything else. Marriage is what have been asked to wait for abstaining from sex in avoidance of HIV, marriage is what I have been advised as my gateway to sexual fulfillment.

Hebrews 13:4 does say, marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled. But how shall I get married if parents cling to their children? How shall I get married if churches don't open doors for me to get married?

Considering teenage pregnancies, it used to custom then if a boy has made pregnant a girl, the boy will have to marry the girl. These days, this does not get you a wife. The girl will be allowed by their parents to abort and you still don't have a wife, but you can eventually get hiv for you don't know how many babies your girl has aborted trying to get married and parents resisting.

Oh, yeah condoms. How many sexual partners? How many sexual partners for my sexual fulfillment? How many sexual partners for my sexual fulfillment?

Condoms is an easier idea, governments can think of? What about marriage?

Being C.E.O. of my own company at such an age, is more than enough gate pass for me to getting laid. But suppose, I just get laid without a permanent basis of marriage, shall I expect to use condoms the rest of my life? For yeah! one accidental day I might get tired, and throw it away.

Somebody said, sweet ya m'pepala siyimakoma. I know shall at one time say the same condomizing the rest of my life. Even hiv I shall cease to fear. For if life does not get you the happiness of marriage its better off lived even on a count down of hiv living it down happily. The world ending anyway but that will definitely get me a closed door into heaven.

Maybe its time I considered celibacy but by the time I reach forty, I shall be anyone's sugar daddy even if my intentions are legitimate. Better, I still try to get married. For I do not know how long I can stand temptation. There are many possibilities of accidental afternoons.

I shall consider going to some city place were graduated ladies like residing. And especially to my marriage tolerant sister. I am sure there is a lady waiting there. I shall ask her for marriage.

I remember, my cousin had to get herself a patched up wedding: officiated by an Seventh Day Adventist Church Pastor, during a CCAP Church Service and Reception in a Roman Catholic Hall. It was a classic.

Considering the difficulty of getting married, sometimes its like when you have a chance to get married, don't miss it. Things are not ok at all!

You live this long expecting the praying community who have been advising you well and you have faithfully pursued their advise and now comes the time it feels like great betrayal if you have to go against these principles again by trying to secure a marriage with a pregnancy.

I left my android playing some music and I woke up to a song by my brother William (X-K)

It's Ok, if its not alright, wipe your tears babe don't cry. It's Ok, if its not alright, don't give up if you know you can try.

It's Ok, because its not alright. There is no reason to cry. Things are not ok its not our fault. It's a broken society.

I must go to my marriage tolerant sister in Mzuzu. I might get some help.

Mile's Back: Costing

So, you use Information Technology to cut down costs and increase productivity. Of course, in theory costs are expected to get cut but in reality, service providers see the little that gets paid and are unsatisfied. They would rather charge more for this important technology that makes working cheap and makes big profits.

Most costs are dependent on acquisition of equipment, maintainance of equipment and labour costs in terms of salaries for the isp's employees. Of these, their are costs that directly apply to the service itself and other which apply indirectly.

In terms of labour, you look at engineers as direct labour costs and administrative positions come under indirect labour eg, accountants, secretaries, drivers, managers. The costs of indirect labour and direct labour apply separately.

Other than labour, there are also material costs, some of which apply directly and some indirectly. For example, cost of maintaining a transmitter is a direct maintainance cost and cost of maintaining a vehicle is an indirect maintainance cost. The cost of buying a fuse to fix a transformer is a direct cost for a company like escom, and cost of buying a fuse to fix a car is an indirect cost.

So then when you separate these costs, you are able to make priorities with the budget you have. Under strenuous circumstances you might consider to priorities the direct costs as they are the ones that get you more moneys.

The indirect costs though less priorities but greatly affect the loss and profit. If neglected, its a loss you have trace where it comes from if recognized you can save a lot of costs and put yourself on the profitable side.

So, then in an Information Technology company, the Engineers, are more critical than the rest of the employees, the production equipment more critical than operational equipment. Setting priorities in this way, creates a better base for your IT start up.

I might have to put in the maths later as we proceed.

Kondwani C. Hara is C.E.O. and Chief Consultant at Oispr IT.

Mile's Back:A Start Up

I have noticed that most IT professionals fail to start their own businesses and/or companies for lack of business skills, non-standard pricing which in the end leads to their loss and customer loss of trust.

From my attempt to start up a consultancy I have learned, and achieved with difficulty trying to price my services.

I will try within my possible means to share my experience and information as well as what I have learned through the Labour Sponsored Start Your Business Course. I do not know the copyright issues involved yet if I am to share it on my blog, but I do would like to be contacted immediately if my action will violate any copyrights.

I previously wanted to make software out of but I was advised against it for copyrights involved. I would encouraged the ILO people who prepared this course to contact me if they wish to support the creation of the software for use by those that get trained the course. I might decide to just go ahead and create it for personal use and later add components to it for sale. I hope that will no longer be violation.

Where shall I start? Basic business principles? I will have to sit down at home and compile that.

Right now I am waiting for my bus to get started and get me home to Mzimba.

Interesting from Malasha Bus Today

So, I am on my way to Mzimba from Mzuzu. I am looking for a bus. I find one Malasha bus going to Lilongwe via Mzimba. I ask:
- How much is it to Mzimba? K700
- What time is the bus leaving? When it is full.
- Do you carry seated passengers only or you wait for standing passengers? Seated only.

At this moment I am abit pleased but I have to think it over.

Usually, a conductor can say a lot of things to a passenger just to have them pay. Minibus operators have disappointed many by even dropping passengers enroute before reaching the destination. The same Malasha Bus at one time failed my trip by diverting their normal route even without the local Malasha office knowing.

So, I have to confirm one more thing. Suppose of these that you have said, I find them good conditions. But you can say this just to make me pay and then disappoint me later. Will you give me my money back if you do not satisfy these conditions? The best thing we can do is, get in find a seat, you will pay when the bus is going. Ok, I get in. Now waiting for the bus to be full.

Friends or Foes among Foes of Friends.

Every nation, like a human being, needs friends for mutual support on needs and protection from foes.

Looking back in time, Kamuzu seem to have cleverly chosen his friends with politically neutral allies in world politics for trade, for development partnerships and knowledge sharing.

Instead of China, Kamuzu chose to partner with Taiwan. I do believe, UK remained a friend due to the common wealth "partnership" which at world level it was enough protection.

At world level, Malawi was very much unknown, economically it was possible to prosper so much without much of the external interference.  Our citizens have been known world over for their wisdom and knowledge which they acquired in peace and prosperity of our land some of whom are the likes of Prof. Bingu Wa Mutharika who has been very active in World Wide Organizations like the United Nations, OAU etc, and recently AU due to his successfully arresting the deteriorating economy of Malawi and making big strides in getting back to the lost glory of what Malawi was in the 30 years of independence.

I remember sitting in a training workshop organized for Mzuzu network of youth led ngos learning about the role of donors. We are supposed to have been Friend Raising as opposed to Fund Raising.

Friend Raising looks at chosing to partner with friends whose goals are similar to ours. Some of these friends exist to support smaller organizations and so it becomes better if we chose to receive support from friends with similar goals as ours.

At national level it seems wiser as well to chose trade partnerships, economic partnerships, etc among countries with which we have similar goals and especially on trade, where there is natural mutual benefit.

We have been forced into various partnerships with the United States of America, in the recent years do to the chance to multi-partite democracy which USA so strongly advocates.

While we may have needed financial support, we may not have required cutting ties with the rest of our previous partnerships, and be forced to partner only with the USA in everything.

China has a vibrant cloth manufacturing industry unequaled world over. We produce cotton as one of our major commercial export. And we have been in trade partnership with China for many other products it produces which we also need.

It is not necessary, because we are now a democratic country that we should cut trade partnership with China just because the USA is unhappy with China. Realistically speaking there is not much benefit we get from USA save for donations. We cannot depend on donations forever, we work hard, and we need to sell at profit. This is only possible if we are selling products to who need and value them.

Putting so much restrictions on such partnerships to countries like Malawi will indeed force us to develop even political partnerships for mutual protection whose end is indeed similar to the world war eras.

The western nations/United Nations is so keen at pressing sanctions to countries it deems bad. I think sanctions have necessarily become siege laid on countries these western nations seek to loot.

Is the middle east the most evil region in the world that it should be so punished by western nations under the United Nations? The Moslem Law is so much like Old Testament Bible law which also forms the basis of the English Common Law and [Western Democratic Law] which are the two laws common in world wide government systems.

In other words, the Law of the Koran(sharia law), the Law of the Bible, the Statutory Laws are not very different on definitions of right and wrong but they might have a big difference on the punishment given.

Of the three laws, The Statutory is the most lenient maybe due to the influence of the new testament of the Bible in old to the best of ability, to try and incooperate the principles of the new testament of the Bible.

Needless to say, Since, the Moslems are able to live in obedience to this law without much finding themselves on the penal side of the law, shall it be a crime that they follow such a law?

It is indeed difficult for foreigners to find themselves among such a crowd living in obedience to a law they fail to adhere to. So indeed they will find themselves on the penal side.

But then here is a problem: the definition of right and wrong in the laws are the same. A foreigner so severely punished in the land of the Moslems is as wrong as he is in his own land. The fact that his home country is very lenient does not in any way, he should continue doing wrong in a land that is not as lenient.

Let's face the fact, the wages of sin is death even to God. And the world is ending fast. Learn when you can.

Moslems therefore are not wrong to live by the Sharia Law that we Christians should war them. For our own Bible has equally severe punishment prescribed for the same wrongs.

Christians therefore have no right to war Moslems on the basis of the sharia law.

Christians living in obedience to the word of God should not be able to find themselves in conflict with Moslems on the basis of breaking the law even the sharia law. Except for the belief itself which is not in any way on conflict with Moslems. For Moslems recognize Jesus in their religion. Even though, they may not recognize him in the same way we Christians do.

So it remains, the middle east should not be at war fought by Christians on the basis of the Moslem law.

Why then is their war in the middle east? Or why should there be sanctions so much that countries like Malawi should fail to buy petroleum?

The enemies of the United States should not necessarily be our enemies too. For even the United States makes enemies for all the wrong reasons.

The United States should not have been at war in Afghanistan had it been that it accepted to move out of the land when the nationals decided the should. In my opinion, after the cold war, they got greedy of all the oil there and can't want let go. Swallow the pride, leave the land that doesn't belong to you. Leave their riches to themselves.

If it so happens, the middle east is our main supply of oil to Africa and most middle east countries are under siege by western forces who seem to be after looting the oil itself than anything else, we should not be found in problems if we disobey the sanctions so placed on these middle east countries.

Our lack is not america's lack.

Inclusion of IT Related Issues in the Legal Structure

In most cases, Information and Communication Technology, comes in as an alternate to already existing media or technology which it replaces for efficiency.

In most cases as well the replaces media or technology is already regulated.

Every Act in the Laws of Malawi has a provision for inclusion or exclusion of issues that are regulated by it.

What seems to be missing, is the recognition of Information and Communication Technology as when used within the context the acts are regulated.

Issues of recognition of material available electronically, eg, sms, email, documents as evidence, dwells much on proofing that this evidence is not forged. Otherwise, they should be no reason why an sms or email can't be evidence.

The proofing of documents in electronic form is subject matter of cryptography. The creation of such proofable documents is subject matter of cryptography as well. The recognition of such as fit for evidence is subject of cryptography as well.

For lack of this proofing skills most lawyers shun cases to involving electronic materials and information technology. And judges as well shun these for its a similar headache.

In other countries, the courts involve experts in fields of speciality. In malawi as well, were it concerns, psychological or medical proofing the courts have from time to time involved medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, to have have a say on the subject matter of evidence in the case.

Matters involving information and communication technology could involve experts in the field as well.
To sell myself, I am a cryptographer. I would be glad to work on such a case that would require my expertise.

Issues of Patenting and Intellectual Property

It comes to my realisation that no company originated an idea but employees within it.

Companies may continuosly make profit from products of that idea but the employees grow old and retire. Some leave a heritage to their children some don't have anything left after.

Like pension fund, a patent can benefit an individual more than any other source of income they might expect to have as they grow old in life.

It is wrong therefore for companies to own patents of its employees but should be encouraged for companies to register patents for their employees own benefit. Like they always promise of assistance in terms of pension, gratuity and other related benefits.

Seeking Assistance

Several years have passed since my last job. It is not easy to find a job either. Several times I have considered taking a loan and start a business. But having worked without being paid put me off because people take advantage of me and easily get away with it. A loan would necessarily put me in worse and unnecessary trouble if I still work and not get paid.

Yet, I can develop some software and sell them already finished to those that need them. I managed to get a computer, a gift. This I can use to develop software. But I still have problems covering operational costs for such as internet connection and house rent so I am still stuck at zero.

I did not wish it to have come to this extent of seeking assistance but here I am. I have tried for myself, it is not easy.

There might be some or many that have benefited from my posts and contributions on Facebook and Twitter, and would like to show their appreciation, I must provide you with ways you can assist me. Some of you may just have compulsion to do so, I should as well provide you with ways.

I have my Airtel Money account activated, so you may donate through the either of the following:

nickname: MHI737
or phone: 0999477737

If you are not in Malawi therefore without access to Airtel Money Service, but you still wish to provide financial assistance, please write to my email kondwa [at] m-hi.org to get the details in which you can send the assistance.

I would appreciate you help and thank you in advance.

Food Security and Better Livelihood

International Labour Organization seems to have done a study and correctly noted that because Malawians have grown enough maize for food, they don't have to do hard labour for food anymore there is now a deficit in labour force since labouring is not anybodies attractive option.

The re-correction strategy is not in any way to advise farmers to grow less maize, no! At all cost no! It is taking as an advantage to improve labour conditions.

Among so many things the International Labour Organization has many responsibilities to empower people with proper skills so that they become self-dependent and making a good and honest income. In essence not having to depend on theft and/or prostitution.

International Labour Organization has a huge responsibility to ensure that labourers and employees are getting fair conditions and not being abused by employees.

Having food security is just one good way of avoiding these abuses because now employees are working because they want to.

Staying idle is not always a pleasant thing, it thrills a man to accomplish or demonstrate his creativity and knowledge with or without pay and if a person has done a some service for somebody they deserve a pay in order for them to pay for service someone else will do for them. This is also a responsibility of the Labour organization to ensure that a good service is done and a good compensation given for the good service.

If in anyway, there has been a disagreement between an employee and employer, the labour organization is supposed to make sure that the employer and employee have settled to some agreement so that each goes out happy.

I think this one thing the International Labour Organization should learn from Malawians that by improving food security, the people who are the labour force can get better labour conditions when employers decide to improve labour conditions and benefits to attract the labour force they require.

I am one beneficially of the International Labour Organization Start Your Business course. The course has helped me a lot, but there are many factors affecting a business start-ups, including strengthening the legal structures that provide a good environment for business operation.

This includes laws dealing with employee and employer relations, seller and buyer relations, etc, etc. That's in Malawi, Fair trade Act which is meant to protect consumers from exploitation from traders, industrial relations court, which should look also at the employees not just the employers. And also relations between companies where issues of payment really are a big trouble nowadays.

Over years, capitalistic business enterprises has highly influenced trade policy and changed many laws creating themselves an environment of profit at the expense of consumers, and employees.

The courts like the Labour Courts, Industrial Relations Courts, even, The Labour Courts, ILO, are useless in Malawi. This is one thing the ILO should concentrate on achieving: to strengthen these courts. Otherwise, it is useless as well but just a capitalistic arm to change the same policy it is supposed to protect.

Nobody advises another not to grow themselves food.

If we could all arable crops in Malawi, and those that can provide staple foods, only Maize is widely suitable for Malawi's wide variation of climatic conditions.

If we are stopping to grow maize, we suffer food insecurity. International Labour Court should know better not to encourage reduction of maize in Malawi at all cost.

And Malawian Radio Stations, please assess the content you broadcast on behalf of these organizations to see if they are of any importance to Malawi. That is responsible broadcasting. Sometimes you should be able to say no. Not many of these contents are of any importance to the citizens hence Kamuzu was very strict on media broadcasts.

You should be able to regulate yourselves media houses instead having to wait for somebody to tell what to do or not to do.

Integrity is choosing to do the right thing when you have the power or opportunity to do the wrong thing. That's what we need.

I think ILO comes in the light of Labour Day, Preach Food Security and Strengthened Labour related Legal structures if you thing your job is done to demand reduction maize growth and destroying our food security in essence. No!

Otherwise, it is better to create our own local theme than the ILO theme. Good day.

Technology for Life Improvement

I have seen the every government of a land really does concerned with the issues that affect real people. Things like poverty, famine, sickness and in our malawian day today, fuel shortage.

I just watched todays news, two ambassadors of USA and Ireland presenting their credentials and pledging to support the government on its undertaking to implement the green belt project. This is the governments concern to ensure that there is food security in Malawi and more to export.

There was a draught at one time in Rumphi, the government was quick to respond in tendering consultants to implement irrigation facilities so that Rumphi district does not suffer famine from the draught.

We still have food reserves constructed, we still have fuel reserves in plans for construction if it hasn't already started, we have a petroleum importing body being established amidst the current fuel shortage, I hear the forex shortage problem is easing up, we have fewer forex earnings than we require per year due to the poor tobacco sales. But the worry we would have had in these shortages, might ease if our major import which is fertilizers and other farm inputs is supported as the American ambassador pledged.

These are things the government is doing outside the radios and outside the television.

Do we have needs that we need in our areas? The press cannot reach all the areas. The government cannot also reach all these areas. But we have tools of communication.

There Facebook groups created by various people for various reasons from business groupings to fuel watch, etc, etc. Almost everybody has a little access to Facebook these days. I just know by the words that I have said that I meet everywhere I go. Even in the villages, these Chinese phones, the nokias, they do allow a little access to Facebook for these people.

Is there a problem that you have in your area you wished the government could resolve for you? Is it issues of oppression, food shortage, disease outbreaks, whatever problem you have, these tools of communication allow you to take pictures, and videos and they allow to post messages for your needs. Report these things for the government is concerned about the welfare of its citizens. If you are neglected it is only because such problems do not get reported to the people who should assist.

If these problems are timely reported, we should not have protests as has been in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and in Malawi recently which resulted into lives lost.

We have a good situation in Malawi. Presidential terms are limited. We should not have conflicts even in the middle of a presidential terms.

Report these problems amicably, someone will look at them with concern and give the required support.

God bless, Malawi.

Rebuilding Malawi.

After doing all the stuff I wanted to do in Mzuzu, I have to go back home to Mzimba. I know there is a national bus company bus passing Mzimba by 11am. It must be available around 9am. So I find it, but a minibus caller is telling people not to get in but to get a minibus. Even the conductor tells me not to get in at the time. Now the question is: do I have no right to get home through a bus of my choice and get there seated like everybody else traveling in these buses? There are minibuses but they are adamant to their ways as well, you get in and come out with your suit torn out from the chair modifications, you have to argue with conductors on being seated like a pack of animals. And what of the cost? Who wants to spend more when the can spend less? The bus is a comfortable choice. But if I have to go home standing in preference for those going to lilongwe when there are many seats empty just because the minibus has to make a business, no! I travel my journey and should not be pushed too much from what I chose to travel in. For in most cases, my journeys are long, with many stops under a compressed timelines. So, a little detour or departure from plan is very costly indeed.

How about rebuilding the public transport system?

One of the responsibilities of the government is to provide transportation infrastructure to its people.

Private minibus and bus owners, have their own interest first at heart than that of the government and its citizens. In most cases, this has left big holes of a population which is yet unserved from the services taken up by the private sector and not fully provided by the by the government. This is the case not only in the transport sector but also in the other sectors as well. Shall we go on like this?

Looking back at organizations like the law commission, the electoral commission, the human rights commission, civil service commission, etc, how about a commission to look into issues of transport.

The bus depot is a public infrastructure it is best regulated by government. If the depot is supposed to ensure that there is a bus at a particular time going to a particular place and there is no private bus at that particular time, the bus depot is supposed to select one bus among the many private buses in good condition and assign it on that trip. In this way, private public partnership is beneficial.

If there might be other buses that travel at there own time to their own destination, then they can do with people choosing when to get in or through which bus.

This system can go down even to minibuses.

This can then allows the government to reduce risks and other complications buy partnering partnering with minibuses or buses that follow the government guidelines for public transport. Things like, unmodified minibus seats, all people seated and no one standing. Leaving within expected times.

Because the malawian public has for long wanted such a service and no one has managed to fully provide it since the desolution of shire bus lines, then they will be more than happy to use transportation that follow these guidelines as government might have wished to enforce during operation dongosolo.

Such a reform can also go through other sectors where the government partners with providers that satisfy these conditions at any level even if it means a contractual agreement so that no population is left unreached on the duties and services the government is expected to perform and are currently unreached due to the preferences of private service providers.

The road rehabilitation has worked very well with the government working with private contractors. Other sectors can learn from there.

Knowledge Sharing and ICT Development

I have been a member of ICTAM mailing list for a while. ICT Association of Malawi. There is a national wide population with interest in issues of IT, from education, health, students, and within the ICT profession itself.

Why do we exist?

There are people who are very gifted in these issues of ICT. But without the opportunity for use of their knowledge, the knowledge, gets lost, without the rest of the nation benefiting from their gift.

Look Professor Mhango of Mzuzu University just at the time he was knowledge was supposed to benefit the nation, he dies. Do we know the big things he has done out there which we Malawians could highly benefit. Do we know these people after such an achievement really want to look at what the young graduates have to say and share their knowledge with them? We do not have such a platform in Malawi recently. For where someone might make many mistakes indeed being a beginner, there is no tolerance to encourage contributions where mistakes are easy to make.

ICTAM mailing list used to be such a vibrant place for sharing knowledge. Who knows how many were learning? Who knows how many young people were being encouraged to contribute or even go on their personal it projects by just being part of the ICT community sharing ideas and jokes, without expecting hash treatment as perhaps I have experienced from ictam mailing list for an issue I really needed its help anyway.

No other list is as this vibrant for they all seem to expect such reaction from a mailing list.

Do you remember Boster how you encouraged me to join the list? It is possible to have entry level and other people are encouraged in the adhoc manner, and talent is spotted and is encouraged to participate in higher level again with clear goals and guidelines for development of ICT in Malawi.

Otherwise, much knowledge gets to waste not having benefited the rest of nation like Professor Mhango dying so early perhaps.

Are we willing to change?

The beginning: A thought.

It seems to me, if God created men to live on earth, and blessed them to be fruitful and fill the earth, he must have had it even in the beginning that we human beings will not live on earth forever.

We would then have a way of leaving earth at some point.

Eden, the home of the beginning, was still filled with everything man would require to receive at the appointed time. Look, He cannot put something good for man and have him die when he eats it. Unless in an appointed time, when man is ready, he would eat it.

The garden of the Eden was a smaller place within the whole earth. And the whole earth was to be filled with humanity.

Evil came and cheated humanity to death. Jesus speaks of a parable of wheat and weeds in comparison.

While, evil might be punished for 4 generations, the blessings stay for a thousand. Why the righteous lives long, is to pass their good to the coming generations. The sinful die early, for the consequences of their evil be seen in the generations they have lived and the story about it be told as a lesson to the generations that come so that the proceeding generations. Are able to survive in the righteousness that remains.

Evil had multiplied itself on the earth to a great extent that God wanted to destroy it all. He decided to limit their age to 120 years. For a person reaches 30 years and marry and bear children. If he has sinned and teaches his children to sin(for maybe in his life time he has not sin the consequence of his sin) the children may see the consequence. If they may doubt and still sin, the third generation may see the consequence of the sin the fourth will learn from all these and conclude without mistake the sinful action is not worth repeating. Thus generation curses are broken off.

Even early if in the generations after the first sin if the children leave in righteousness, God blesses that generation and blesses them from the sin that cursed the previous generation.

How can we found ourselves under curses? Because of things we do and we do not the difference between good and evil.

To live a righteous life is worthwhile to the personal life for it serves us from the curses that would indeed make our lives short.

The curses are like traps set up in the path of humanity to bring them to death. Righteousness is like ways which we can live to avoid these traps set up in our paths.

Where do we know these ways? From Him who loved us so much to send his Son. So that whoever might believe in Him maybe saved. For Jesus lived a righteous life from birth to death without sin. He was able to do away with death.

He says for to learn and through Him be saved:

John 15:1-17 NIV

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

Only in being in Him and Him in us, can we passover the death that destroys humanity. There is no short cut and there is no cheating.

But in truth admitting our failures and letting God lead us to salvation. Which is but the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

For, true worshipers of God worship him in truth and in Spirit. In truth, by being truthful about their weakness and sins they have committed, and be willing to be obedient. In Spirit, for the Holy Spirit alone can teach us how to present ourselves before God.

I listened through the Book of Leviticus the other night and was very challenged and feared at all the laws I have broken. I almost felt like, I should not read further for the sins I commit are many and its difficult for this body of mine to obey them all. For I will called to account for the sins I have committed knowing they are sins.

But on the other hand, I hoped God will take me through slowly and be gracious for I am but trying to Live according to His will. For because ignorance again, people perish.

God's grace teach and help us through.

I wonder about the copyright implications of copying and pasting verses in such a way.

What's the best way to preach God's word, if not to present it as He says it?

I can only comment my reflections on it depending on the wisdom I have learned from it but the word is the same and will remain so as God presented it. Better then to put it as it comes from God.

The Beginning.

Genesis 1:1-31 NIV

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. And God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Rebirthing m-hi.org

So, m-hi.org has survived 3 years on nothing but the initial investment that renewed the domain, and an Airtel daily which after applying for a job and chatting on Facebook, twitting some thots aloud, there was still a little more data to make a post if need arises.

At the end of a day, a change of K20 in terms of airtime or cash to quench the thirst for a talk or to by some fruit after a meal. In particular, it would buy three banana's on the street which are quench the thirst and fill the stomach during all the miles in wanderland.

I am now home, thinking of building up my settlement. Heavens doors are opening up, I believe things will be ok again.

Somebody said, omwa tea azamwanso. I can't believe less for while a storm may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning.

God does not forget His Children completely, and gives them all the blessings for the lost time.

I have hope. I have faith in the goodness, love and mercy of God.

In Him, I have my being. For he gives me joy when I am expected to be sad. He gives me peace in the midst of all the pains.

While day after day, I have endured much tribulation seemingly without end, he gives me grace and peace to survive the pain and in the midst of it all exceeding laughter to cure the sorrow.

Happy birthday, m-hi.org!

It is a good day.

Kondwani C. Hara.