Some Development Issues and Debates

In respect of the land bill, I am not taking any sides in this debate because I need further information. However I ought to say, in terms of the law and practice, the government cannot and should not do everything alone and I agree. (The government needs our support as citizens). In the present case, all that is required is that in promulgation of important laws as this, proper consultations and popularization of the law and its potential implications, among those who would be heavily affected by it, be held in earnest and honest manner. In a constitutional democracy as ours, participatory democracy in terms of which the public should be encouraged to participate in decision making, is important. The citizens should be encouraged to participate directly where feasible in issues of governance including the law making process. this can be done through the usual government organized public consultations and requests for written submissions on issues that are up for enactment or chan...

Greenwell Matchaya* My recent posts in this paper and other fora have discussed the need for legal reforms as a means to achieving greater societal good, enhancing the adjudication of socio-economic rights and ensuring that Malawians are truly governed justly and convicts are sentenced in accordance with guidelines that do not defy logic. On the economic front, I have written, firstly, on the need and ways for enhancing national savings as a means to greater economic progress, drawing parallels with our neighbours in the Southern African Development Community-SADC, and secondly, on the need for radical structural change in the agricultural sector as another important means towards pro-poor economic development. Today, I would like to discuss the issue of returns to our labour in Malawi as a way of showing how much we need to improve to be at par with the other SADC countries and beyond. Although this note does not discuss policy options in any detail, I hope that it can create f...

In search for a viable economic recovery plan for Malawi By Greenwell Matchaya, PhD By now it can be said without fear of contradiction that the Malawi economy is in doldrums and that while efforts may be underway in various forms to salvage it from complete collapse, planners are either far from a solution, or are unsure whether it will be possible to come to one. So sad is this reality because as we have argued elsewhere, Malawi so happens now to be the least developed country in the SADC and if the status quo remains so going forward, or if it deteriorates further, Malawi could actually now truly emerge the poorest country not only in the SADC but in the world. The issue is not that relative poverty matters more, but that such poor economic stance relative to others is indicative of major problems, including deprivation, marginalization, and poverty at the grassroots level.  The purpose of this note is to highlight some of the salient issues we face as a nation and ...