Civil society organisations in Malawi are keen on the newly introduced Governance and Transparency Fund (GTF) which, they hope, will provide people with more power to ensure that there is proper governance and transparency in the country.
Up to 65 percent of Malawi's 13.1 million people live below the poverty line of less than a dollar per day, according to Malawi government statistics.
Malawi's transparency and accountability record is also not very good -- the country is ranked number 115 out of 180 countries in the 2008 Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
A new programme -- funded by the 130 million pound Governance and Transparency Fund (GTF) of the Department for International Development (DFID), the arm of the UK Government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries -- designed to help citizens hold their governments to account may help.
The ”Strengthening Citizen Demand for Good Governance Through Evidence Based Approaches” programme -- which will be implemented in various African countries -- was launched in Malawi's capital on Nov. 19, 2008.
Overseas Development Institute (ODI) director Dr Fletcher Tembo said at the launch of the project that there is need to strengthen the country's budding democracy through participatory governance and social accountability.
Tembo explained that the programme is about facilitating citizen's voices through the engagement of civil society, independent media, elected representative and other non-state actors.
He said following the launch of the programme, a national coordinating organisation will be appointed to provide grants to the media, parliament and civil society organisations in their pursuit to intensify governance and transparency issues.
”The whole emphasis of the fund hinges on citizenry power. The programme would want to enable the citizens meet their aspirations better at the same time holding the government accountable,” he said.
The Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN), a coalition of 100 civil society organizations, including NGOs, community based organisations, the media, trade unions and the academia, is excited about the GTF. MEJN works on social and economic governance.
MEJN executive director Andrew Kumbatira lauded the launch of the programme saying it would strengthen accountability.
”We need to progress as a country and we can only do that if there is good governance and if government is accountable on its spending,” said Kumbatira. ”The country's citizens therefore have a great role in monitoring government and this will be made possible with the fund,” said Kumbatira.
He said there are already existing programmes in the country where citizens participate in holding government and political officials accountable but that these are minimal.
Kumbatira cited the Umunthu (human-ness in Chichewa) Initiative, where constituents are able to summon their member of parliament to explain how he has been representing them in the national assembly, as one of the programs where citizen participation is already working.
”Of course the Umunthu initiative is only happening in two of the country's 27 districts and the GTF will help in expanding such kind of program to all the districts,” Kumbatira told IPS.
He also mentioned Budget Monitoring as another already-existing programme with citizen participation. This is implemented by MEJN and communities at local level hold local authorities in their assemblies accountable on public funds.
”Even the Budget Monitoring has lots of gaps as it is done in very few areas due to lack of resources,” said Kumbatira.
Kumbatira also said with the GTF, citizens will be able to prevent legislators from misusing public funds the way they did last year when the passing of the Malawi national budget for 2007/2008 was held to ransom by a political impasse between the ruling and opposition parties in Parliament.
The delays in passing the budget affected the progress of development projects and the provision of essential services such as health and education as government could not procure enough supplies without the national budget.
The country's main opposition parties, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), wanted the Speaker of the House to declare vacant the seats of parliamentarians who had crossed the floor to join President Bingu wa Mutharika's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The opposition parties were citing Section 65 of the Constitution, which stops legislators from leaving the parties that put them into power. Mutharika himself won the presidency under the UDF but dumped it after becoming president and went on to form the Democratic People's Party.
The budget which was supposed to be passed on June 2007 was not passed until September and Mutharika told people in a national radio broadcast that up to $2.2 million was wasted by Parliamentarians during the squabble which yielded no results. The parliamentarians who crossed the floor still have their seats in the national assembly.
”We want to see an end to such inconsiderate conduct by parliamentarians and we will use the GTF to work with citizens to ensure that transparency and accountability is the order of the day,” Kumbatira told IPS.
*The Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Britain's leading independent think-tank on development and humanitarian issues, is driving the implementation of the ”Strengthening Citizen Demand for Good Governance Through Evidence Based Approaches” in partnership with the Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa and CIVICUS.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Confirmed rabies case in puppy in Malawi
The Health Protection Agency has been made aware of a case of confirmed rabies in a puppy that may have been in contact with UK travellers at the Mabuya Camp backpacker lodge near Lilongwe (the capital of Malawi).
The Agency is asking anyone who stayed at the lodge between 28th October and 14th November and who had any contact with the puppy to seek medical advice. It is understood that around 75 UK travellers stayed during this time.
The Agency is working with staff at the lodge and other organisations to try and contact all the British travellers. The lodge has already been in touch with many of the visitors there during the time the puppy was ill, has posted information about the incident on its website and has informed companies who use the camp, as well as all backpacker hostels and camps within a 500 mile radius in neighbouring Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Everyone who was in contact with the puppy during the dates outlined above is advised to speak to a medical professional who will assess their risk. They may then be offered rabies vaccine as a precaution. For people who have returned to the UK they are advised to speak to their GP or NHS Direct. For those who are still travelling in Africa they can go to a medical clinic in their nearest large town or city.
Dr David Brown, a rabies expert at the Health Protection Agency, said: "Thanks to the prompt attention from the lodge's owners, information about this rabies case has been circulating widely within the backpacking community. We have already been in contact with a number of people who were staying there and these have been assessed and vaccinated if appropriate for their individual risk.
"Anyone who has family or friends who are travelling in Africa and may have stayed at the lodge should try to get in touch with them and advise them to visit a local medical professional if they might be affected. Anyone who has had any contact with this puppy such as having been bitten, scratched or licked around the eyes, mouth or on an open wound should seek prompt medical advice."
"This serves as a timely reminder to anybody due to travel to countries where rabies virus is common, such as Africa. Talk to your doctor or nurse about whether or not a rabies vaccine is appropriate. And remember not to touch animals when you are abroad as you cannot know that there is no risk."
-ends-
Notes to Editors:
1. The case was confirmed by a Malawian vet on the 17th November.
2. The puppy was fostered from a local animal rescue organisation on 28th October and was thought to have been vaccinated against rabies but was subsequently discovered not to have been. It had the first dose of vaccine on 12th November and the puppy behaved entirely normally until it became aggressive on 14th November when it was isolated from guests and other animals at the camp (three dogs and a cat). It was euthanised on 16th November and a post-mortem confirmed the diagnosis of rabies on 17th November.
3. GPs, A&Es and other health care professionals are being asked to be vigilant in assessing people who report dog bites which occurred in Malawi during the periods of risk.
4. Rabies is an acute viral infection that is extremely rare in the UK; the last case of classical rabies acquired in this country was a century ago, in 1902. Very occasionally cases occurring since then have all been acquired abroad, usually through dog bites. Transmission is usually through saliva via the bite of an infected animal; there are no documented cases of human-to-human transmission. Since 1946 there have been 22 deaths in the UK from rabies acquired abroad. A person who is bitten by a rabid animal but given treatment with rabies vaccines can expect not to develop rabies. Rabies vaccine is very safe and highly effective at preventing rabies, but should be given promptly once the risk has been identified.
5. Travellers should: Seek advice before travel about whether they need rabies vaccine; while this is generally not recommended for travel in Western Europe, for example, it may be recommended for visits of more than a month to some countries, especially developing countries where rabies is common in animals.
When travelling, stay away from stray or unattended animals.
If bitten in a country where rabies is present clean the wound thoroughly with soap and plenty of water and seek medical advice immediately. If a person has not had treatment in that country they should still seek medical advice immediately on return, even if the bite was weeks before.
6. Further information on rabies is available at the Agency's website http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/rabies/menu.htm
7. Healthcare professionals and members of the public can find more information about travel health (including country specific advice) by logging onto the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website www.nathnac.org or the Fit for Travel website at http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/
For media enquiries, please contact the HPA Centre for Infections press office on:
Louise Brown 020 8327 7080
Kathryn Swan 020 8327 7097
Alex Baker 020 8327 7098
David Daley 020 8327 6647
The Agency is asking anyone who stayed at the lodge between 28th October and 14th November and who had any contact with the puppy to seek medical advice. It is understood that around 75 UK travellers stayed during this time.
The Agency is working with staff at the lodge and other organisations to try and contact all the British travellers. The lodge has already been in touch with many of the visitors there during the time the puppy was ill, has posted information about the incident on its website and has informed companies who use the camp, as well as all backpacker hostels and camps within a 500 mile radius in neighbouring Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Everyone who was in contact with the puppy during the dates outlined above is advised to speak to a medical professional who will assess their risk. They may then be offered rabies vaccine as a precaution. For people who have returned to the UK they are advised to speak to their GP or NHS Direct. For those who are still travelling in Africa they can go to a medical clinic in their nearest large town or city.
Dr David Brown, a rabies expert at the Health Protection Agency, said: "Thanks to the prompt attention from the lodge's owners, information about this rabies case has been circulating widely within the backpacking community. We have already been in contact with a number of people who were staying there and these have been assessed and vaccinated if appropriate for their individual risk.
"Anyone who has family or friends who are travelling in Africa and may have stayed at the lodge should try to get in touch with them and advise them to visit a local medical professional if they might be affected. Anyone who has had any contact with this puppy such as having been bitten, scratched or licked around the eyes, mouth or on an open wound should seek prompt medical advice."
"This serves as a timely reminder to anybody due to travel to countries where rabies virus is common, such as Africa. Talk to your doctor or nurse about whether or not a rabies vaccine is appropriate. And remember not to touch animals when you are abroad as you cannot know that there is no risk."
-ends-
Notes to Editors:
1. The case was confirmed by a Malawian vet on the 17th November.
2. The puppy was fostered from a local animal rescue organisation on 28th October and was thought to have been vaccinated against rabies but was subsequently discovered not to have been. It had the first dose of vaccine on 12th November and the puppy behaved entirely normally until it became aggressive on 14th November when it was isolated from guests and other animals at the camp (three dogs and a cat). It was euthanised on 16th November and a post-mortem confirmed the diagnosis of rabies on 17th November.
3. GPs, A&Es and other health care professionals are being asked to be vigilant in assessing people who report dog bites which occurred in Malawi during the periods of risk.
4. Rabies is an acute viral infection that is extremely rare in the UK; the last case of classical rabies acquired in this country was a century ago, in 1902. Very occasionally cases occurring since then have all been acquired abroad, usually through dog bites. Transmission is usually through saliva via the bite of an infected animal; there are no documented cases of human-to-human transmission. Since 1946 there have been 22 deaths in the UK from rabies acquired abroad. A person who is bitten by a rabid animal but given treatment with rabies vaccines can expect not to develop rabies. Rabies vaccine is very safe and highly effective at preventing rabies, but should be given promptly once the risk has been identified.
5. Travellers should: Seek advice before travel about whether they need rabies vaccine; while this is generally not recommended for travel in Western Europe, for example, it may be recommended for visits of more than a month to some countries, especially developing countries where rabies is common in animals.
When travelling, stay away from stray or unattended animals.
If bitten in a country where rabies is present clean the wound thoroughly with soap and plenty of water and seek medical advice immediately. If a person has not had treatment in that country they should still seek medical advice immediately on return, even if the bite was weeks before.
6. Further information on rabies is available at the Agency's website http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/rabies/menu.htm
7. Healthcare professionals and members of the public can find more information about travel health (including country specific advice) by logging onto the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website www.nathnac.org or the Fit for Travel website at http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/
For media enquiries, please contact the HPA Centre for Infections press office on:
Louise Brown 020 8327 7080
Kathryn Swan 020 8327 7097
Alex Baker 020 8327 7098
David Daley 020 8327 6647
Malawi’s Privately Owned Joy FM Radio Faces Closure Again
Joy FM, a privately radio station owned by the country’s former president Bakili Muluzi has been closed down again by the Malawi Communications and Regulatory Authority (MACRA).
MACRA, a media watchdog’s action stems from a High Court decision taken on Wednesday afternoon.
The station through its lawyer Ralph Kasambara, obtained an injunction from the High Court in October this year restraining MACRA from closing the station.
Speaking to APA during an interview on Thursday, MACRA’s Public Relations Manager Zadziko Mankhambo, said following the court’s ruling that the injunction has been vacated, the body again has revoked the broadcasting license of the station.
He added that the radio was operating in contravention of the Communications Act which does not allow politicians to own radio stations.
Both Joy Radio’s station Manager and its lawyer refused to comment on the matter.
MACRA, a media watchdog’s action stems from a High Court decision taken on Wednesday afternoon.
The station through its lawyer Ralph Kasambara, obtained an injunction from the High Court in October this year restraining MACRA from closing the station.
Speaking to APA during an interview on Thursday, MACRA’s Public Relations Manager Zadziko Mankhambo, said following the court’s ruling that the injunction has been vacated, the body again has revoked the broadcasting license of the station.
He added that the radio was operating in contravention of the Communications Act which does not allow politicians to own radio stations.
Both Joy Radio’s station Manager and its lawyer refused to comment on the matter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
