Elections, Justice, Historical times

I usually don’t write a lot about Malawi politics and government. However right now I can only believe we are living in a time that will be recorded in history and studied for many years to come.

May 21, 2019 the quintennial tripartite election was held. The announcement of the results was delayed because of issues that were brought as complaints. I am told this is normal. To the best of my understaning all the issues were not addressed before the results were announced.

The announcement was that our incumbent president won. Within a few days petitions were filed that the election was unjust, and poorly run. The two runners up candidates filed these petitions. At that point it became a waiting game politically.

A group formed calling themselves the HRDC (Human Rights Defense Council) begin to call for the resignation or firing of the woman who is the head of the Malawi Electoral Commission. She refused to resign claiming she has upheld the law. After that various demonstrations and marches were held. These were planned (I honestly do believe this) by the organizers to be non violent/peaceful demonstrations. However there is a certain mob mentality that occurs with large groups of people. There is also no real knowledge of exactly who participated but they did not stay non violent. There were rocks thrown at police, windows, including the windows of passing occupied vehicles, tires have been burned and it has generally been a little scary though generally times and dates of the marches were publicized.

At one point the HRDC wanted to demonstrate at airports and the border crossings in and out of the country and stop all incoming and outgoing traffic. This was said to be considered treason and they were ordered to not set up these demonstrations. Also when things in the major cities, Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu got out of hand there was a 14 day stop and desist order which was followed.

So I would say the situation has been a little scary and tense at times but if you were wise you really didn’t have to be too concerned.

The court case was taken up by the constitutional court and the results were finally announced this past Monday. They came out with a 500 page document which was summarized point by point. A very brief summary of the most critical findings is below.

1. Nullification of presidential election

2. Fresh election, to be held within 150 days

3. Parliament to consider 50+1%

4. MPs and Councillors to serve longer than 5yrs so that next Tri-partite elections are done after 5yrs

6. PAC to re-examine competence of current MEC to manage fresh elections

7. MEC to pay petitioners' legal costs

These results have now been appealed to the Supreme court by the president. But for the most part Malawi remains calm and peaceful.

This decision has been hailed by many as a landmark strike for justice and the trampling down of corruption. We wait to see what will happen going forward. At this point it is peaceful and the streets are safe (well except for the normal congested and erratic traffic)

I am deliberately not expressing an opinion on what should happen. I honestly don’t know but I covet everyone’s prayers that the coming transitional time remains peaceful and safe and that in the end a just solution will be found and Malawi can move forward a stronger nation.

Rainy Season

So right now it is the middle or rainy season in Malawi.

I am kind of amazed by rainy season.

Probably May until Late Oct/early Nov. there was no rain. Toward the end of this period birds start returning to us and what is truly amazing to me, trees that have been sitting around burst into bloom. Jacaranda, flame or flamboyant and the rather skeletal looking frangiapani. It looks like there is no rhyme or reason to this change but then it starts raining first a little and then a bit more and of late quite a lot.

In Oct. 2018 when we arrived here little was cultivated and less planted at that time. Very soon field were being cultivated, by hand and then planted and then it seemed like there were little shoots of maize sprouting every where by mid Nov. This year more land was cultivated and prepared sooner though the actual planting didn’t happen til early Nov when we started getting rains. By mid December the maize was anywhere from ankle to knee high. Now the healthy crops are 6-8 feet tall. The whole landscape has changed near my house.  The above pictures were taken in early Nov. Now the maize has been over my head since mid January.

I walk a lot with my big dog and some of the paths that are very well worn are almost obliterated by new growth. One place where they made and hauled bricks in and out a lot while it was dry had developed into what I call a prairie road, two well worn tracks with some vegetation in the middle. The vegetation has creeped in from the sides now and grown up in the middle In places it’s hard to see the path and the grass on the sides and middle is over 6 feet tall. In rainy season everything grows.

We will see the clouds build and then there will be a downpour. In ND where I am from we have thundershowers where it rains huge amounts very fast. Sometimes even 5 or up to 9 inches. It is very localized. Here it rained from this past Sunday afternoon through Tuesday night. It just rained and rained. Sometimes a drizzle, sometimes a downpour, most times just a steady rain. I don’t think it has been so much to cause real flooding yet, though there has been some. Malawi is basically a Rift valley sort of area and water rises along the rivers and lake when we get much rain.

I really am appreciating the diversity of the seasons here now. The high to low temperature variance year round is probably 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with the common variance being more like 40 degrees but there is a distinct change in the seasons just more subtle then in North Dakota where it is -40 degrees by winter and 100 degrees by summer at times.

An acquaintance told me on my first visit to Africa you could put any sort of stick in the ground and it would grow during rainy season in Ghana. I am not in Ghana and I am guessing that there would have to be some degree of life in the stick but I would grow this time of year. I have 2 freshly planted avocadoes in my yard that are probably a dream more then reality that they will grow enough in our time here to harvest avocados but I still wanted them and they are growing very rapidly.

Things that happen in Malawi

I have been in this small densely populated country for nearly 16 months now. That sometimes makes me think I should not be surprised by things that happen here anymore. However this is just not the case.
Before Christmas I was waiting in the outer office of the Chief Permit Officer's quarters at immigration. Generally you wait a lot to see anyone or accomplish things here so I was messing around on my phone. I heard a door open and looked up and by the window behind the secretaries desk stands a lady eating corn on the cob. So where did this come from? It's December and is not maize season and this is an official office. Shortly three immigration officials from the front counter come in and head to the window and buy more corn on the cob.
There is a sign upstairs that says you cannot vend in the building but I guess that doesn't apply to through the window. I asked one of the officials who I have met before how they came to have maize in Dec. He kindly offered me his cob and said this was irrigated maize. Who knew?
Now this surprised me but I was further surprised when a little while later I was back sitting in the same office and a different person was selling boabab flavored popsicles out of a cooler. I was not offered one but was told they were very good and refreshing.
Now I thought about this as compared to the US and decided it really wasn't so very different from sending someone in the office to pick up Starbucks for everyone. It did still surprise me though.

Above is a picture of my dogs: Lukas and Mowgli. If you follow me on facebook or anywhere else you have seen them before. Most Malawians have dogs, or are around dogs but I am assuming because so many are trained guard dogs they do not trust dogs. Mowgli is about 7 months here and still acts very puppy like and has no viciousness in his heart at all. Lukas I believe would protect me if I were in a threatening situation so I take him with me if I walk far. I meet very few Malawians who are not intimidated by him.
I have grown men give me a 10 foot space as they pass or complement me on my fine dog and then say they find him frightening and ask if it is safe to pass. I generally say OsaOpa (do not fear) Galu ali pa chingwe (the dog he is on his lead). If it's young men with decent English I tell them he will not bother them as long as they don't bother me.
So as you can imagine much to my amazement I encountered a woman carrying a toddler in a Chitnji the other day and she stopped to talk to Lukas and tell her toddler this is a dog, can you say doggy. I can only guess that she has had some experience with German Shepherds and this leant her more confidence as he was on lead and honestly is quite well behaved.

You never know and can't make assumptions.
I am as I have probably said several times hoping to keep up with this blog more with snapshots of my daily life and thing that happen from day to day.