Day's Diary

July 31, 2007 ~ National Tension

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Malawi is sitting in a state of tension, waiting to see what will happen tomorrow. This tension is political but it is even more economical and social. The Parliament adjourned indefinitely last week without voting on the new budget. The temporary budget runs out at midnight tonight. All attempts to get the Parliament to reconvene and vote on the budget have been futile. So come tomorrow, there is no money to run the country.

This is what the Opposition wants. The issue is not the budget, but Section 65 of the Constitution, a section that says that if members of Parliament “cross the floor,” (move from one political party to another), they may be removed from office and new elections held for their seats. (See journal entry for July 5 – “Democracy Tested.”) The budget is just the vehicle to make a political point. The problem is that in making that point, millions of people are going to be hurt because there will be no medical services, no public salaries and no work for any of the support services of the government.

Last week when Parliament met, in dispute was the agenda. The government wanted to have the vote on the budget and then deal with Section 65. The Opposition insisted that the two must be dealt with together, Section 65 first. John Tembo, the senior Member of Parliament sitting since Democracy began in 1964 and leader of the Opposition Party, called for the vote on the agenda to debate the budget and demanded that it be a show of hands, not a paper ballot vote. There is a fear of him in the Parliament. In the past, he has been known to use strong-armed tactics on those who opposed him. The vote was 71 in favor of discussion of the budget, 85 opposed, 21 abstaining, and 2 absent. The abstaining votes would have made the difference, but the members were fearful to take a stand against Tembo. Even today, at the last hour, he is adamant that dialogue on the budget can only take place after the implementation of Section 65. There are many who say that the panic and possible chaos that will come from no budget and no means of allocating money for necessary services is just what he wants. He will then blame the government for throwing the country into deep trouble and call for impeachment. His concern is not for good governing, but for power, his power.

Church leaders from all denominations have called for meetings to try and work a compromise. All offers have been rejected by the Opposition. Church leaders are now calling for prayer from the people and for calm among the people. These next few days will be critical for the future of the country. Please pray for peace and reason to prevail. This will certainly test the strength of Democracy in Malawi.