Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) – On January 31, the 14th African Union Summit elected the Head of State of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika, President of the Union. In his acceptance speech for such a highly pursued office, Mutharika stated the priorities of his presidency: food security, continental infrastructure (roads, ports, etc. ..) and energy, and peace-keeping on the continent.
"In Malawi, the whole government sings the praises of the President elected to the leadership of Africa. [They think] Malawi will become famous and be known on the continent. Even the opposition is happy about that," Agenzia Fides was told by Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba, Montfortian missionary that has been living and working in the country for 30 years.
But what is the response of the population? "The first concrete result of the appointment of EU President Bingu wa Mutharika has been the addition to the state budget (submitted to Parliament for approval) of a billion Kwacha (about 4.9 million Euros) to spend in the first six months of Mutharika's term in office," says the missionary. "They are expenses for meetings, travel, and other staff that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes available to the President for his high office. The African Union is unable to finance his expenses, so why should we have to pay, the people of Malawi ask."
"This happens in a country where the Ministry of Education denounces the lack of 6,000 teachers for schools where in some cases, the average student/teacher ratio is 1 teacher for 200 pupils, while the standard should be 65 students per teacher. The opposition wants to know the details of the expenditure prior to signing a blank check for an investment that could offer different opportunities, which are hard to quantify," said Fr. Gamba.
"I hope that this international office will encourage the government to make "democratic" choices in the country, before trying to give lessons in freedom and cooperation to the rest of the continent. In any case. the year 2010 will be really important for Malawi," concludes the missionary. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 6/2/2010)
