AFRICA/MALAWI - "We will continue to be poor without a moral transformation", says the Archbishop of Blantyre

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) - "Why are we poor?" asked His Exc. Mgr. Thomas Luke Msusa, Archbishop of Blantyre, in his message for the 51st anniversary of the independence of Malawi, celebrated on July 6. "Our poverty is much deeper than the lack of industries, mines, foreign currency in our mismanaged banks. Perhaps the people in Malawi are poor because we have lost human and moral transformation even before the economic transformation" responds Mgr. Msusa. "The economic transformation will never be achieved without a moral economy demonstrated by our leaders in every sector of society".
"As long as corruption, nepotism and regionalism are the main features of government leaders, there will not be a different Malawi", says a report sent to Agenzia Fides by Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba, a Monfortan missionary. "The speeches of religious leaders for the anniversary have clearly highlighted a country that with the passing of the years sinks into poverty: because of the lack of medicines in hospitals, the health system is falling apart due to the non-payment of wages, lack of classrooms and teachers for schools, the lack of employment for young people forced to seek work in South Africa despite the violence caused by xenophobia, the interest rate applied by the banks close to 40%".
The missionary recalls that Malawi, in these conditions, welcomes almost a thousand people who have fled from Mozambique, fleeing the violence resulting from the ceasefire which has never been quite reached between the ruling Frelimo party and the opposition of Renamo. Malawi has not yet completed the repatriation of Rwandans, because of a lack of aid to cover the costs of transportation, despite the agreement which provided for the repatriation in 2013.
The situation is aggravated by a shortage of food for the coming months. The crop was decimated by the flood, leaving two million and eight hundred thousand people directly at risk of survival. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 14/07/2015)


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