Africa-Press – Malawi. With scores of Malawian young women still stuck in slavery in Oman, the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) is dismayed at the way the government has conducted itself in the purported labour export to Israel.
Malawians witnessed the departure of their sons and daughters to Israel and the government, through Principal Secretary for Labour Wezi Kayira, followed the development with a statement confirming the same.
CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa says in all fairness, this move by the government came too little, too late as it only exposed both Chimwendo-Banda and Hon Gotani-Hara as people who cannot be trusted with matters of national interest.
“This has deeply conflicted their positions; hence our demand that the two act the gentle persons that they are by apologizing to Malawians for taking them for granted,”
CDEDI has since cautioned President Chakwera and his Tonse Alliance administration that they are always shooting themselves in the foot with their appetite for secrecy as it leads to speculations, some of which may be harmful to the country.
“We contend that secrecy is the least that should happen in a country where there is supposed to be a working law on Access to Information,”
From the look of things, the state machinery is conflicting itself whereby ministers who are political representatives say one thing and the Principal Secretary who is a Civil servant comes out with another version of the story.
While appreciating the worrying level of unemployment in the country, and welcoming any opportunity for labour export, CDEDI is demanding Malawi Government explain and justify the criteria for identification of beneficiaries as well as providing Malawians with proof of assurance of the welfare of people during their stay in Israel.
“Additionally government must explain the rationale of being excited about exporting labour at a time the country is thinking big about establishing mega-farms to bail out its ailing economy,” he said.
And Namiwa feels that much as it is commendable for government to find something from which Malawians can earn a better living anywhere in the world, such initiatives will always betray government’s intention if they are transacted in secrecy, and compounded by conflicting information from government.
He says unfortunately, this is the scenario in which the country is in at the moment, in view of the purported labour export to Israel. “If it were not for the Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa hinting on this issue in Parliament, most Malawians would not have heard about it. Probably, only those whose relations have benefitted would have been privy to such information,” he fears.
Adding that the attempt by the Leader of the House Hon Richard Chimwendo Banda and Speaker Hon Catherine Gotani Hara to sweep the matter under the carpet after Nankhumwa brought it up in the House is what should worry us all considering that Parliament is where Malawians expect matters concerning them are transacted transparently and not what was witnessed over this issue.
The labour export to Israel meets with the current war raising concerns about the security and welfare of our people since it is happening at a time when Malawians are still agonizing over the government’s failure to rescue scores of our young women stuck in slavery in Oman following a similar attempt on labour export.
“Should it turn out that, indeed, the Leader of the House and the Speaker was not aware of the labour export issue as they claimed, then there is a serious cause of worry as to who in government is supposed to know such matters of national importance. Obviously, this is a matter which must have gone through Cabinet, to which Chimwendo Banda belongs whereas the Speaker heads the legislature which ought to be a major player in the running of the country’s affairs, such as a decision to export labour,”
Meanwhile government is also silent on its resistance to allow medical personnel that the government is failing to employ to go and work elsewhere, particularly in Western countries.
Research shows that World Health Organisation (WHO) raised red flags for Malawi to export Health workers since it has less than the international required in its local facilities but individual practitioners can apply abroad.
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