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| National |
| Malawi democracy under scrutiny |
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by
George Ntonya, 04 June 2003
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08:10:54
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The country’s hard-won democracy and people’s economic empowerment are expected to be the subject of discussion at a three-day international conference organised to identify ways of shaping the country’s political destiny.
The conference, to be held at Capital Hotel in Lilongwe from Wednesday, is expected to bring together representatives from the government, donor community and human rights organisations to look at whether or not aspirations of the electorate have been achieved and analyse democratisation in the region.
Held under the theme “From Freedom to Empowerment: Ten Years of Democratisation in Malawi”, the conference comes at a time when political parties are gearing up for the 2004 general elections.
“The conference provides a forum for various stakeholders and interest groups to engage in a constructive debate on Malawi’s democracy. The conference will be forward looking, determined to identify challenges to the future of Malawi’s democracy,” reads a statement from Pac/Nice one of the coordinating organisations of the conference.
According to Pac/Nice the electorate voted for multiparty democracy in the hope that the gap between the rich and poor would be reduced, but 10 years after the 1993 referendum “it is debatable whether [the] economic policy has borne fruits for the vast majority of Malawians.”
Education Minister George Mtafu is expected to open the conference, which will discuss such topics as liberal democracy in Africa: the need for alternatives, democratisation and economic development, human rights conflicts and what we fought for.
Secretaries general of political parties are expected to make their comments at the end of the conference, the first of its kind since the introduction of multiparty democracy in the country.
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