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(NYASATIMES)Malawi needs ‘orange revolution’ –JB

Malawi needs ‘orange revolution’ –JB
By Nyasa Times
Published: April 30, 2011

Malawi’s Vice President Joyce Banda says the country will have a better tomorrow when her newly formed People’s Party will get mandate from the electorate to government, outlining the vision of the ‘orange’ party.

Banda was speaking when she opened the headquarters of her yet-to-be registered party in commercial city Blantyre on Friday.

“The Peoples Party has put in place unique strategies and programmes to redress the many challenges Malawi is facing,” said the Vice President who was expelled from the ruling DPP of President Bingu wa Mutharika for refusing to endorse ‘Mutharika dynasty’.

Vice President Joyce Banda: Malawi future is orange . Photo by Judith Moyo, Nyasa Times

She said among the strategies of the PP is to unlock and deepen the culture of an open society “where fundamental principles as articulated in our Constitution are the bedrock of our Policy Platform.”

Banda said: “The Peoples Party believes that there is an urgent need in Malawi to develop a new mindset of political settlement and discourse in the formulation and implementation of public policy, in resolving conflicts, in distribution of resources and in building national unity.”

She said the Constitutional Principle that “… all legal and political authority of the State derives from the people of Malawi and shall be exercised in accordance with this Constitution solely to serve and protect their interests …” is fundamental to the programs of the Peoples Party.

Banda said PP’s wants to “strategically pursue Industrialization Programs in Mining, Energy, Agriculture, Science and Technology, fisheries, that endear to transform the economy from one that is dependent on one or two crops; that is dependent on rain fed agriculture; that has a three months economic activity in the year to one that is diversified, that can run throughout the year, and to one that adds value and is competitive.”

She said this will be achieved by deliberately allocating human power and financial resources to strategic sectors so that we unlock industrialization thereby move ourselves from lip service to actualization.

Malawi’s first female vice president said her party would pursue an aggressive investment program in Human Capital Development.

“We are aware of the challenges we face in the education sector, and the demand for the right skills to move our economy forward. The people’s Party believes that people of Malawi are the most important resource to take this country to the next level of growth therefore, we will endeavour to establish programs that present more opportunities for education, training and development of relevant skills for Malawi to be competitive in the region and on the global scene.”

She said the Peoples Party Government will within its first five years seek to achieve the required levels of pupil teacher ratios at both primary and secondary and significantly increase University intake.

“I checked and found that some years 7,000 young men and women qualify for university and yet only 1,000 to 2,000 students make it to university. No wonder we have serious problems regarding access to tertiary education. “

She said her government will continue to strengthen the social security sector by bringing more innovation to food security interventions, and to HIV and AIDS prevention, mitigation and treatment”

“As already highlighted, Malawi is facing daunting structural challenges for its development program: chronic power outages, shortage of water supply, high cost of transport and communication and bureaucratic legal challenges in all sectors, shortages of foreign exchange and fuel which have negatively impacted on business. “

Banda said her party has identified a strategic program for Private Sector Development.

“The Peoples Party believes that the development of the private sector is vital to the development of the middle class and that a strong and broad middle class is vital to a stable and progressive society and creation of jobs.”

She said the Peoples Party has put in place an investment program that will mobilize Malawian private sector for an economic emancipation that will usher in a period parallel to the Marshal Plan in Europe.

“Malawi is facing an increasing population of unemployed men, women and youth. The current statistics show that unemployment rate has reached unacceptable levels. Most of the unemployed are our Youth.

“Think of our youth who finish standard Eight and do not get selected to secondary schools, the many youth who finish secondary school education and do not gain entry into tertiary level, and those that finish tertiary education and cannot be employed. We believe that we need to capture these people into active economic life before we can lose them to destructive behaviours.”

The VP said her administration will therefore through the Industrialization Program and the Private Sector Development Program creates a platform for skills training and job creation to absorb the unemployed.

She also said the Peoples Party will vigorously pursue the realization of the Decentralization Program including the holding of Local Elections.

“Our commitment is to reinstate the necessary legal framework to make Local Government Elections mandatory and predictable. Our name suggests that we belong to the people, and the people are at the core of our being, therefore Decentralization is a necessary strategy for entrenching power in the Peoples hands,” she said.

“It is my hope that should the people of Malawi give the Peoples Party the necessary mandate to serve them, we are prepared to serve them with humility, fairness, resolve and Godly fear.

“I am confident in the resilience of the Malawian people and in their unfailing belief in good governance and an open society.”—(Reporting by Judith Moyo, Nyasa Times)

Labels: JOYCE BANDA, ORANGE REVOLUTION

posted by MrK @ 1:01 AM