100 lines
5.4 KiB
Markdown
100 lines
5.4 KiB
Markdown
By the early 1990s, President Hastings Kamuzu Banda of the Malawi
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Congress Party (MCP) had been president of Malawi for thirty years, ever
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since the country transitioned out of colonial rule. At the time, Malawi
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was a single-party state in which political parties were illegal.
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Pope John Paul II had a significant part in starting the campaign for
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multiparty politics. He went to Malawi in 1989 to urge the bishops to do
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something to alter Malawi’s poor political and human rights conditions.
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When the bishops did nothing, the Pope met with them in Rome to insist
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again on action. Upon returning from Rome, the bishops began the new
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campaign.
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On March 8, 1992, Malawi’s eight Catholic bishops wrote a pastoral
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letter called Living in Our Faith, which was read in churches throughout
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Malawi. The letter denounced the government’s rigid censorship of mass
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media, infringement on education, and frequently illegal imprisonment of
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hundreds of Malawians. Two days later, the Bishops were arrested by the
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government, and detained and interrogated for eight hours. Inspired by
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the letter, university students in Zomba began demonstrations that
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spread to other areas of Malawi. Police fired at the demonstrators and
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the students, who were reported to have “battled” with police.
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Junior army officers protected the students from the police and
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encouraged them to protest. A month later, senior and middle ranking
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army officials told President Banda that they would not take part in any
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suppression of Malawians who wanted multipartyism.
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From March 20 to March 23, 80 exiled opposition activists met in Zambia,
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meeting as the United Front for Multiparty Democracy. Following the
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conference, Chikufwa Chihana returned from exile and was arrested that
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day after making a speech calling for multiparty politics. Upon his
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arrest, pro-democracy campaigners held more demonstrations.
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Meanwhile, tapes were discovered in which government members discussed
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the possibility of assassinating the bishops, which led to more
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demonstrations. Throughout all this, the army firmly continued to remain
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neutral.
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When President Banda asked for foreign aid from the Consultative Group
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of the World Bank, who were meeting in Paris on May 11, his request for
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$800 million was denied. The aid donors told Banda that aid would remain
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suspended until the human rights and political conditions in his country
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changed. In the meantime, the donors only sent humanitarian aid. Due to
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pressure from aid donors, Banda had already released 88 political
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prisoners.
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On May 4, David Whitehead’s 3000 textile factory workers went on strike.
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They demanded that Chihana be released from prison and that Malawi
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become a multiparty state. Because the factory boss was in business with
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Banda, the strike was equivalent to a direct challenge of Banda. The
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strike was disbanded that same day, but the workers returned on May 6 to
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march to the city center. They were joined by unemployed youth,
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students, and other workers. Police fired with live ammunition at the
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protestors, which lead to violence on the side of the campaigners. The
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situation devolved into looting of shops, destruction of property, and
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vandalism. 38 people died during the events.
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In August more churches joined the push for multipartyism. Initially,
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the Livingstonia Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian
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(CCAP) created a committee to press for a referendum on multiparty
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politics. Then an open letter was sent out by the Christian Council of
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Malawi (CCM) with the approval of its churches. The Ecumenical Council
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of Malawi, the Muslim community, and other churches also supported the
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campaign.
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In October, the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) formed with the intention
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of stopping Banda’s dictatorship. AFORD embodied a nonviolent ideology,
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claiming it would “campaign openly through peaceful and lawful means”
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(Ihonvbere 230).
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Throughout this period of time, the Young Pioneers (a militant youth
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group created by Banda) constantly flogged and intimidated protestors.
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They even attacked Chihana’s lawyer by throwing stones.
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On October 18, 1992, President Banda announced that a referendum would
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be held regarding multiparty politics. Meanwhile, in December, Chihana
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was sentenced to two years in prison, which caused more demonstrations.
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On December 31, 1992, Banda decreed that the referendum would be held on
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March 15, 1993. Members of the opposition complained that the date was
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too soon and would not allow them sufficient time to campaign. Finally,
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the United Nations sent Banda a letter, which convinced him to move the
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referendum to June 15, 1993 so that the United Nations could be there to
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monitor the proceedings. On June 14, Chihana was released from prison
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and the next day the referendum occurred. Of the total number of
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registered voters, 67% voted that day, and of those voters 63.5% voted
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for multiparty politics.
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In response to the referendum’s outcome, a 14-person committee was set
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up to determine what sections of the constitution needed to be edited so
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that multiparty politics would become legal. Parliament officially
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amended the constitution on June 29, 1993, turning Malawi into a country
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with multiparty politics where political parties were legal.
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At this time, the army, which had remained neutral, disbanded the Young
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Pioneers.
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The next election was set for May 1994. The main three competing parties
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were the MCP, the United Democratic Front (UDF), and AFORD. UDF
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candidate Bakili Muluzi was elected president and Banda relinquished his
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position as president. |