Gay rights: Is Malawi a puppet of Western countries?
Last week, Minister of Justice Samuel Tembenu announced that government had dropped charges against homosexuals and suspended anti-gays laws pending a vote whether to revoke the legislation.
By arbitrarily suspending the anti-homosexual legislation, government is tuning Malawi into a banana republic where laws are not respected and can be changed at any time on the influence of the donor community or to please them to secure favours.
The action not only shows government is desperate to secure aid, but it is being disrespectful and usurping the powers of Parliament which is the rightful body to amend, repeal or retain laws. If anything, government should have asked Parliament to review the law.
The issue would have been debated before a consensus is reached.
As MCP President Lazarus Chakwera has rightly pointed “suspension of homosexual laws should be approved by Parliament.”
Why is government in such a hurry to the extent of ignoring procedures? And where is separation of powers?
Government should not be so desperate for aid to the point of bowing to pressure from the donor community to legalise same-sex marriage. Malawi is a sovereign State and it should not be pushed around by industrialised countries to adopt something that is against the wishes of Malawians.
So, the assertion by Tembenu that “we are responding to the concerns that people have had that we have breached our international obligation” is being mean with the truth.
While the donor community seem not to trust the DPP government with their money in the wake of Cashgate and lack of financial prudence, it is equally true that they are trying to use aid as a weapon to have Malawi adopt same-sex marriage. Donors know that Malawi is a poor country and desperate for help and it is easy to impose their values through manipulation of domestic laws using aid as one of the conditions.
Although the government has assured the donor community that it is committed to reviewing anti-homosexuality law in consultation with the people, it is a foregone conclusion that the overwhelming majority of Malawians are against homosexuality.
Chancellor College political science lecturer Boniface Dulani was quoted in the media as saying that “If you look at the survey numbers, you will see that 95 percent of Malawians disapprove of homosexuality.” So it will be a waste of public resources for government to consult the people when they know the outcome.
Government should have taken a cue from President Uhuru Kenyatta who told President Barack Obama when he visited Kenya last July that “gay rights is non-issue and Kenya is not keen on embracing homosexuality”.
Malawi Government should have been bold enough to inform the donor community that the overwhelming majority of Malawians reject homosexuality rather than skate around the issue.
It is unfair for developed countries to be imposing their own will, values or laws on weaker nations like Malawi. Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe recently told Parliament that the donor community laid down new 20 conditions for government to fulfill before aid could resume. Some of the conditions are not in the interest of Malawians.
Should Malawi just accept anything because of aid?
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Much as I understand the ideas raised, I believe we are living in a democratic country where the majority rules. It is surprising then to hear that democracy should be the other way round (the minority). If somebody is born with a tendency of stealing, do we grant him or her that right to steal because they were born that way? When we talk about a normal thing, we imply that which is convensionally accepted by the majority or the whole society as licit and that it does not suprise anybody. homosexuality in this case is abnormal for it does… Read more »
If sexual orientation is a sin then it is obvious that it is god who will judge. Let no man be a judge. It is completely naive and unrealistic for some people to suggest that Malawi can do without donor aid.
GOD could have created man to man if it was meant to b like that .So malawians lets stop this nonsense.NYASI BASI
gay gay whats that.GOD could have created man to man if it was that.Stop this nonsense malawian
Mmmhhh malawi now you are coming to be SODOM and GOMOLA wow,I was loving and beliving this gorvenment but now go to HELL.I don’t eat donetions. 2019 u ll never see my vote AGAIN
Wokwiya, u are missing the point. It is not about hating gays, but not allowing the west to use their money to legalisd gay marriage. Also to caution govt not to suspend laws to please the west.
NaChisale, gay people are abnormal. It is like a woman growing beards. We are not saying we shud discriminate them. But the west shud not use gay rights as precondition for aid or suspend laws
Am not gay .the coming of this practice was prophesied in the bible.we therefore cannot win the ant-gay crusade. Any effort against gay won’t succeed.gaysim is not our culture ,you also need to be reminded that women wearing trousers is not our culture .people, religious leaders rejected it strongly.what happened ?the same people accepted that western type. Church leaders seem to miss the approach towards the gay issue. What i know is that the church deals with heart transformation other than outward confession. I would have expected thee church to pray hard for the change of heart of these gay.… Read more »
Kuntunda kwautsogoleri Watu kuli enamathanyula
How can they resist the pressure when the pressure is serving their purpose ?,
Nchiyani kodi a Malawi?