Malawi: Mutharika calls for referendum to decide national budget fate

Ever since Mutharika came to power in 2004 his minority administration has been dogged by unwillingness by the majority opposition legislatures to pass the budget over the said section.

Following a political impasse Parliament has refused to pass the country's K229bn 2008/2009 national budget threatening the country with an economic crisis. The national budget is ordinarily passed before the end of June to be in tune with Malawi's financial year which commences on July 1.

Mutharika first made the proposal of holding a referendum on July 12 when he was opening a K2,2bn hospital facility in the lakeshore district of Nkhotakota.

On July 14 Mutharika issued a statement where he has officially indicated that he will soon be consulting the public on the two sticking issues through a national referendum.

However, opposition parties and non-governmental organisations have bashed the proposal for different reasons.

The opposition political parties, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) are instead calling for early presidential and parliamentary elections which they say is the only solution to the impasse other than a referendum.

“The referendum call is clearly [a]...trivialisation of the serious issues affecting the country,” said Atupele Muluzi, UDF secretary for its youth wing.

He said Mutharika's call for a referendum is intended to call off or delay next year's general elections slated for May 17, 2009.

MCP spokesperson, Ishmael Chafukira described the calls as a presidential joke insisting that since religious leaders in Malawi are currently mediating to resolve the impasse, its unreasonable to act otherwise.

“Mediators have proposed a concurrent implementation of Section 65 and national budget; does that mean government is underrating efforts that have been made by the mediators?” he questioned.

This sentiment is also shared by the council for non-governmental organisations in Malawi (CONGOMA).

“It is very unfortunate that President Mutharika is not respecting eminent religious leaders...We have not reached a stage where the country has exhausted all avenues of resolving the impasse. Holding a referendum would be costly for the country,” argued CONGOMA chairperson Rev. Macdonald Semebereka.

Mutharika's aide on Peace and National Unity, Nicolas Dausi has argued that it is the president's constitutional right to call for a referendum.

“Referendum is a process where the president calls upon people to hear their views on burning issues; [opposition leaders] are holding the nation at ransom; they pull the strings from behind. Should we sit back and smile at that,” argues Dausi.

The political wrangle in Malawi dates back to 2003 towards the end of the tenure of office for Mutharika's predecessor Bakili Muluzi.