Democracy in Malawi

Malawi votes on May 20th to determine new leaders of its public administration. Her excellency, Joyce Banda, is the incumbent. On my way into town, her image was prominently displayed on billboards. She is a woman of the people. Citizens supporting her reelection were bussed into Lilongwe yesterday to show their allegiance. Orange was the colour of their contingent. Please not the rhetoric: unity, equity, development. It is virtually impossible to argue against such noble principles.

Imagine my surprise when I happened on the men in green, from the UDF, trumpeting a different tune. They were quite animated and convincing as opposition to Joyce's rule. Though I do not purport to know the niceties of their policies, their dances were compelling.

After visiting our Mabuya camp to attend to the mundane task of laundry, I sauntered back to town and came across more more detail about Ms. Banda's rhetoric. Let us see how these democratic exercises unfold. Perhaps, Toronto can learn from such practises.