The Carbon Trade Comes to Malawi: What it means for the layman

It’s unprecedented: Malawi is now officially trading in carbon - an arrangement in which big polluters in the developed world are said to be reducing their emissions by funding projects that benefit poor nations who despite polluting less, bear the blunt of the developed countries’ pollution.

The Malawigovernment has just given an approval letter to CarbonSoft Corporation a London based carbon credit aggregator to start distributing solar lamps in Malawi’s rural and unelectrified households.

  “This [distribution of lamps] will enable them to stop burning kerosene, a highly potent greenhouse gas, for light, preventing CO2 emissions. CarbonSoft estimates that over the course of the six-year project, approximately forty-nine thousand tonnes of CO2 will be saved in this way, generating one carbon credit per tonne,” said CarbonSoft in a release published on prweb.com.

The solar light program is at the leading edge of a worldwide movement to reduce the burning of kerosene, key to the objectives of the Rio +20 conference on Sustainable Development, and the International Year of Sustainable Energy For All in 2012.

Shamiso Najira, Chief Environmental Officer and Focal Point for Clean Development Mechanism of the Environmental Affairs Department in the ministry environment and climate change said the approval was only given upon the Malawi government liking the project concept of CarbonSoft.

She said the role of the government will be to promote the project and said it would cover the whole country, a move which effectively means that CarbonSoft is aiming at eliminating Kerosene lamps in Malawi.

CarbonSoft is a carbon credits aggregator, it funds such projects and sells what ‘carbon credits’ a form of currency. The Collins English Dictionary defines a carbon credit as “a certificate showing that a government or company has paid to have a certain amount of carbon dioxide removed from the environment.” What this means however is that that company or government that has bought the credits maintains their pollution and uses the carbon credits to justify it.

Some people argue that the whole carbon trading  idea only allows rich nations to pollute more and not decrease their emissions because they  hide under the veil of buying carbon credits which are moneys given to a broker who is reducing carbon emissions elsewhere.

One critic of carbon trading writing in Time Magazine took a swipe at the practice saying: “In other words, the rich reduce their carbon output by not one ounce. But drawing on the hundreds of millions of net worth in the Kodak Theatre, they pull out lunch money to buy ecological indulgences.”

“The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has been a failure under any metric you look at,” said Oscar Reyes, Associate Fellow, of the Institute for Policy Studies speaking at a press conference arranged by the forestry policy NGO FERN at the UN climate talks in Bonn

Said Reyes: “Its credit price is lower than a snake’s belly and its environmental integrity is about the same – there’s little proof it has produced real, actual, additional emission reductions...”

Will Farmers Like Ngwira really benefit from carbon trading

Shamiso Najira when asked if the project is enough to address the climate change effects was non-committal and said it depends on the ones understanding of the issue.

“It’s up to us as a country, if it contributes to our sustainable development it is fine,” said Najira

Even the civil society is not sure of the carbon trade, William Chadza, Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (CEPA) said the issue has two faces.

“On one hand it is a welcome as it will lead to increased access to sustainable energy; address the challenges of our narrow Energy Policy; provides opportunities for financial gains from carbon markets; and increases Malawi's efforts towards climate change mitigation.

“Conversely, there is growing evidence suggesting that most of the carbon trading related interventions have the west as the major beneficiary as these interventions will only lead to perpetuating greenhouse gas emissions.

“As more of these carbon trading related interventions get underway, the more levels of greenhouse gas emissions in the west remain the same. It is like providing permits to pollute. It promotes business as usual approach. In addition, recent figures on prices of carbon per tonne seem unattractive to warrant significant livelihood changes which the proponents seem to be portraying.” Said Chadza

Chadza said there is need to do a good cost-benefit analysis on the issue; meanwhile the rich nations will keep emitting carbon and using their huge profits to buy carbon credits.

It is the likes of Stanley Ngwira a teacher at Thunduti Secondary School at Uliwa in Karonga that will keep suffering.

Early this year rains took a break for almost three weeks when Ngwira’s maize needed it most, the result was almost no yield at all, Ngwira is putting his hopes on the salary he gets from his job as a teacher and even then, his year looks bleak and there are far more people like Ngwira many who do not have a salary.

For Ngwira, the solar lamp he is likely to receive from CarbonSoft will just be used at night but the gruesome effects of erratic weather likely to be the result of climate change may haunt him for a long time.

Just now he saw, now he doesnt

Doctors at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital have come to a painful conclusion; his eyes have been pierced and hence useless. On Thursday, doctors removed the left eye and the other will be removed on Monday and that will Maida Fedson blind a thing he never prepared for.

It was a day like any other, Maida having been laid off by his employer, was running up and down to find another job. He had to since living alone in Mbayani requires a job to pay the bills. Maida was invited by a friend in Machinjiri who had a job opening.

Luck was not with Maida as the friend was not home and Maida started back home he got delayed in the way and by 7pm he was approaching Chirimba Bridge the luck was to slip further to the negative.

“I saw two men, I passed one and as I approached the other one the one I had passed grabbed me from behind and squashed my throat so that I shouldn’t shout, the other man then flung his machete which landed on my head and opened me up,” narrated Maida sitting his hospital bed surrounded by family, sympathisers and the whole ward was quite listening too and interjecting with gasps when Maida toughed on the graphic part of his story.

Maida said the other guy then sliced a knife across his face cutting across the eyes like the equator, slicing both his eyes open, even though the eyelid was down. By then he had found space to shout and he had alerted a guard who came rushing to the scene scaring the assailers away.  

Maida was left with pangs of pain, he does not understand why he was attacked because not of the attackers took anything material from him apart from his sight and subsequently and arguably his life...

“At that moment, I knew my lights had gone off, that would never see again,” said Maida.

The guard took him to Chirimba Police where the officers starting bullying him instead of helping him.

“They said I had been attacked while trying to sleep with another man’s wife, they said I had been thieving, they started interrogating me despite my pain they asked me to list all my friends which I did promptly.

“They sent me to the minibus stage with a police report and that’s all they did for me, I had to use my own money and thanks to the kindness of the minibus conductor I was escorted to Queens (QECH),” said Maida.

Maida - Now a Liability

Four days will have to pass before Maida’s relatives knew of the attack; it had to take fellow patients alerting them a thing that infuriated Lickson Mangani, the nephew who stormed Chirimba police to ask after the behaviour of the cops.

“No statement was taken from Maida, they mocked him, they didn’t care to take to the hospital, they gave him a police report but when I went there they all denied until I showed them the report they gave Maida,” said an angry Mangani.

  The police report a bloody copy of which Nation on Sunday has seen has a Chirimba Police stamp, signed by a Jinazale on the 18 of June.

However Blantyre Police Assistant Public Relations Officer, Lameck Yona Thembachako, when contacted said Chirimba police has no vehicle and thus would have done nothing. On the officers mocking Maida, he said the police must have had their reasons because they cannot mock someone seeking their help.

Thembachako explained that when people go to the hospital they should return to police to have their statements taken.

Mangani said the Chirimba police then told him that the investigations would be difficult because nothing was taken from Maida. 

“After they remove the other eye, we are thinking of sending him back to the village in Salima where his mother and brothers are,” said Mangani.

Mangani said, and it is also calculable, that Maida’s life will not be the same again and appealed for well-wishers to step in since Maida’s mother is unemployed. 

Maida is obviously a strong character he gave the interview just hours after an operation to remove his right eye. He takes pills unaided and speaks calmly and the fact that he knew that he would not see seconds after being attacked will make his transition into blindness less stressful.

 To Maida the saying “Now you see, now you don’t” is actually literary applicable to his story and what awaits him in Salima is a story for another day, but surely a single, energetic 24 year old youth has been stopped in his tracks by people who are probably reading this and saying, “that’s us…”

The role of Chiefs in a democracy: Looking ahead to 2014

Chiefs have been dubbed as the most respected office in Malawi by some commentators, yet time and again the office has let down Malawians by partaking in partisan politics and being used by politicians.

Kamuzu Banda used the chiefs to spread his one party ideals Muluzi also used the chiefs to advanced his yellow ideals but the chief’s political prostitution hit hard during the Bingu wa Mutharika era where they were drafted in to defend controversial propositions some beyond the chiefs understanding.

The most recent gaffe the chiefs have dabbled in is when they unanimously echoed Mutharika anti-devaluation stance following the luncheons the men of the robe had with the late president. 

Chiefs are essential in implementing many programs at the grassroots level, with the upcoming 2014 election chiefs will be needed in civic education exercise, voter verification, helping to curb violence, just to mention but a few. 

With the chiefs dabbling in politics will they not negatively impact the process? What should happen to ensure that the chiefs serve their role professionally?  

Chancellor College’s Associate Professor, Mustafa Hussein says it’s difficult to bring democracy to an institution that is assumed undemocratically by way of heredity. He however emphasized the need for such an office to be democratic.

“Traditional Leadership is provided for in Malawi in the name of the Chiefs Act as such I feel chiefs should play a role in enhancing democracy by being accountable, avoiding corruption and avoiding political manipulation.”

Hussein called for a review of the Chiefs Act to include stipulations that Cleary speak about chiefs and their relationship with politicians and ways of enforcing procedures in case chiefs do not abide by the stipulations.

Dr Blessings Chinsinga who used to argue for chiefs has considerably reconsidered his stance and is now a big critic of the chiefs, in one of his writings Chinsinga says chiefs are a confusing office as they are listed as very corrupt and yet most trusted by Malawians.

Chinsinga says chiefs breach people’s trust In search of short term self-aggrandizement. He listed the chief’s support of Bakili Muluzi’s Third Term bid and Chiefs coming out in support of Peter Mutharika during the DPP rule. Chinsinga wonders how all chiefs in the country suddenly have one view on a matter.

He also trashed the defence the chiefs use saying they work with the government of the day saying that is an abuse of the term because everyone is entitles to work with the government of the day but that does not mean forfeiting constructive approaches to issues.

Chinsinga pointed out that the Chiefs Act empowers the Chief Political Officer to do away with chiefs he deems irrelevant a thing that traps the chiefs into self-censorship. 

Human rights activist, Billy Mayaya also called for a review of the Chiefs Act to repeal some things that are not in tandem with Malawi’s democracy and to bring in changes that enhance transparency, accountability, inclusiveness tolerance equity and equality

“Chiefs need to internalise values and principles of democracy in order to be at the forefront of a dynamic- not a static-institution that respects protects and fulfills the rights of all subjects irrespective of gender creed or political orientation,” said Mayaya.

For a chiefly perspective, Weekend Nation spoke to GVH Ngolowera from Kwa Golden, T/A Chikumbu in Mulanje. We asked the chief what should happen for them to avoid political manipulation.

“Yes, Chiefs are like parents, they should be impartial and should oversee everyone regardless of their political party. If chiefs are to be impartial, I think they should not be allowed to comment on political affairs or participate in political campaigns and instead just listen to all views spoken by politicians and subjects,” said Ngolowera.

GVH Ngolowera

Hussein echoed Ngolowera’s sentiments and added that chiefs should realize that their institution is one of the most respected and thus they should represent all interests of all by helping democracy flourish.

As 2014 comes around, chiefs will be the target of politicians looking to use the chief’s traditional popularity for electoral gains, chiefs will be looking to the various politicians, especially the highest bidder for a pay-off in exchange for a hand in selling the politicians to the people, until the Chiefs Act or some law comes in this is how things will be.

So, who is a Malawian again?

The news excited the international community; it will no longer be a criminal offense to be gay in Malawi. The issue has not gone well with some Malawians and the past week has seen the cyberspace awash with debate with some saying that decriminalising homosexuality is not welcome because homosexuality is “unMalawian.” So what is Malawian?

Malawi is a god fearing country and God forbids homosexuality, this is the core argument of the anti-gay crowd, they go on to say that gay culture clashes with Malawian culture and again the question springs up, what is Malawian Culture?

“The concept of "Malawian" is a mental construct that exists in the minds of people. It is similar to the construct of political party affiliation,” said College of Medicine Psychologist Chiwoza Bandawe

Undule Mwakasungula of Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) joined in on the debate: “If you are a Malawian that makes you Malawian, whether born in Malawian or not but as long as you there for the good of Malawi progress you are Malawian.”

Both Mwakasungula and Bandawe said there is nothing that can set Malawian Culture as a single entity

“It is a misnomer to suggest that there is one uniform "Malawian". Malawians are made up of people of different faiths or lack thereof: Christian, Muslim, Secular humanists etc. Malawians are made up of different economic standings as well as different backgrounds and ways of thinking. Malawi cannot have just one dominant culture,” said Bandawe

Mwakasungula said as a nation Malawians have not agreed what can constitute of Malawian culture, it’s just something they say but it is nothing clear cut.

So if the much touted Malawian culture cannot be pointed at, can what is “unMalawian” be singled out?

No, says Mwakasungula, he argued that Malawians have sung the song of being Malawians for too long so that they feel that they ought to protect cultural values which also happen to be undefined.

Bandawe echoed Mwakasungula’s argument and gave an example of laptops; cell phones and use of Facebook which he said are popular among Malawians and wondered if they are Malawian - Malawians, he concluded, come in all shapes and sizes.

The dominant feeling among the people that are advancing the anti-gay agenda argue that decriminalising homosexuality will bring the wrath of God on Malawi will corrupt morals of children’s morals and that it is just unnatural.

To be gay is like to be a black man, non of it is a crime

Recently several clergymen warned Joyce Banda against repealing the law against homosexuality and asked if she is trying to be above God, another pastor even called for a referendum on the matter. Mwakasungula however charged that many Malawians are using culture and religion to oppress minorities.

“We should not hide behind culture of religion to persecute minority groups.  Culture is dynamic and we have seen so many things we believed in years back being modified.  We can't be rigid because you don't like something or the way others are behaving,” said
Mwakasungula

Another academician and blogger, Jimmy Kainja also agrees with Mwakasungula and says he sees nothing wrong with adults being gay.

“Tolerance is very important. It's hard for me to believe that someone is out there to oppress minorities just for the sake of it. I believe a lot of people are deluded by their own beliefs and they try to impose this on others.

“This is where the question of national identity comes in - what is it? Why do you we accept some foreign values and refuse others? It's all subjective and ignorance, this leads to lack of tolerance,” said Kainja

There also seems to be a strong feeling among Malawians that homosexuality is being forced upon Malawians by Western powers, already some people are jokingly calling Malawi a “donor-fearing nation.” Western cultural influence is an unstoppable force with Hollywood influencing people even in China and Russia. Has Malawi been influenced by the West culturally?  

Can Malawi resist Western culture?

 Mwakasungula pointed out that Malawians use Western education, dress like Westerners, eat Western dishes and that most of the religions in Malawi are Western.

Malawians use western style of government, the family sizes are shrinking, MTV is visible in the streets even the accents of many a girl are trying too hard to echo the English and American,

Arguing on the same in a group on Facebook, Cynthia Mahata said: “The thing about Western culture is you have to get it all or reject it all, it comes as a package”

Adds Kainja: “Patrice Lumumba said ‘Africa will write its own history, from south to the north of Sahara.’ He was right, Africa will write its own history but it will be a negotiated one; influenced by global trends and culture.”

Are Malawians therefore being hypocritical in adopting capitalism and yet denying sexual minorities a place? Or is it unMalawian to raise such questions?

UDF Worst Casualty of Mutharika’s death?

A political scientist has warned united democratic front (UDF) to get serous with its strategy ahead of 2014 because it is the worst hit in terms of strategy in the aftermath of Bingu wa Mutharika’s death.

The scientist, Joseph Chunga, who is also the President of Political Scientists Association of Malawi, said this in an exclusive interview on Friday.

“In terms of strategy UDF is the worst of the lot. The Muluzi camp was championing the change agenda, now that they are part of the government they cannot talk about change now and when 2014 comes,” said Chunga.

Chunga said UDF should seriously show that it’s a distinct party even though it’s working with the People’s Party government.

UDF (Atupele Muluzi Camp) through its Secretary General  Kennedy Makwangwala, however insists the party is not finished like ‘an old curtain,’ even after mass defection of its members to the ruling People’s Party.

 “We are not disturbed by those defections. Most of those defectors are from the Jumbe camp, they had nowhere to go since their positions here at the main party have been filled with others after they failed to heed my call to return,” said Makwangwala.

UDF Secretary General: Kennedy Makwangwala

Asked if the power sharing deal that saw some UDF heavy weights like Ibrahim Matola and Atupele Muluzi working with Joyce Banda will affect the former ruling party ahead of 20914, Makwangwala was adamant saying UDF is not scratched.

He however said the coming of Joyce Banda has made them rethink their opposition saying UDF has suspended rallies and is observing Banda and giving her a chance, if she commits mistakes, the rallies will be resumed and the parliamentarians in government will be asked to out.

Asked if UDF strategy was dealt a blow with the sudden demise of Bingu wa Mutharika, Makwangwala admitted.

“Yes, we were getting strong based on the mistakes Mutharika was making, it’s why we are quite now because she is new and we want to give her a chance.”

The cool and composed secretary general insists UDF has healed from the infighting and said by 2014 UDF will have a presidential candidate with the convention slated for 14 October. 

Makwangwala charged that the defection to PP is but a passing craze and will stabilize in two months’ time saying already some people are returning to UDF, he gave an example of the central region committee that defected en masse to PP saying it will soon announce its return.

DPP, through its Secretary General, Wakuda Kamanga also admitted that the death of Mutharika dealt them a blow but said the party is still as strong as ever.

“It’s true that the death of Professor Bingu wa Mutharika affected us, its normal but being a party we will proceed and we are actually looking at 2014 as an opportunity to win as an honour to Mutharika,” said Kamanga.

Kamanga said DPP is not afraid of anyone ahead of 2014 and said as far as he knows; DPP is the only party that is in every village, town and region. He also said that there is no infighting in DPP as those that caused division (Hope Alliance) are now in government.

Chunga however observed that DPP will struggle come 2014 because it lost popularity among Malawians and said the only thing they relied on was the incumbency factor which was taken away by PP. 

He said that PP may not use the incumbency because most people in PP do not bring anything new to Malawians as they are the same old politicians. He also spoke lowly of MCP and categorised them along the likes of UDF.

“Malawians therefore have no real alternative come 2014 its why the opposition should not give up hope and go joining the ruling party, anyone who can be serious can stand a chance in 2014”