People From North Slam Speaker Gotani, Remind Her of MCP’s Killings Of Northerners

Response to Honourable to Honourable Catherine Gotani Nyahara Speech at the MCP/UTM rally in Mzuzu about the Northern Region

PREAMBLE

We, Bina Mpoto, wishes to strongly reject politician’s role in assuming to be
spokespersons for the whole region, when we have a diverse religious, political and tribal group whose interests cannot be aligned to a singular political party.

We have come up with this statement, for once, to ask politicians to desist using the region or inflame the region to specifically align with specific goals of individual politicians.

We believe Northerners have own conscience, knowledge and wisdom to distinguish honest and sincere politicians to those that have used the region to advance their own interests.

Such politicians always, only speak on behalf of the region, when it suits their interests and goals, but are conspicuously silent when they benefit from rotten political systems which have since 1964, segregated the region.

This statement has been inspired by the remarks by Right Honourable Catherine Nyahara Gotani, Speaker of Parliament and Member for Mzimba North East.

The Northern Region has produced 75% of Speakers since 1964, and all of them have desisted from speaking at political podiums and none have spoken on  behalf of Northern Region as speakers are always assumed to be impartial.

While we are happy to have produced first female speaker just like we produced the first black speaker in Malawi, the people of northern region, are not obliged to collectively agree with the speaker nor his/her political alignments.

PERSECUTION OF THE NORTH BY MALAWI CONGRESS PARTY (MCP)

 The Right Honourable Speaker, in her effort to re-write history spoke of marginalization of the North, cried that it has been treated as not being part of Malawi.

Those of us who are students of history, expected her to acknowledge the role of each party, their attitude and contribution to the region during their reigns.

She chose to speak only the very short period her selective memory could garner to please her political masters.

We are happy to remind Madame Speaker that the Malawi Congress Party persecuted and segregated Northerners from 1960’s in the following manner:

1960: Deliberately left Dunduzu Chisiza, Orton Chirwa and others to remain in jails when Dr. Kamuzu Banda was released. They were released later on.

1963: Suspicious death of Dunduzu Chisiza.

1964: Cabinet crisis targeting mainly Orton Chirwa, Rose Chibambo, Willie Chokani, Harry Bwanausi and others. This followed Kanyama Chiumes expulsion.  Arrest of Mr Machipisa Munthali.

1965: The killing of Yatuta Chisiza

1966: Burning of Kanyama’s property, disgracing his father.

1971: Rejection of Manoah Chirwas letter and beating of Chiefs and jailing of  Chief Katumbi.

1972-1978: Purging of Northern lecturers at the University of Malawi including arrests of Dr. Chifipa Gondwe, Mupa Shumba, Prof Peter Mwanza, Dr. Peter Chiwona, Dr Felix Mnthali, Dr Benard Harawa and more than 23 others from the Northern region.  Exile of Dr. David Rubadiri.  Arrest of Dr. George Nga Ntafu.

1978: Letter bomb of Attati Mpakati in Harare, Zimbabwe.

1981: Abduction Arrests of Orton and Vera Chirwa and their child.

1987: The killing of the whole Mkwapatira Mhango family in Zambia by the MCP regime.

These are some of the arrest and killings of the famous people that the MCP championed to stifle intellectual and economic growth of the region. The Speaker should desist from speaking like a toddler born yesterday and pretending she genuinely believe the MCP loves northerners.

Northerners have on their own continuously rejected the MCP in the past six elections as it has not demonstrated that it believes the north is part of Malawi.

Just to remind the Speaker, that the following developments were denied to the region for 31 years MCP was in power:

• Auction floors despite producing a good share of Malawi’s tobacco.

•Tarmac roads Chitipa via Nyika or Karonga despite being a tourism hub.
•No central hospital

•No University

•No High Court

•No Reserve Bank

• No decent road in Mzuzu

To teach Northerners political lessons, the MCP introduced Quota system and went further to expel all teachers from the Northern Region in other regions.

We wish the Speaker and her political masters would recognize that such purging of intellectual banks, set the region back in years.

We would further like remind the Speaker that when she participated in looting of Chikangawa Forest, she remained silent as one of the norths best resources were being depleted with her help.

She cannot be a chameleon and cry today for the region she has used as a ladder to her wellbeing. She has served different cabinets as well. We can cite many examples when she has remained silent but that is not the purpose of our writing.

This one is to ask all politicians from the region to desist from speaking on behalf of all of us, when they serve their bellies.

We have had so many speaking on behalf the region, voters have always had a different view from those who think are gurus of the region. We advise all politicians to articulate agenda than speak of diving the region from the other parts of the country where many have made it home.

If politicians from the north were not self-serving, they could have united and formed a regional bloc that bargains for the region. But no each has own interest and continues to pretend he or she speaks on behalf of the region.

It is alarming to note that these pretenders when they speak, the mention developments by other parties as their own brainchild when their parties when in power, completely denied the region the same.

We know which parties have caused untold suffering, segregated us and killed us. Do not change history for your own benefit, it is an insult to the dead and their families.

We remain

Bina Mpoto,

Mzuzu
12 May, 2020