Yes, This is a Real Quote

Malawi's Minister of Information and Civic Education, Patricia Kaliati, remains as quotable as ever...Yesterday, Malawi's Nation on Sunday ran a story confirming that over 300 million kwacha ($2 million USD) of tax-payers' money has been spent on campaign materials for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. It seems the Ministry of Information and Civic Education instructed MACRA (Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority, another government body) to pay for the printing of DPP campaign materials, including posters of Malawi's current president Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika and all the DPP parliamentary candidates.


When Kaliati was asked to comment on the story, she didn't try to deny the allegations. Her actual response? "They are not funding a party, this is civic education on how to vote and specifically voting for President Bingu wa Mutharika." It gets better. When asked why MACRA was only spending money on campaign materials for DPP candidates, she said, "Ministry of Information is not an NGO, it is a government ministry and we are supposed to support the President. All MACRA is doing is to civic educate people to vote for Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika."

Kaliati also suggested that Muluzi pulled the same tricks during his re-election campaign against John Tembo: "In 1999, these organizations were not supporting Tembo, they were supporting the ruling party."

I have one question: Even if this turned out to be true, should Bakili Muluzi's administration really be the benchmark of integrity by which future administrations are judged?

Malawi's elections are set for the 19th of May.