HOW THE HR PROFESSION IN MALAWI IS STUCK AND HOW TO GET IT LOOSE!

Human resource management has become a pervasive and influential approach to the management of employment in all organization. This is so because more effective management of human resources positively affects performance in ministries, government departments and in private organizations both large and small. Globally, human resource management has become recognizable both as a profession and field of study due to positive impact of strategy implementation. Despite this plausible fact, there are several challenges to its development in Malawi. Confronting these challenges, could go a long way in liberating the stunted growth of the HR profession in Malawi.

It comes not as a surprise when a story appears in one of the daily news papers or on tabloids about a strike at a certain company. It is also not a bolt from the blue to hear of the back log of cases at the Industrial Relations Court of which some date as far back as 2009. We are also not surprised when we hear a colleague being called to attend an interview or start work for a job they applied two years ago. We are now used to interviews that ask candidates to mention how many buttons there are on their shirts. Unfair dismissals, failure to adhere to laws of natural justice during disciplinary hearings are order of the day. Lawful and procedurally fair administrative action, which is just in relation to reasons given where rights, freedoms, legitimate expectations or interests of employees are affected or threatened as demanded by the constitution, are never an issue to HR practitioners in Malawi. The questions that arise out of all this are that does the current HR team of practitioners in Malawi have the adequate knowledge to manage human resources? Are human resource practitioners knowledgeable enough about Malawi Labour Laws? Is there a legitimate human resource management body that regulates how human resource managers operate in Malawi?

Owners of businesses willingly accept human resource management as a profession if the HR department contributes to the achievement of the goals of the organization. Human resource managers here participate in developing strategies and ensure that human resource dimensions are considered. It is a fact that managing human resources is an intricate contractual obligation because people are social beings that have needs and wants that are always changing. Most HR practitioners currently in Malawi have the experience but luck intellectual caliber necessary to manage the contemporary employee. Similarly, there are a lot of young, well trained intellectuals in human resource management that lack experience to effectively manage human resources and yet this is the generation that will change the game! This is the dilemma that the profession is currently facing in Malawi. To trade of between experience and intellectual know-how in human resource management is increasingly becoming problematic. Coupled with lack of an apt and legitimate human resource management regulatory body has led the HR profession in Malawi to be stuck and therefore no meaningful progress can be seen.

In order to get the HR profession loose and progressive, there is a need for a holistic approach where all human resource intellectuals and practitioners in Malawi come together and structure a body that is inclusive and a true representative of the values, principles and tenets of the profession. This would be a body where practitioners can get professional advice on matters arising from their prospective organizations. It would also act as a body that would train and develop human resource managers on contemporary human resource management activities. It would also provide a platform where Labour Laws of Malawi can be interpreted so that all HR practitioners can easily understand and apply them. The body would also lobby to government and law makers on favourable laws that positively bring sanity to the employment relationship. A body that does not only have dinners once a year but rather tirelessly strives to see the good of the profession!  

Time is up for a docile human resource management team in Malawi. Human resource practitioners in Malawi need to be transformative, proactive and have the urge to do the right things. There is a strong need to be more visionary, inspirational and persuasive to stimulate employees and other stakeholders to do desired things. Ultimately, this shall help make the HR profession in Malawi become fully grown, respectable and an inspiration to Malawian kids to grow up and become human resource managers!

THE BUSINESS OF POVERTY PRODUCTION IN MALAWI: OF UN-PATRIOTIC MALAWIAN PRESIDENTS

Celebration of Martyrs Day on 3^rd March each year in Malawi provides an opportunity for all of us Malawians to reflect on our past, build on successes and turning our failure into opportunity. Malawians who lost life and property fighting for our liberty deserve so much respect and admiration by all Malawians today because they showed us that true patriotism requires selfless fight for a good cause even in the face of suffering and death. Their souls rest in eternal everlasting peace.

When the martyrs fought for our freedom, they wanted all Malawians to be liberated entirely from political, economic and social conditions at the time. They wanted a Malawi that provided endless possibilities for its people. They wanted to see a Malawi free of impunity and suffering. They wanted a government led Malawian sons. They wanted to see a government of the people, by the people for the people. Taking stock of the strides that Malawi has taken over the years, Malawi has achieved so much in areas such as health, agriculture, human rights just to mention but a few. The successes we have achieved so far as a country can not be over-emphasized.

However, there is one thing in common among our leaders that remains a challenge and cause of concern. Most of our leaders have shown their endless desire to keep the people poor and destitute for their own political mileage. Instead of bringing policies that really transmute communities and the people at large, our leaders continuously implement policies that erode the sheer hope and optimism that people of Malawi have. It is disheartening to see our presidents who publicly swore to protect and preserve the word and spirit of the constitution, being in the forefront raping the same constitution left, right and centre. The constitution tips all persons responsible for the exercise of powers of the state that they do so on trust and that they should only exercise such power to the extent of their lawful authority and in accordance with their responsibilities to the people of Malawi. They are therefore required to be transparent, accountable and responsible while running affairs of the state. To our dismay however, there are always revelations of mismanagement of public funds starting from Dr. Bakili Muluzi to Dr Joyce Banda. The question that we ask in this is, are our leaders conscious about poverty reduction in Malawi or they are in the business of making Malawians more poor?

Leaders are supposed to be beacons of light. They are supposed to bring hope to the hopeless. They are supposed to bring anger in the people to work hard to change their lives, those of others and develop their country. How do law abiding citizens work hard when they know that the huge tax they are paying to the government will be embezzled by a few corrupt and selfish government officials? The recent Cashgate and Jetcash revelations have left so many Malawians disoriented and hopeless because Malawi could accomplish a lot should such resources been used for poverty alleviation in the country. Much as the incumbent President Joyce Banda may distance herself from these scandals, she is entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing that these incidences do not happen under her watch. 100 days into her presidency, I asked President Joyce Banda what her agenda was for our beautiful country http://www.nyasatimes.com/2012/08/12/president-joyce-banda-what-is-your-agenda-for-malawi/. Poverty alleviation requires that people be empowered economically, socially and politically. To achieve this, there is always a requirement to use policies that create jobs for millions of Malawian youths in desperate need of jobs, sound economic management that encourage entrepreneurship, development of the education sector and strengthening of the health sector.

The dream by the late President Professor Bingu wa Mutharika to turn the nation from a predominantly importing to a predominantly exporting one was a step in the right direction because this leads to creation of real wealth. It is in my view that giving out handout in terms of shoes, flower, cash or clothes diverts people from focusing on real things that can move people up the poverty line. As we move closer to elections, it is my utmost hope and prayer to my fellow Malawians to put into government leaders that will tirelessly work hard to reduce poverty levels in the country. Selfish and corrupt leaders must not be allowed to take up crucial positions in our society because doing so leads the country in a path of self destruction. I urge my fellow Malawians to take a leading role in ensuring that our leaders are accountable for their actions by taking action when things go wrong. Active citizenship is needed to show our leaders that they have crossed the line. So Malawians lets wake up and repossess what has been stolen from us and end our poverty. No one can stop light from shining. No matter how dark the night is, there is dawn.    

TOWARDS 2014! DO WE REALLY HAVE OPTIONS?! OF ATUPELE AND AGENDA WITHOUT AGENDA!

“If it tastes bitter, spit it out. That’s what our ancestors did”

When late President Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika, his soul rest in eternal everlasting peace, took over the leadership mantle from Dr. Bakili Muluzi, Malawi’s economy was at its weakest. Inflation was high, hunger was order of the day and macro-economic activity in the country stalled. Within a short period of time, Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika changed the face of Malawi. Hunger became history, the economy grew at unprecedented rate, infrastructure development began to take shape and handout dependency that characterized his predecessor’s regime became history. The rest of the story is clear to us all. Towards final days of Bingu’s regime, Malawi’s economy suffered setback predominantly due to unavailability of foreign currency mostly the dollar as well as long-drawn-out fuel shortages. These factors made Malawians grew remorse and animosity towards their own president and thus his untimely death on 5 April 2012 (as now confirmed by Commission of Inquiry on Bingu’s death and not 6 or 7 April 2012 as we were earlier told by some overzealous inside government individuals who had their agendas!). His death thus created euphoria and expectations in Malawians that new president Dr. Joyce Banda would turn things around for the better.  Has President Dr. Joyce Banda changed Malawi for the better? Does she need five years to robustly change Malawi’s economic woes for the better? Does she always have to blame the dead for our suffering now? Do we still need to always wait for “azungu akuti azungu akuti?” I live these to beautiful and peaceful Malawians to judge.

One of the most notable Malawians, who strongly discredited late Bingu’s leadership, was Atupele Muluzi. Atupele indefatigably questioned Bingu’s style of leadership as well as his policies to the point that he brought his “agenda for change”. Beautiful it was! He moved cross-country selling his agenda. It created hope and optimism that here is a young man who really wants to change his nation to a better position. Immediately after Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika’s untimely death, the most surprising, unforgettable and unforgivable thing happened. Atupele Muluzi dropped his “agenda for change” saying and I quote “what we wanted in agenda for change, is change of leadership and as of now agenda for change may no longer be necessary since there is change of leadership”. This raises a number of questions. Does it mean Atupele was only interested in leadership and not changing lives of Malawians as his agenda for change insinuated? Is Atupele as politician motivated by money after being appointed minister of economic planning? Does it not make sense for a politician like Atupele work with the government as minister of economic planning to help change things for better if he really is interested in improving things in Malawi? Should such self-interested men be trusted ever???

AGENDA WITHOUT AGENDA                                                              

After falling out of favour with President Dr. Joyce Banda and after enjoying ministerial privileges, Atupele Muluzi is at it again. He has re-launched his “agenda for change” (italics used to emphasize if indeed there is really any agenda at all!). Speaking afew days ago on a whistle stop tour in Lilongwe, young Muluzi promised Malawians that should they vote for him into government in 2014, he shall introduce free secondary school education. Alas my beloved country! Has Atupele Muluzi conducted thorough research to conclude that dwindling of education levels in Malawi is as a result of lack of free secondary education? Does young Muluzi know that government secondary education fees are already at their lowest compared to private secondary schools? Does the handsome abroad educated Atupele know where secondary school fees paid by students go? Does he even know what this school fees is used for? In my unverified research, part of the fees paid in most Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS) is used to buy books and other school utilities at those particular schools. Part of the fees that goes to government is sent back to the same schools in the form funding which is turned into desks, chalk, books, chalkboards etc. Thus government has never used secondary schools as revenue collecting institutions. With the current education system, will free secondary school education really improve education standards in Malawi? Will free secondary school education create meaning and value in wielders of that education? Would construction of better classrooms, training of more teachers and improving salaries of teachers to motivate them not be better agendas in Atupele’s agenda? Agenda without agenda!

Here comes the big one; Creation of 500 000 jobs!! In his “agenda for change”, Muluzi has promised Malawians to create 500 000 jobs within a period of five years. The million dollar question that comes out of all this is how does the technically self-employed speaking young Muluzi intend to create these jobs? Has Atupele personally done something that has created jobs not linked to Muluzi senior? Other than lying to Malawians, is it not proper to include in the “agenda” issues to do with export led growth, import substitution, industrialization, value addition as conditions that really create jobs? Agenda without agenda!

Malawi is going through troubled times. She is thirst for leadership that truly has wishes and interests of the people at heart just as the just departed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was. It is high time that political self-interested rational maximizors were never entertained in Malawi politics. Gone are days that saw cheap politics usher people into government. As we move towards 2014, agendas without agenda will expose individuals that have nothing to offer to this country and will thus display them as tricksters and scavengers who must never inhabit plot number one!!

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MRS JOYCE BANDA

                 

“Running affairs of the state is serious business’’ Bakili Muluzi

Let me offer my congratulatory remarks for celebrating 100 days of your office. I believe your performance will continue to transform the country for the better in your next 100 days. Through you madam, we have shown the world that young our multi-party democracy maybe, we are mature in terms of political tolerance.

Madam President, let me begin by bringing your attention to the fact that throughout civilization, people have vested their trust in the state as a provider of their needs. This is because state has the capacity to generate a mass of resources (human and material) enough to alleviate their suffering. State intervention has therefore been at the core of wealth creation and economic success throughout history. This started with Britain and Europe in the late 15^th century, USA in the 19^th century, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea in the 20^th century and now China and India in the 21^st century. These entire countries madam President attained their economic success through the same economic policies. If we are serious about transforming this country, which I believe we are, then let us seriously think about and perhaps emulate them just as they all did.

Madam president, Africa including Malawi, is being told to open up to foreign direct investment (FDI), jump to free trade with the developed economies and liberalize their economies because that is supposedly the only way to grow their (our) economies. If we go back their history madam president, the developed economies i.e. Britain and USA, opposed the very economic policies that their forgetful descendants are telling us to do today. All today’s developed countries used nationalistic policies (export led growth, subsidies, mechanization, tariffs, restrictions on foreign investment, distribution of monopoly rights) to protect and promote their infant industries. Not all that the IMF or World Bank tell us to do is true neither is the loan they have given let us celebrate all the way to the bank. These are the very factors that are keeping Africa “artificially” poor. What Malawi needs right now madam president is a strategic rather than unconditional, integration with the global economy based on a nationalistic vision.

Madam President let me provide an example to illustrate my point. Venice and the Dutch Republic became wealthy economic powerhouses in the 13^th in the then poverty-stricken Europe due to a flourishing industrial sector that manufactured woolen cloth. Guess where they got their raw materials from? England!! Madam President this meant that England was exporting employment and its other advantages i.e. creation of knowledge, technology, division of labour, increasing returns and most importantly employment. England was thus exporting raw materials and remaining poor! Take note that this is exactly what we did and continue to do right now. It was until 1485 when King Henry VII ascended to throne that the English realized that they were in wrong business. King Henry VII therefore made policies that made England into an exporter of finished woolen cloth and not raw cotton! He also used protectionism, subsidies, distribution of monopoly rights, government sponsored industrial espionage also known as reverse engineering where a foreign product was stripped down and copied. Madam, he even introduced export duties which ensured that foreign textile producers who imported raw materials, had to process more expensive raw materials than their English counterparts. These initiatives made England the richest country on earth, a country envied and imitated by others including USA! Interestingly Madam President, USA later in the 19^th century emulated the same economic policies that Britain had employed. Again they also gained economic mileage and became the world’s richest country attaining position of world super power in the process!! Now China and India are using the same economic policies of state intervention and the results you know them madam.

LESSONS FROM YOUR PREDECESSOR

Madam President, the ascension to power of the late Professor Bingu wa Mutharika in 2004, his soul rest in peace, can equally be likened to that of King Henry VII. In him, was a man who had vested interest in the development of his country. Whether we like it or not, this is a fact. Just as King Henry VII, Professor Mutharika emulated and encouraged all Malawians to be actors not listeners. He encouraged that Malawi should move from being a pre-dominantly importing nation to a pre-dominantly exporting one. The results are clear to us all! For the first time Malawi’s economy grew at unprecedented rate second to Qatar! Secondly, the former Head of State introduced subsidies whose results again are out there where again for the first time Malawi exported and donated maize to other countries. Then he began the big one!!! Nsanje World Inland Port. Madam President this was not just a dream, it was dreaming in colour. Doing what the Americans and the British did not what they are telling to do. Nsanje World Inland Port is one of Malawi’s economic doors to success! Professor Bingu wa Mutharika did not leave anything to chance neither did he wait for God to do it for us or wait for World Bank or IMF. He downplayed the spirit of begging, waiting for donations or dependence. He realized that dependency can not lead this country to economic independence! In fact no country has ever developed under dependency conditions. They only experience their greatest economic development when they take their development agenda in their own hands. What am I saying madam president? I am saying let us understand what caused economic prosperity of the now developed countries and emulate. This is what Professor Mutharika did! 

To this far madam president, I believe that you are a woman of distinct and rare abilities. I trust that you will move this country to a better economic position than you found it. Let me conclude by quoting what Mr. Jay Naidoo, Chairman of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition said at Brand Africa Forum 2010; “we are naïve to think that the people that come into our country, even the ones who are here to help us (donors), have no agenda. Everyone has an agenda” What is your agenda for Malawi madam president?!  

INSTITUTE OF PEOPLE MANAGEMENT MALAWI (IPMM) IS A DISGRACE TO THE HR PROFESSION IN MALAWI

Every profession has a body or association where its members meet from time to time to discuss how they can improve skills in their area of specialty. Membership of these associations strictly tend to be members of that profession only. For example, Malawi Law Society whose members are strictly lawyers, Economics Society of Malawi whose members are strictly economists, Association of Bankers in Malawi for bankers, Nurses and Midwifery Council of Malawi strictly for nurses e.t.c. These associations facilitate training and development of its members as well as engaging in collective bargaining when need be.

Institute of People Management Malawi (IPMM) was created with the aim, they say, of promoting Human Resource Management in Malawi (according to their website). To my surprise as a would be HR practitioner, the composition of this association lives a lot to be desired. It has a membership that includes accountants, nurses, engineers, bankers, lawyers, medical doctors and to add more to the "mockery", it includes football coaches!! God forbid! How can an association created for HR managers have an unholy membership like this?

Human resources are an organization's most valuable resource. To make matters worse, they call it Institute of People Management in Malawi! We do not call them 'people' in modern Human Resource Management! They are Human Resources!! Institute of People Management Malawi (IPMM) was unholy communion that happened too fast, too soon and for the wrong reasons!!

To this far, I would like to call upon all Human Resource Management practitioners and students who love the HR profession to quit or refrain from this grouping because it is a mockery to the HR profession and does not represent the ideals of modern day Human Resource Management! Lets come together and create a body that truly reflect and represent ideals of uncompromisable contemporary Human Resource Management. Human Resource Management is a beautiful profession that requires its own dignified respect and recognition. As it is right now, we are far from achieving that!!

It is Human Resource Management and not people management. So HR practitioners lets go!!

Benson Jackson T: AFRICAN DEMOCRACY: MALAWI PERSPECTIVE

Benson Jackson T: AFRICAN DEMOCRACY: MALAWI PERSPECTIVE: In the first quarter of 2011, there emerged what has been described as the"Arab Spring". North African countries stepped up to the plate and...

AFRICAN DEMOCRACY: MALAWI PERSPECTIVE

In the first quarter of 2011, there emerged what has been described as the"Arab Spring". North African countries stepped up to the plate and fought for independence and democracy for their respective countries. Egypt,Tunisia and Libya have seen revolutions  that have changed the course of their history. This has shown the thirst for many people to seek true democracy and independence and getting autocratic and tyrannical leaders out of their political systems.

All African countries elect their presidents/prime ministers through democratic elections except Swaziland which is last African Monarchy. This means that most African countries enjoy some form of democracy. But the question is are African countries really democratic? Is Malawi democratic or does it pretend to be a democracy?! Are African leaders born dictators or tyrants? Why do we have allot of post-election violence in Africa? What can be done to produce true democracies in Africa and reduce the reproduction of dictators and tyrants?!

The democratic and political structure in Malawi and other African countries puts the president literary above everything. The president is above the judiciary and the legislature which are other arms of government. Sadly enough in other countries the president is above the constitution which is the highest law of the land which the president vows to protect,uphold and preserve. This gives the head of state more powers to choose heads of parastatal bodies,courts,electoral commission e.t.c who become easy to corrupt and manipulate. THIS SYSTEM HAS BECOME A BREEDING GROUND FOR TYRANTS AND DICTATORS IN AFRICA!    

This system has to change so that the legislature and the judiciary become independent in their own right and that none of the three arms of government is seen to be above the other. This will for example ensure that judgement passed by the courts or the electoral comission will be credible and therefore reduce most of these problems occurring in Malawi at the moment. All Malawians should ensure that the constitution is upheld,respected and protected.

Most people in Africa are poor. There is unemployment,injustice,corruption and extreme poverty. Alot of young people are used by politicians to achieve their selfish goals. Anger builds up in people which is seen in post-election violence. African countries must ensure that unemployment is tackled and that poverty is reduced. Education should be for and deliberate policies should be put in place to ensure indeed that all people are receiving the same treatment when it comes to education. This will empower alot of people which will aid their economic independence and freedom thereby reducing ther likelihood of being used by politicians. Justice should be for all regardless of status or position in society. A reduction in corruption will ensure that scarce national resources will be directed at improving the life of the society as a whole.

It is crystal clear that most African politicians do not care about their peoples problems. They care about the next elections. Most presidents perform badly during their last term of office. The 20 July,2011 demonstrations in Malawi  were a clear testimony that the current Malawi president is not living up to the expectations of the entire citizenry. Political independence does not mean economic freedom. Dr Bakili Muluzi once said "running government is serious business". The current Bingu administration must realize that people should not be taken for granted. Social media like Facebook, twitter and other internet chatrt forums enable people to communicate easily therefore any attempt to suppress them will lead to to people becoming more aware of what is going on around them.

Africa needs to change. This must start with leaders running the affairs of the state. Clinging to power  as it is in Zimbabwe and Libya will not help. Africa has the potential of developing but this means its leaders have to be progressive. Africans in diaspora (including doctors,lawyers, engineers,teachers,managers e.t.c) should come back and lead the journey to success. The expertise in their respective fields can be of great importance in the development and the emancipation of Africa. If we want change to take place we must be change.Africa has both human and material resources it requires in order to develop. All that is required are the drivers of change. So lets go!!!!!