Malawi's 2009 battle on the Internet

As it appeared on Nyasa Times, it generated lots of comments.

A few days ago, President Bingu wa Mutharika was reported on the BBC Have Your Say programme as having been angry at Malawian bloggers who criticize his government. As expected his deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education John Bande explained that Malawi is a country where people are free to criticise but responsibly. He added that people with access to Internet especially need be responsible in how they give information to the world and not to be used by other politicians denting the country's image.

This discussion reminded me about several things surrounding how Malawian politicians use or may use the Internet especially as the battle for the electorates is getting hotter.

National Website

To begin with the official Malawi government website leaves a lot to be desired. As a mouthpiece of the government to the rest of the world, I wish it was more elaborate, design impressive, interactive and of course more beautiful. This is the official site that any government, donor agencies, stakeholders, etc could refer to when it comes to information. Can one really say we are selling our country with this website?

I know the government has well-trained people in these issues yet not much is happening on this important website. One would expect that Malawi's Information and Civic Education ministry would do more to sell Malawi with information properly packaged. That way you as government, you are setting a trend. I am raising this because I am concerned about the quality of the website.

I have visited several government websites and I admire one by Uganda. President Yoweri Museveni is even featured indicating he is available to questions on line.

How our government is presented to the rest of the world matters and tells a big story. Information is an expensive commodity and should be treated with the respect it deserves.

Political Parties

When it comes to politicians and parties, I was saddened to discover that no political party in Malawi owns a website, neither a blog which actually comes as a free package. I am sure our political parties in Malawi have money to have a website or if desperate then get a blog.

Ironically one finds several unofficial websites including Malawi Young Pioneers Alliance for Democracy, and Malawi Congress Party. It has to be recognized these on line fora can help political institutions to share and advance their policies with the majority that have access to the Internet. This might be especially crucial now as 2009 comes close. Is any party going to share its manifesto on line? Or are they going to rely on our daily newspapers and electronic media?

When I visited the African National Congress (ANC) website in South Africa, I saw how the party president articulates the party's position on various issues and the direction his party is taking in leading the country. Here is a website regularly updated and aiming at providing information to its members, nation and others.

We are living in times when information is a great commodity and has its own highway, and our political parties in Malawi cannot ignore these opportunities today. This is especially crucial now as more and more Malawians are reportedly having access to the scarce Internet.

Today there are lots of discussion groups that debate scrutinize party issues, lives of politicians and issues that mater to Malawi. Some of the discussions literally show how patriotic Malawians are while being concerned about the various challenges facing the country.

Politicians online

Sweden's minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt runs three blogs-two of which are in his mother tongue Swedish. He takes a simple approach in giving out information to the public that otherwise someone in Malawi could have been hunting for a while just to get the government side of the story.

One wonders if there is any politician in Malawi who has a column in a newspaper. Backbencher in the Weekend Nation seems to be doing a good job on politics. Are our politicians afraid to face the public? May be traditionally they are not supposed to.

A communication expert, Dr Eldrine Kayambazithu of the University of Malawi, says most politicians in Malawi lack of access to computers, lack access to even the Internet. This “may explain why they shy away” from online communication. She pointed out that the politicians clamour for media access only through radio and newspapers which are readily available and do not depend on their individual literary skills and access.

Recently there are new blogs, some conspicuously partisan. But I welcome the development. If it is true, President Mutharika too should be welcome to the blogosphere as I saw a blog in his name. Politicians should be encouraged to these opportunities.

Today, there are Malawian online communities asking questions that need our politicians to addresses. May be this is time to strategise the communications even if some of these communities are clearly partisan.

Internet Civic Education and Participation

Various authors have underscored that media visibility is key resource for political survival and success in a mediated public sphere prevalent today. What most modern day politicians have realized is that the traditional terrestrial radio and hard newspapers are not the only ones they can use if they are to sell themselves and the nation. The Internet is here to strengthen their horizontal and vertical communication with them and the electorates.

As elections come closer, it can be anticipated that more and more Malawians will be keen to know how to choose the right candidates for Parliament and State house. It is normal these days to see that a good deal of civic education is taking place on the Internet.

Apart from voices within Malawi, the diaspora community needs to be included. Candidates are under scrutiny by those within and away from Malawi and every move within the public sphere is likely to be discussed. If politicians exclude themselves from these opportunities, they might be losing out on an important electorate for the democratic Malawi.

Recently I saw a poll on Nyasa Times on whether Malawians in the diaspora should be allowed to vote or not. As one might guess, majority (84 percent) said yes. People long to participate even though they have been geographically isolated. But with Internet, such information and civic boundaries have been eliminated. Should one expect the Malawi Electoral Commission to consider such a poll?

In the US, Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry have created what they call 10Questions.com opening a new channel of communication between the public and the presidential hopefuls. This is a “people-powered platform for presidential politics” where anyone can upload a video question for the candidates. The public votes on the questions it wants to see answered, and the candidates respond to the top 10 questions. This is one way of bringing the democracy of the Internet to politics and the reverse also applies. While this might sound too advanced, it will be interesting to see how our politicians might slowly pick up the ideas towards 2009 and 2014.

Wining the 2009 battle will partly be dependent on many factors including equipping and utilising the Malawian information highway we are living in today.