The Dearing Dialogue

After watching Greg Palast’s documentary on New Orleans, one year later: Big Easy, Big Empty, I realized a few things that perplexed me while visiting.  The Housing projects outside the downtown area were not damaged by the floods, however residents of this huge housing project were locked out of their apartments.  The reason?  Years of wanting to get rid of the poor in this district to free up the property for expensive rental units.   His report brings out many frustrations I felt in New Orleans.

Bingu wa Mutharika, President of Malawi, has done a decent job cracking down on corruption in Malawi’s young free market democracy.  He has even taken his predecessor, Bakili Muluzi to task in accounting for numerous issues of corruption to include using his office in order to empower himself and his party the United Democratic Front (UDF).  Mutharika’s years in office may be enticing him to follow a similar path as his predecessor.  Allegations that he purchased 4 Toyota vehicles duty-free and gave them to his political party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) raises the spectar of corruption because it is the same allegation placed on Muluzi.  I can’t imagine Mutharika getting involved with the same misconduct as Muluzi, so the explanation should be interesting.

Corruption is nothing to be surprised about.  Whether it is corporate or political elites in the West, Russian oligarchs in the East, or third-world dictators in the South - matters very little.  But Paul Wolfowitz holds the position of President of the World Bank, an institution that governs the economic and some would say, social policies of the developing world.  If any country, such as Malawi, wants a loan, certain conditionalities are typically placed on that country in order to secure the funds.  That may incluce instituting stronger goveranance laws within the country’s poltiical economic establishment, or opening up business to outside corporate interests, or floating a currency to hostile market forces.  The stigma placed on the developing world after the fall of colonialism and the rise of dictatorships and their ensuing wave of corruption is something one is constantly reminded of when pondering why a country has not developed.  We are quick to blame corruption amongst the ruling elite and a protected civil service class.  While true, it can not be outweighed over the obvious corruption reigning in from the developed world, that is well practiced at pillfering all it can from the developing world. 

Paul Wolfowitz holds a position that must stand for integrity.  Giving salary raises to girlfriends or spouses is something we typically condemn in Africa.  If the developing world is too believe in the ideology of the World Bank, namely a free market, it must see justice carried out.  Paul Wolfowitz must resign while he can, otherwise I believe it is just and acceptable to terminate him immediately.

In credit to the World Bank’s development committee, they released a statement condeming Wolfowitz and calling for immediate action:

“We have to ensure that the bank can effectively carry out its mandate and maintain its credibility and reputation as well as the motivation of its staff. The current situation is of great concern to all of us.”

See more at: The Guardian

Evraz, the coal mining company in Russia that just suffered a disaster of 106 deaths and is facing criminal charges of negligence, is taking over Oregon Steel Mills in Oregon and Colorado.  It’s been cleared by US regulators according to the Russia Journal

Evraz was also penalized for water pollution, poisoning the drinking water of the City of Novokuznetsk in Russia. 

Do we really want this company doing business here?

It looks like he is throwing his hat in the ring of the Malawian presidency one more time.  How will he fair?  That depends if he can rally the support of both the public and his own party members.  Presently as UDF (United Democratic Front) party chairman, he is being defied by his own allies. 

See:  UDF MPs defy Muluzis Instructions

He has a close group of powerful colleagues that may be able to provide the support he needs to lynchpin his way into a successful campaign.  Key to his success are members of parliament.  If they rally behind him, it will be for their own survival.   Muluzi is likely to play the dirty game of ethnic politics in order to rally groups towards his favor.  Hopefully its stays relatively clean, given the growing division caused by years of rough and tumble politics and a glut of self-interested politicians. 

President Bingu wa Mutharika on the other hand has the support of international organizations and governments.  These are likely to aid him in a re-election campaign.  If he’s smart, he’ll stay out of the ethnic game and carry on with his ministry against corruption.  His hands will likely get dirty looking for mud to sling on Muluzi, but that shouldn’t be too hard to find given Muluzi’s tainted years in office.