GPD DT 3236 .B36 A5 1967 ] GOVT PUBLS DEPT. MAY 91973 LIBRARY Malawi Congress Party Convention—1967 3d. . DT 3236 ,634 A5 1967 Opening Address by President of Malawi Ngwazi KWACHA ! Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda A ! FETH к 4 А 2 ч2 3 President's Opening Address To The MCP Convention . ONCE AGAIN, I am ! very NEGLECTED ? happy to open this morn ing, here in Mzuzu, the As I have stated, again third Annual Convention of many, many times, our coun. the Malawi Congress Party try is said to be poor. This 1 since our independence. As not because nature has denied everyone of us in this hall it everything that makes a knows, the infirLstilcoonnvgewnetioinn country rich, but because it was held has been neglected. While it 1965 and the second one IS true that so far, no dia in Blantyre in 1966. The mond, gold, copper and other main topics for discussion at commercial minerals have the session of the Convention been found in any commer 1 that was held in Lilongwe cial quantities, it is equally 1 were the Draft Constitution true that agriculturally, Ma n for the proposed and expected lawi is one of the richest Republic of Malawi and Nomi countries in Africa. The soil is nation of the Malawi Congress good, practically all over the Party candidate for the Pres country, and the rain fall is idency. At the Convention good, for agricultural pur which was held last year 1966, poses all over the country. in Blantyre, the main topic Therefore, if our country is before the Convention and for poor or is said to be poor, it discussion by the Convention is poor or it is said to be poor was Building the Nation. simply because it was negl- This year, at this session of ected or it has been neglected the Convention, it has been by those in power in the rightly and wisely decided days gone by. Now, that we that Building the Nation, be, the Africans ourselves are in again, the main topic of and power, it is our spiritual and for discussion by the Con moral duty, spiritual and vention. This does not mean moral responsibility to dev that no other topics will be elop it. discussed. Not at all. Other topics may and will be dis MORE FOOD cussed. What it does mean is that while other topics may Since no diamond, gold, and will be discussed, the copper or other minerals of main topic of discussion or the commerce and industry have centre of discussion will be, been discovered anywhere in Building the Nation. the country, developing this country means and must mean As I have said SO many for a long time to come, de times before, independence veloping agriculture in every does not mean loafing, does sense of the word to the high not mean that money or est possible degree. It means wealth will fall on our heads hard work with the axe and and shoulders like manna hoe in the field. Not only that, from Heaven, or like storm it meansimproved methods waters from the clouds. It of using the hoe and axe in means hard work. It means the field. It means adopting hard work in the fields, by new ideas of farming or im everyone of us. proved methods of farming, Because, as I said last year, HUMILIATING our population is growing but I have no doubt at all that our total land area is station if all of us work hard in the ary. One might say in fact, field and develop our country that our total land area is asit should be developed,with sghrroiwntkhinogf, pobpeuclaautsieon.ofThetrhee agriculture as a basis of our development, before very fore, we have to adopt new long, we will be able to free methods of farming, improv ourselves from this humiliat ed methods of farming. So ing dependence on friends for that, from a small piece of financial aid. I have always land, we can grow more food strongly believed this, namely, than we used to grow before that if all of us work hard or we are growing now. in the field and develop our country as it should be de CHANGE veloped, we will be able to Again, as I said last year, free ourselves from this de side by side with improved pendence on friends. Now, I methods of farming, our am convinced more than ever system of land tenure or our before, that in this, I was methods of land holding, right or have been right all must change. We must stop along. the practice or the custom of shifting our gardens from one TAIWAN place to another, every SO often. We must stop making As delegates know, I went gardens in this place this year, to Taiwan last month. What I in that place two or three saw in Taiwan convinced me, years after that, in the third beyond any doubt at all what place three or four years after soever, that when I thought that, again. Instead, we must that if all of us worked hard remain on one piece of land, in the field and developed our farm that land by improved country as it should be de methods of farming, in that veloped agriculturally, we way, look after the land so would be able to free our that it, the land, can look selves from dependence on after us for years and years our friends for financial or and years. budgetary aid, I was right. My visit to Taiwan has con FREE OURSELVES vinced me beyond any doubt at all, that all along, I was Last year, at the Convention right in what I was saying. in Blantyre, I told the dele gates that at present as country, we depend for botha I will not bore you, Mr. our recurrent and develop gCahtaeisr,mbayn,givMiinngistyeorus,alldetlhee ment budget, on financial aid details of what I and those from friends overseas and that without this aid from who went with me saw in farnidentdhsa,twtehecroeuflodren,otwemahnaadgeto, fToariwmaen.giIvtingisyonoutthneecdeestsaialrsy, . work hard and develop our telling you every little thing country so that we could free we saw there. I will leave ourselves from this depend that to the Minister of De ence on friends. I would like velopment and Planning, who was with me, to tell you the to repeat that now. We must details in the course of your work hard and develop our discussions. What is necessary country, and in that way, free for me to do is to give you ourselves from dependence for bare facts, in brief. what we financial aid on friends. saw and heard in Taiwan. 2 Briefly, Taiwan is a country themselves from any depend less than one third of Malawi ence on friends or well-wish in area. Malawi is 47,000 squ ers for financial or budgetary are miles and has a popula aid or assistance. If the people tion of four million people. of Taiwan can do this, if the Taiwan is 13,000 square miles people of Taiwan can free and has a population of thir themselves from dependence teen million people. on financial aid from anyone else, on crops grown on 4.000 FOOD FOR EXPORT square miles, if the people of Of the 13,000 square miles Taiwan can free themselves that Taiwan has, two thirds from dependence on anyone or 8,000 odd square miles is else for aid, on secondary in dustries based on agriculture, taken up by mountains and which is built on only 4,000 water, leaving only one third or 4.000 odd square miles or square miles, is there any rea roughly speaking, for agricul son why we in this country, ture or farming. Yet, from cannot do the same? None at all. No reason at all. this one third or 4,000 odd square miles roughly,the peo ple of Taiwan produce not MALAWI only enough food to feed themselves,but also more for I have said that Malawi is export to other countries out a country of 47,000 square side Taiwan itself. In this and miles and has a population of from this 4,000 odd square four million people and that miles they grow and export Taiwan is a country of 13,000 banana, sugar, rice, pineap square miles with a popula ple, mushroom , asparagus and tion of 13 million people. Even other crops, to other coun if for the sake of argument tries. two thirds or the greatest portion of our land is moun SELF-SUPPORTING tains and water, which, in From these crops: banana, fact, is not the case, we have sugar, rice, pineapple, mush at least 15,000 square miles of room, asparagus and others, cgoouondtraygr.icWuhltyu,ratlhelnan,dcainn this ltihoenspeaonpdlemiolfliToaniswpaonungdest.mFiolr not do what the people woef Taiwan have done, free our example, from banana alone. they get about £23 million a selves from dependence on year and from sugar £20mil friends for financial or bud lion. And from mushroom and getary aid every year? I ask, asparagus, they get about £6 is there any reason why we to £10,000,000 a year. should not do the same? No Nor is this all. With agri reason at all. culture as a basis of their economy, the people of Tai A GOOD RECORD wan havebuilt secondary in dustries. For example, they There is no reason at all, have built a textile industry, whatsoever, why we should a plywood industry amo not or cannot. In this respect, others. all evidence points to the fact that we, in fact, can free our From all this, from crops selves from dependence on such as those of banana, others. The record of the past sugar, rice, pineapple, mush five years since we the Afri room and asparagus, from cans entered the Government, secondary industries such as point to the fact that wecan, textileindustry,plywood, tan in fact, free ourselves from ningand other industries, the dependence on others, finan people of Taiwan have freed cially. As I stated last year, 3 t there has been a steady im three areas, where people provement in our agricultural were not working hard, Nkha production since 1962. Cotton, ta Bay, Nkhotakota, Lower groundnuts and tobacco pro Shire or Chikwawa and Nsa duction has improved greatly. nje. While I have received re This year, though the rains ports of great improvement in came late and were caprici Nkhata Bay and Nkhotakota, ous, there have been almost I have not received any re bumper crops in maize, gro port of improvenient from undnuts and tobacco. There Chikwawa and Nsanje. The has been more tobacco this reports I receive from Chi year than in any other year kwawa and Nsanje, or on before. Both in maize and to Chikwawa and Nsanje are bacco there has been more of that verylittle improvement, each of these crops produced, if any, has taken place in than we are able or will be this respect. Our people in able to sell on the worldmar Chikwawa and Nsanje, are ket. not yet working hard and theyshould be working. They THANKS are still spending far too much time, according to my For all this, I would like to reports, on drinking Kachasu. thank my people all over the country. The fact that there CAMPAIGN has been more maize produc Therefore, I would like ed, more groundnuts, moreto Party leaders in Chikwawa bacco this year, means and and Nsanje to mount a cam. proves a number of things. It means that the people are paign of educating our people listening to my appeal for there, in the importance of hard work and that they are hard work. I would like Party working hard. It means that leaders in Chikwawa and the people are listening to the Nsanje, to embark upon a campaign of educating advice of agricultural instruc OUI tors and are learning new me people there against the evils thods. It means that the peo of drinking too much Kachasu ple now understand the im or Mowa, Whisky or Gin. I portance and benefit of fer would like the women in the tilizers and are buying more Women's League in Chikwa fertilizers. It means that the wa and Nsanje, to take it people are adopting new me upon themselves to per thods of farming. suade their husbands to work hard and drink less. All this, makes me very happy. And it is for this rea BEST LAND son that I want to thank you The Lower Shire, Chikw + tmryy, pferoopmletahlel ovNeorrtthhetocotuhen wa and Nsanje, form part of the best of our agriculturai South and from the East to land in the country. On the the West. banks of the river, both in Chikwawa and Nsanje, par MORE WORK ticularly in Chikwawa and But while I am happy be. northern and eastern parts of cause the majority of our peo Nsanje,there is an abundance ple listen to me, when I ap of good alluvial agricultural peal to them for hard work, soil, good for cotton, rice, and are working very hard, maize and other crops. If our I am not happy because there people in Nsanje wosked hard are still a number of our peo enough, from the good alluvial ple that are not working hard soil that is available there by name three districts or alone, we could get enough enough. Last year, I named money to balance our budget 4 1 without asking anyone outside of our people who grow rice to help us. Every year, we in Karonga, Nkholakot?, Bá get requests for ution ano supe and other places do not more of it, from buyers over produce enough to meet the seas. But we are nos able to demands, the Government meet the requirements of the has decided to put Young buyers overseas. Why? Be Pioneers in those areas where cause our people in the Low rice is grown, to grow it. er Shire, Chikwawa and Nsa EXPANSION nje, are not working hard enough to produce the requir We must expand the pro ed amount of cotton. duction of cotton and rice in RESETTLEMENT this country. It would be fool ish of us not to do so, when For this reason, for the rea our cotton and rice are in son that our people in Chi great demand on the world kwawa and Nsanle are not market. Until our people in working hard enough to pro Chikwawa and Nsanje,learn duce enough cotton to meet to work hard and drink less, the demands of our buyers until our people in Karonga, overseas, the Government has Nkhotakota, Kasupe learn to [ decided to put some of the work hard, the Government Young Pioneers on land in must use trained and discip Lower Shire, Salima and later lined Young Pioneers in its on. Karonga, to grow cotton campaign to increase produc Cotton is a very important tion of cotton, rice and other crop. The Sudan and Egypt, crops in this country. There depend largely on cotton for fore, our people in Chikwawa their economic life. And our and Nsanje, Karonga, Nkhota cotton is very near to that kota and Kasupe must not produced in the Sudan and complain when they see the Egypt in quality. For this re Government giving land to ason, it is in great demand. the Young Pioneers. Above all, they must not be jealous RICE of the Young Pioneers when they see the Government giv What is true of cotton is ing them land and even fin also true of rice. Every year, ancial assistance. we get more requests for rice from this country from buy. NO WASTE ers in other countries than we I have stated that our peo produce. Rice is another very icomupnotrrtyantcocurlodp pwrhoidcuhce thiins opflefamrumsitnga,dnoepwt wnaeyws mofetfhaordms abundance for sale in other ainngd, iinnoorrddeerrnotot tioncwraesatsee lparnod countries. May I tell you that 1 duction. The increase of pro in Asia there are countries duction whether of maize, ltyhatonderpiecnedfoerntitrheeliyr orecgorneoamt groundnuts, rice, cotton or ! ies? For example, Thailand tobacco, in itself is of no use and Taiwan, particularly to our people and to this coun try. The increase in produc Thailand, depend entirely or tion whether of maize, gro very greatly on rice for their economic life. And our kind undnuts, rice, cotton or to bacco, if it is to be of any use of rice here is very much as at all to our people, if it is that ofThailand, if not better in quality. If we produce er: to be of any good at all to this country, must go hand in ough of it, we will get enough hand or side by side with the money from it, running into improvement in the quality of millions. the kind of maize we produce, Similarly then, since those the kind of groundnuts we 5 produce, the kind of rice we fact I am certain, we will produce, the kind of cotton or have to burn a great quantity tobacco we produce. of the tobacco, that the Farm ers Marketing Board bought POOR QUALITY from the farmers this year. Because the quality is so bad, I have stated that this year so poor, that the price that the our people have produced buyers are offering the Farm more maize and tobacco, par ers Marketing Board is SO ticularly tobacco, than we can low, that it is not worth sell sell on the world market. The ing it at all. So, we may have reason we are not able to sell to burn it. When I say all the tobacco on the world we, I mean the Government market that our people have through the Farmers Market produced this year, is that the ing Board. quality of tobacco produced is very poor. The world mark et on which we sell our tob This means that this year, acco, for that matter any the Farmers Marketing Board other crop, is competitive. By or the Government through this I mean that we are not the Farmers Marketing Board, the only country that grow has lost money or will lose tobacco.There are other coun money on tobacco. Because tries that grow the same to some of the tobacco that it, bacco that we grow here. And the Farmers Marketing Board, the people who buy tobacco has bought from our people is in America and Europe, al very bad. ways want tobacco of the bet OUR AIMS ter or best quality. In whatever we do in this IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY country, the observance of unity, loyalty, obedience and This is true not only of tob acco, but of any other crop discipline is necessary. If we that is produced, maize, gro are to succeed in our aim to undnuts, rice or cotton. Those develop this country econom who buy these crops always ically and to free ourselves want to buy crops of the bet from financial dependence on ter or best quality. Therefore, aid from friends or well-wish if we in this country are to be ers overseas, we have to re successful in competing with main united, loyal, obedient the other countries in selling and disciplined. Unity, loyalty, our tobacco on the world obedience and discipline, are market at good or fair price, just as important now when if we in this country are to we are fighting poverty, ign succeed in selling our tobacco orance and disease, as they at all, on the world market, were when we were fighting our people, all over the coun the Federation and colonial try, where tobacco is grown, ism. must learn the importance of quality in the production of NO TRIBALISM tobacco. What is true of to By this, I mean what I have bacco is equally true of all said always ever since I came, the other crops that we sell namely, that there must be on the world market, maize, no tribalism in the Malawi groundnuts, rice, cotton. Congress Party. Among us there must be no Chewa, MONEY LOST Ngoni, Tumbuka, Tonga, Nya While I am on this question kyusa, Yao, Lomwe or Sena. of better quality in relation to In the observance of unity, price, I am sad to have to tell loyalty obedience and discp you that we may have to, in line, Party leaders at all levels 6