Another note on the frog situation...

I met a Lilongwe resident who told me this story:

He was a part of the protests. The people were ready to demonstrate on the 20th of July. But a court interdict suddenly prevented them. They were irritated. The police came on the morning. There were journalists there. Suddenly the police decided to start man-handling the media. The people became restless. The police (stupidly) fired tear gas into the crowd. This, according to Dagrous, was a big mistake. The crowds easily over-powered the police. The crowds were cross with the government, therefore any government building or car was burnt (so there was burning). This apparently happened only in the townships - the government owned shops, PTC, and parked (due to no fuel) cars were torched. Thank goodness there was no petrol or diesl in the cars. Could have been chaotic if explosions were also reported!

Also, now the people were cross with the police. And the police were driving around. And then their cars would run out of petrol, right in front of the crowds and that would frustrate the police because they were easy targets for the crowds and so more violence occurred.

On the second day they police were better prepared.

However, it was some of the police who were showing the crowds which cars to burn and generally enticing them in anti-government riots.

Dargous, my informant, tells me that he is a little worried about the 17th of April, the date the demonstrators have given tot he government to sort their issues. The police will be better prepared and the people maybe more angry. In fact, he thinks that now the Malawi has been given a taste of what they can do, these types of demonstrations will continue until Bingu is out of office, in 2014. You see, Malawians (he tells me) are not scared of dictators. The president before Bingu was one. And now people have seen that they can oppose Bingu.

But he also laughs and assures me this will not be like Libya.

He says the president just uses big, difficult and intimidatory language and is unlikely to carry it out. Unlikely, but we admit a small possibility exists.

There is no strong opposition part in Malawi, it is the civil society that has taken on that role. It was the civil society that brought Bingu to power and they have now turned on him with as much power.

It's just unfortunate that the president thinks that he knows everything because he worked for the World Bank. He wont take advice...

Interesting fact: did you know that he went into exile in about 1994, exile in Zim. Him and Bob are good mates because of this. You see, the president before Bingu (unsure of his name - always a he that is a dictator, never a she...) made it mandatory that all carry a party card and the Jehovah's Witnesses refused. And they were hunted for it.

So that's the story from a well informed (worked in government, tourism, teaching, and is now an independent consultant) Lilongwe citizen.

Viva!