Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika urged African states Monday to allow opposition groups to express their views, three weeks after anti-government protests in his own country left 19 dead.<\/p>\n
But Mutharika also made a dig at his own opposition, saying they appeared to be aiming to cause instability.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us enhance participatory democracy if Africa is to come out of poverty,\u201d Mutharika said as he opened a Commonwealth meeting for parliamentary speakers from 20 African states.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us open up opportunities to allow the opposition to express their views,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mutharika last month faced unprecedented anti-government protests amid accusations that he is trampling on democratic freedoms and mismanaging the economy.<\/p>\n
At least 19 people were killed in a police crackdown and more than 275 people arrested across the country.<\/p>\n
The opposition role should be to \u201cprovide checks and balances\u201d to the government, he told the gathering.<\/p>\n
In Malawi they seemed to be \u201cdriving away from this role to bring instability, but I urge you to come back on track and help develop our countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former African Union chairman said the continent was \u201cbeginning a new era and steadily moving away from pessimism to optimism\u201d.<\/p>\n
Its countries should \u201ctake charge of home grown policies to own their destiny,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s take the responsibility to take Africa out of poverty through unity \u2026 nobody will do this for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Impoverished Malawi last month adopted a zero-deficit budget of 303 billion kwacha ($2 billion) which will be raised from local resources. Donors in the past have contributed 40 percent of its development budget.<\/p>\n
Britain, the largest bilateral donor to its former colony, in July suspended about 19 million pounds of budgetary aid over economic and governance management concerns.AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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