
The Prosperity Gospel Pastor and President Lazarus Chakwera has done the despicable. His government have now signed off and made arrangements with the Government of Israel to export “cheap” labour to the Middle East. The Malawian Youth will be farm-workers and they will have meagre pay.
The payment rate is making it obvious. The ones who has signed off on it and agreed to work on farms or such in Israel. They will be working hard to repay the expenses to get there (plane ticket) and for the lodging as well. Nothing is covered and they are also not getting much per hour. Meaning it is like the employers are retaining up to 60% of salary in the beginning. That’s before they start to pay the workers. Meaning this is very cheap and slave-like conditions, as the Malawian youth has to work enough hours or overtime to achieve the quota and the retained expenditure in question.
That’s why it is striking that is a part of the Malawian Governments “job create and combat youth unemployment”. There is already reports of 21 buses which was ferried to an International Airport and prepared the youth to travel to work in Israel. This is happening in the midst of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. There are missiles and warfare going on. Which means there is dangers involved and casualties of war to be expected. Meaning someone will die on the farms, because they were stationed closed to the “new settlements in the West Bank” or getting in the crossfire between the IDF and Hamas in Gaza. Therefore, this is a dangerous place to go and for measly pay.
Whatever that went through the bureaucracy of Blantyre and Lilongwe… it wasn’t wise or brilliant. No matter how you spin this one, it going into the land of buffoonery and nowhere subtle to hide. They are not only sending their citizens to a conflict and a war-zone, but giving them terrible working conditions and contracts. Which are continuing a cycle of poverty and not enriching the citizens or the state for that matter. The Republic won’t get much remittance out of this when the employer retains such vast parts of the salary. Neither is there is a gate-way or avenue for the workers to get better deals. As they have agreed upon their Visa to work on designated farms and “carry out the instructions my employer willingly and to best of my abilities”. That is just telling what this is and it’s not great optics.
I feel sorry for the youths and the workers who signed off on this one. They had to see no other way out and hope this was a way out of poverty. There isn’t much hope left when you agree to these terms and accept the possibility of dying while working on the harvest of others in a foreign land. Because, that is what they end up doing and for little to nothing. In most cases, this will be tough, unpleasant and without any remorse.
This is what Chakwera and his Tonse Alliance is doing. The Christian Pastor is now accepting to labour export youths to Israel in the middle of war. They are coming to save agricultural sector of Israel. That’s what they are doing and ensuring the farmers have enough workers to produce food of the nation.
It is a pity and the citizens of Malawi deserves better. They really deserves better options and opportunities. Alas, Chakwera prefers to be vagabond and an extravagant character. This will also buy his aid monies and further allies in the West. Which means he can hope for possible shortfall of fiscal stimulus out of it. That’s why he accept the plight and the suffering of the unemployed youth who signed of on these shady contracts. The youths who did will regret it and they will suffer. It is dire and just shows how dark things are. When things like these are going on and the culprits never hoped it would get exposed. Peace.



















