Historicisation of federalism demands in Malawi

Abstract

Demands for a federal system of government have grown in Malawi since about 2014. These demands are largely promoted by politicians from Northern Malawi, who claim socio-economic discrimination by the Malawian state, which they argue, prioritises the Central and Southern Regions. However, this research disputes this viewpoint, arguing that these politicians support federalism for personal gains. This is supported by historical memory among Northern Malawians regarding their favoured socioeconomic status during the colonial era. Using both primary and secondary data sources, this study provides a historical perspective that supports the incentives that drive the politicians’ quest for federalism. It uses this historical context to argue that the implied form of federalism being pursued is not necessarily corrective of their discontent arising from the perceived ethnic and regional favouritism by the state. The paper uses empirical evidence to demonstrate the fragility of the basis for the Northern Malawian politicians’ claims that their Region is more socio-economically destitute than others. The study also proposes the devolution of state functions to district councils, supplemented by the replacement of career civil servants with locally elected district governors, as a means of assuring political will and the localisation of development goals.