Media urged to help address misconceptions surrounding land reforms
Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has asked the media to help address misconceptions surrounding recent land reforms being undertaken in the country by reporting accurately on land issues.
Speaking in Lilongwe during a media sensitisation meeting on land related laws and bills, Minister responsible Atupele Muluzi observed that most Malawians including those protesting against the reforms do not understand the main issues in the registrations and end up misrepresenting facts.
Said Muluzi: “I have observed that most Malawians including those against the land reforms and even the media have not gone through either the 1964 Land Laws or the just assented to land laws. They are so emotional about it and end up giving sweeping generalised statements, raising irrelevant issues that are not even part of the registrations.”
According to Muluzi, the new land laws will empower chiefs other than the 1964 land related laws which gave all powers over land to the president who then delegates it to his ministry.
“We need to understand the main goal of the National Land Policy which is to ensure tenure security and equitable access to land to facilitate the attainment of social harmony and broad based social and economic development through optimum and ecologically balanced land use and land based resources.
Issues of land reforms are sensitive and complex, I am happy that Malawi has made remarkable strides in modernising the 1964 land act even though there are some challenges. This is why we want to meet all stakeholders including chiefs to have a clear understanding on their reservations and map the way forward,” said Muluzi.
The minister further emphasised the new land related laws will address land challenges in districts such as Mulanje and Thyolo as it will empower government to take over freehold land that remain idle for two years “and also deal with challenges faced by women who make 80 percent of the country’s farmers.”
Thyolo alone has over 25000 hectares of idle land.
Media Institute of Southern Africa- Vice Chairperson Yvonnie Sundu thanked the ministry for the meeting saying building media capacity is crucial in ensuring that they disseminate right information to the masses.
She however called on the media to verify facts with the ministry when reporting on complex matters such as those regarding land.
Government through Parliament passed the controversial four land bills amid protests by the opposition.
The ministry with funding from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank are conducting sensitisation meetings trying to make all stakeholders involved understand the importance of the reforms.
Six more land related bills are expected to be tabled in the next parliamentary seating which begins Monday next week.
The new National Land Policy among others help to promote tenure reforms that guarantee security of tenure and instill confidence and fairness in land transactions; promote decentralized and transparent land administration structure; extend land use planning strategies to all urban and rural areas.
The policy will also help to establish modern land registration system for delivery of land services to all; and enhance conservation and community management of local resources and promotion of research and capacity building in land surveying and land management.
The Malawi Law Commission carried out a review of all land related laws after it was observed that the findings and recommendations contained in the National Land Policy were clashing with the existing legal framework dealing with land matters including the Malawi Constitution.
