| Abstract: | The autocratic regime of Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda ruled Malawi for nearly three decades through repression and with the help of an effective security machinery. A pastoral letter read on 8 March 1992 by the Catholic Bishops of the country, in which the Banda government was publicly criticized for the first time, marked the starting point of a fairly successful transition to democratic government. The pastoral letter attracted enormous international publicity and the Bishops were left unharmed. The fact that the Bishops were the first persons who criticized the government and got away with it encouraged the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Alliance for Democracy (Aford), which had recently constituted themselves as underground movements, to proceed with their work. Strikes and mass protests in the cities led to the suspension of development aid by Western donors in May 1992, and Banda's regime came under heavy international pressure to introduce comprehensive democratic reforms. Banda's failure to win the internationally recognized referendum of June 1993 marked the de facto end of his regime and the effective introduction of multiparty politics. Malawi's high dependence on foreign aid meant that the Western donors had a big impact on political developments in Malawi. External players not only initiated the democratization process but influenced it throughout, at remarkably insignificant costs. Idiosyncratic factors (Banda's age, illness and senility) also clearly contributed to Banda's acceptance of the democratic transition. The most important role, however, was played by Malawians themselves, who peacefully fought for democratic change. Notes, ref., sum. (p. 147). |
AfricaBib 
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