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| Emigrant (Photo credit: photopol) |
Recent global
migration patterns have witnessed the rise of Africans voluntarily leaving
their country of origins and settling elsewhere. An estimated 30 million
individuals of the voluntary African Diaspora live outside their country of
origin. Jointly, they contribute about US$40 billion in remittances to their
families and communities back home every year. It is well documented that for
the region as a whole, the remittances far exceed official development
assistance and for many countries they exceed foreign direct investment as
well. In the current financial climate, remittances remain a resilient
and vital lifeline for tens of millions of African families, including those in
Malawi. For centuries, Malawians have crossed boarders for various
reasons. Largely, it has been in search of opportunities to better their lives
and that of their families. Globalization, facilitated by improved access to
transportation and communication technologies, now makes it easier for
Malawians to migrate more than ever before thus increasing the amounts of
remittances back home. Many Malawians are now acquiring permanent
residency and citizenship in their new host countries. However, upon acquiring
foreign citizenship, they lose their Malawian citizenship.
Current Malawian laws do not recognize Dual Citizenship
for individuals over 21 years. Section 6 of the Malawi Citizenship Act of 1964,
states that "No citizen of Malawi, being a person of full age and capacity, shall be entitled to be also a citizen of any other country." By exercising citizenship rights and privileges in another country, Malawians
lose their Malawian citizenship. Section 24 requires the Malawian to
automatically relinquish their Malawian Citizenship acquiring the citizenship
of another country. Exercising rights of a foreign country includes obtaining a
foreign passport. As such, Malawians thus acquire the legal status of a
foreigner in Malawi and under international regulations.
The current Dual Citizenship laws in Malawi hinder the ability for Malawians to fully participate in the development of the nation. The majority of remittance money is used to send relatives to school, build properties, assist charitable causes, and invest in the country. Dual Citizenship laws prevent access to travel, work and study for Malawians across the globe which affects the amount of remittances they can send home. Malawian culture relies strongly on cultural values such as umunthu. The current laws alienate Malawians from their homeland, thereby causing emotional duress and identity crisis. They encourage the separation Malawian families, thereby causing hardship for all Malawians. In addition, since Dual Citizenship is a criminal act under the current constitution, the current laws facilitate a situation where the only option left for ordinary people is to circumvent these laws, thereby encouraging illegal activity.
In the Malawian spirit of umunthu, the Movement for Dual Citizenship, therefore aims to advocate the
Malawi Government to reconsider the criminal element imposed on laws and
policies on dual citizenship.
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