The judicial branch in Malawi is also similar to the judicial branch of the United States. In both countries, there are local courts, regional or district courts, and a supreme court. In the U.S., people are guaranteed the right to have a lawyer represent them for free, while in Malawi, people don’t have that option. Therefore, many people in Malawi are unable to take legal action because the costs are too high. The legislative branch in Malawi is called the Parliament. Malawians elect 193 Members of Parliament (M.P.s) at each election. These M.P.s make the laws for Malawi, and they represent different regions of the country. The United States has both the Senate and House of Representatives that work to make our laws, while Malawi has just the Parliament. In both Malawi and the United States, about one-fourth of the legislative branch is composed of women.
All governments around the world need money to provide schools, roads and other services to their citizens. Some countries have strong economies that make a lot of money, and they are able to provide many services for free. Do you remember the map of natural resources I showed you last week? Malawi does not have such a strong economy, and as a result, it struggles to provide basic services. For example, students must pay to attend high school, the roads have a lot of potholes and disabled people don’t receive help from the government. Having a strong economy helps a government be able to do its job better. If you were a politician in a country with limited resources, what services would you provide for free, and which ones would people have to pay for?
