Malawi to Punish Breaking Wind in Public

The government of Malawi is planning to introduce a new law to try and stop people breaking wind in public. The proposed legislation would punish repeat offenders who choose to release their foul-smelling bodily gases in public places. The Local Courts Bill will soon be presented to parliament for approval. It intends to prosecute those “who foul the air” in an effort to “mould responsible and disciplined citizens”. The bill states: “Any person who voluntarily [impairs] the atmosphere in any place so as to make it noxious to the health of persons in general, dwelling or carrying on business in the neighbourhood or passing along a public way, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.”

The bill has created a lot of anger among Malawians, who feel the country has more serious problems than trying to criminalize a natural bodily function. They also say it is causing embarrassment to the country internationally, with foreign media reporting on “Malawi’s farting law”. People are also worried about how fairly the law will be administered on the streets. Taxi driver Chikosi Nyondo said: “How on Earth will the police know who passed gas? I’m sure there’ll be people arrested for false farting.” The Afrik-News website quoted another angry Malawian who said: “Everyone does that, even if it’s in public or it has an accompanying sound, making it criminal is a joke of democracy.”

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	It is now illegal in Malawi to break wind in public.	T / F
b.	Malawi’s parliament passed the bill by a huge majority.	T / F
c.	The new law intends to get people to be better citizens.	T / F
d.	The bill says breaking wind is just a misdemeanor.	T / F
e.	Most Malawians think the new law is a great idea.	T / F
f.	Malawians believe the law makes their country look bad.	T / F
g.	A taxi driver said it’s easy for police to decide who broke wind.	T / F
h.	Another Malawian said the law was a joke and not fit for a democracy.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	breaking wind	a.	shape
2	proposed	b.	applied
3.	foul	c.	suggested
4.	mould	d.	wrongdoing
5.	misdemeanor	e.	shame
6.	natural	f.	farting
7.	causing	g.	mentioned
8.	embarrassment	h.	disgusting
9.	administered	i.	normal
10.	quoted	j.	creating