Mkwezalamba takes oath as new Malawi Finance Minister
The newly appointed Minister of Finance, Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba was sworn in on Wednesday at Kamuzu Palace after almost a week since his appointment.
Speaking after presiding over the swearing in ceremony, President Dr. Joyce Banda said the appointment of the Minister of Finance has come at a very critical time in the history of Malawi.
“Your appointment Dr. Mkwezalamba as Minister of Finance has come at very critical time when the country is going through a tough time of mismanagement of Public Finances where the public and development partners have enormous expectations.
“For this reason I ask you to rise above petty politics and put the nation first in order to fight fraud and corruption in the civil service,” she said.
The President added that Ministry of Finance is the key ministry, therefore, he should make efforts to close all the loopholes of theft and make sure that peoples taxes are safe and are used for the intended purposes.
She said: “This is a cancer that needs to be fought and won. Malawi has just come out of an Economic crisis and I need you to work with me to make sure that we maintain the gains made and never again to let Malawians go through that pain again.”
The President also asked the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Sidik Mia, who also sworn in together with Dr. Mkwezalamba, to continue his good work and provide more good roads in the country.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Mkwezalamba said he was much aware of the daunting challenges the country is facing and will work hard to ensure that all the loopholes are sealed and dealt with.
He promised to handle all the issues surrounding the looting of public finances with utmost professionalism and that would not shield anyone regardless of a political party or status.
The Minister of Finance also said the prosperity of the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) requires a lot of resources hence the country cannot afford to lose such huge amounts of money that could have been used to build good hospitals or buy medicine.
He said he plans to work closely with the Auditor General’s Office, Accountant Generals Office and Ministry of Justice to fight looting at the Capital Hill and make sure that public finances that come from tax payers are properly accounted for.
Minister in the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) responsible for Good Governance, Eunice Kazembe remains the only Minister to be sworn in as she is still being treated in South Africa.
