Act on litany of corruption scandals, Malawi opposition urges President Mutharika
The Malawi opposition leaders on Thursday ganged up to demand President Peter Mutharika to act aggressively on corruption and that there should be no amnesty for those aligned with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Addressing a news conference in Lilongwe the seven opposition leaders who include Malawi Congress Party (MCP) President Dr Lazarus Chakwera, People’s Party (PP) acting president Uladi Mussa, Mafunde president George Nnesa, National Labour Party leader Sam Mpasu, National Rainbow coalition president Loveness Gondwe, PPM president Mark Katsonga Phiri, Newton Kambala of NTP and John Chisi of Umodzi Party, the opposition said they want President not to interfere with Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), which has not arrested anybody in government for corruption since the DPP returned to power in 2014.
Party leaders urged Mutharika to act on reports that a utility company Lilongwe Water Board donated K10Million to DPP at its fundraising activity.
“The President said nothing and did nothing and yet he had promised not to abuse tax payers money,” said Chakwera.
The opposition also queried on the stalled investigations of a diplomat who was caught with K30 million in Ethiopia.
The leaders reminded Mutharika of ESCOM scandal where some DPP zealots are said to have supplied goods worth K4.9billion and demanded immediate payment and yet ESCOM did not advertise for the goods.
They also reminded Mutharika of the United Nations money which were meant for peace keeping and yet the allowances and cash did not trickle to the intended beneficiaries – the Malawi Defence Force soldiers.
Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nicholas Dausi has since brushed the opposition saying they are making “hot air” statements.
“They just want to win political sympathy,” said Dausi
“If they have any information on corruption allegations, let them report to ACB,” he said.
Dausi said opposition leaders who addressed the news conference were “a bunch of failed politicians.”
But leader of opposition Chakwera urged Mutharika to act on all points raised as soon as possible because failing to do that it will look like he is condoning corruption.
The opposition also want ministers who were allegedly linked to businesses suspected of fraud in an audit of public accounts for the years 2009-14 to be named and prosecuted.
Key ministers are tainted by corruption allegations. Local government minister Kondwani Nankhumwa, the new Leader of the House is among ministers suspected if corruption and recently attracted public attention as he splashed K23 million in gifts to his Mulanje Central constituents. The opposition want to know where the money came from.
They are also agitating for another public inquiry, which would probe the DPP’s flagship subsidy programme which, a preliminary report indicted, was benefitting the governing party officials.
MPs have called for a public inquiry into the multibillion kwacha maize subsidy programme, one of the most corrupt of all, which has an annual budget of about K200 billion and has long been a source of party political finance.
The program’s contracts are typically given to companies and business linked to the governing party. It would be disastrous for DPP if such an inquiry forced suspect donors to disclose their association with the ruling party on camera.
The DPP faces other allegations. Nepotism looks like the government norm, observed Uladi Mussa the Peoples Party (PP) acting president.
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Dausi, dziko ungaliuzenji mbuzi ngati iwe? Waiwala kuti unalinso mu MCP iweyo? Lero ufuna kumalankhula ngati mngelo chifukwa cha umphawi? Posachedwapa uzisiya zimenezi.
u r all thieves chakwera is also stealing CDF meant for his constituency. he can point none as his achievement from Malembo, Nthondo, Kasiya and Majiga trading centres compared to his successors. I am right in his constituency. however I strongly condemn corruption in all spheres
The meeting comprised Leaders of opposition, namely: Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, Uladi Mussa, Mark Katsonga, Loveness Gondwe, G Nnessa, Prof. Chisi, Newton Kambara Sam Mpasu and others. Now, Mr.Dausi, you mean to tell the nation that all the above are a confused lot who don’t know what they are talking about? The trouble with you and your DPP is that you want to hear what you would like and disregard everything else. Here we have a list of things that are going wrong and, instead of taking this as an opportunity to correct the wrongs, you go about ranting rubbish. Elsewhere… Read more »
too much talk no action, guys lets do something
Public enquiries are only useful when they are independent of government interference, so that they maintain credibility and public confidence. Otherwise, they are a further waste of taxpayers’ money and just delay further bringing the corrupt to justice. Opposition united stands strong: keep it up. APM has said he wants to listen, but Dausi at least seems deaf when he hears things he doesn’t like.
As Nankhumwa explains the source of his gifts, in similar fashion, Chakwera must explain the source of funds for his over K800 million house under construction at maula.
o chakwera nanunso muchitepo kanthu pa katangale amveka mu tambala wakuda camp pochititsa press conference zanu zomwe mumakonda,mwamva????
oh,my foot!!! why was change golo so emotional? i thought he said once a political party once ovt of govt, will never bounce back?if anythin, just join them with your self aclaimed charisma_think big theory as your intellectual property.by the way, who is an academician btwn APM and change golo?