Chakwera bemoans the stinking rot at Macra and Escom: Promises reforms
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential candidate in next week’s watershed elections, Lazarus Chakwera, has promised to carry out vigorous reforms at Malawi Communication Regulatory Authorities (Macra) and Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom), the country’s quasi-monopoly power supply utility where the rot stinks in organised fraud, abuse of billions of kwacha through misprocurements, fraud, corruption and abuse.
Chakwera pointed out that Escom, Macra and of course the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) , water boards and others are cash cows of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Hre pointed out that Escom’s inefficiency is because it is being abused, not so much by its corporate management as by its political masters.
In his campaign speeches in Mchinji, Lilongwe and Dowa, Chakwera says it is sad that Macra and Escom are failing to fillfill the mandate which they were given by Parliament.
The MCP presidential hopeful said he singled out the two because they are heavily abused.
He reminded that the firm procured goods in excess of K5 billion of what it required and that when its former chief executive officer Evelyn Mwapasa refused to authorise payment for a certain order she was unceremoniously removed.
Even before that a former finance director Bettie Mahuka resigned from her job when she could not stoop so low as to betray her conscience after being pressured to authorise alleged dubious payments.
The Escom board chair Thom Mpinganjira, an accomplished entrepreneur and business captain is on record as saying the K5 billion worth of items Escom procured may not be required in the next 10 years.
Chakwera said his priority is to ensure that he do some reforms so that these two parastatal boards and and other boards as well are able to serve Malawians better.
In his speech in Mchinji and Dowa after campaign whistle stop tours ahead of Kamuzu Institute for Sports grand final rally on Saturday, Chakwera says his party will win this year’s elections with a landslide.
Chakwera has been holding the tours at Kamwendo trading centre, Chiopsa, Mikundi, Kapiri and finished with a big rally at Mkanda in Mchinji and then he travelled to Machinga and back to Madisi, Kabwinja and Bowe in Dowa.
“Malawi is in this state of underdevelopment because in the past, people have had been voting for thieves in the government which have been stealing public funds meant for development, this year, vote for MCP which most Malawians have agreed to vote for and we are guaranteed now that we are winning this year’s elections,” Chakwera said.
He added that his government shall develop Malawi to its fullest using Chakwera Hi 5 mantra of Servant leadership, Uniting Malawi, Prospering together, Ending corruption and Rule of law which shall see him and all members of parliament serving for the people who shall vote for them.
In all his tours, Chakwera said he shall revamp agriculture sector which has dwindled and affected alot of people including those from Mchinji as he will introduce universal subsidy for farm input like farm machinery, certified seeds, and low cost fertilizer as well as revamping ADMARC to do its core objectives of developing agriculture and facilitating marketing of farm produce and input.
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