Chakwera decries Malawi govt’s ‘dark deeds’
Leader of the Opposition and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Dr Lazarous Chakwera has accused President Peter Mutharika and his government of lacking of transparency and acting in dark corners on the sale of what used to be state-owned Malawi Savings Bank (MSB).
The sale came after government wrote off the loans obtained at MSB, most of which were borrowed by private businesses and individuals who are financiers of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“It seems to me, that the virus that we are dealing with is not a contagious disease that would have brought banks to their needs in this country. It is a practice, by those in authority that have made the institutions of this land non-functional, when they should be functional at certain times,” noted Chakwera.
The opposition leader pointed out that MSB was “deliberately brought to its knees” by those in authority.
“It seems evident in times of desperation, that is the only recourse that one justifies but it is because there has been a series of decisions that have not been right for the Malawian people,” said Chakwera.
Before the sale, Treasury asked the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) to issue K6 billion promissory notes to take the toxic loans off the MSB books.
“Ten years ago they said that this bank would have been all right, but what has happened between that time and today corruption and fraud and the fact that we have used public institutions to finance our personal agendas, is what has killed this bank.
“Today, we are all saying that there is sense in having it sold because it has become a liability and heavy burden on government. It is the same people that have led government that have truly ripped us off and ripped every Malawian off,” said Chakwera.
He continued: “We must understand that the decisions that we make today, will make us tomorrow. Every decision that administrations have made in this country, on behalf of Malawians and saying that they are good for Malawians, have brought more misery to Malawians. Look at all the companies that have been sold.”
Chakwera bemoaned that such crucial decisions affect the poor Malawian citizen that pays the price in the end.
He also accused government of Mutharika of disregarding what Parliament can recommend when it went ahead to sell the bank despite the House had recommended halting the process.
“What we are saying in here is that we are telling Malawians that, in fact, Parliament should not even have wasted time talking about this because it is none of their business. What we are saying to Malawians is that we respect other arms of government much more than we respect Parliament,” said Chakwera.
The MCP president state that government was engaged in “dark meetings” on the matter of MSB sale because “dark deeds were intended to take place.”
He reminded the government that it is still governing by the consent of the people.
“We are still responsible to those who put us in office. We cannot just say that we are not arrogant by word of mouth when the actions demonstrate that we are actually arrogant,” said Chakwera.
Another MCP lawmaker Vitus Dzoole Mwale said of the controversial MSB sale: “ This DPP-led government has embarrassed us.”
The Malawian government has disposed of 75 percent of its shareholding in the MSB to Financial Discount House Holdings.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :