Chakwera plots ‘Day of Rage’: Malawi opposition leader says will lead protests against govt corruption

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera has warned that he will be forced to lead a mass protests against worsening corruption in government, accusing President Peter Mutharika of giving corrupt big wigs amnesty from corruption crackdown.

Chakwera, who is also Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president, threatened to call supporters onto the streets if President Mutharika will not meet the eight demands he has set as plan of action and that he immediately comes to Parliament in person to give a full report of the progress.

He said Mutharika should not only show that he is prepared to make his “scandalous government” accountable to the Malawian people, but also to “demonstrate his willingness to restore our people’s trust in the governance institutions that have thus far failed us.”

Said Chakwera: “.The corruption levels among his top officials have reached a critical stage and should he decide his laissez faire approach to issues, I will have to lead Malawians myself into the streets to protest against his administration.”

He accused Mutharika of treating with kid gloves those he purported as ‘big fish’ in his administration, declaring the issue was now beyond debate.

He alleged that Mutharika has defied the will and wishes of Malawians long enough, and it is time for Malawians to defy him.

Chakwera also threatened to lead Parliament into a boycott should Mutharika fail to execute orders to have the fired Agriculture minister George Chaponda’s wealth properly accounted for in the aftermath of his implication in the Maizegate, and also the huge stacks of money found in his Area 10 residence last week.

During the briefing held at his Parliament office, Chakwera demanded that Mutharika should immediately direct the police and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to make the necessary consultations with the Speaker of Parliament on the lawful procedures for taking Chaponda into custody for questioning about the sources of the contraband confiscated from his house and the names of any agencies that facilitated the internal movement of such large sums of cash.

“Actually, there is no way a credible police would raid a home and confiscate things considered illegal to possess without taking the person found in possession of them into custody; unless he wants to tell us his officials are above the law.

“As such, we demand the President to immediately direct the Financial Intelligence Authority to examine the personal bank accounts of every member of Mutharika’s Cabinet; and also the National Intelligence Bureau to place every member of his Cabinet under surveillance until the Malawian people are given assurances that no other minister of government is using their position to conduct undocumented transactions for personal enrichment,” he said.

Chakwera demanded that President Mutharika takes disciplinary measures to publicly censure officials of the Malawi Government who are paid by Malawian tax-payers, including Charles Chuka, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, Henry Mathanga, the Director of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, Ms. Madalo Nyambose of the Ministry of Finance, and Mrs. Erica Maganga in the Ministry of Agriculture, for committing perjury by lying to the Parliamentary Committee about their knowledge of the Kaloswe Ltd-Admarc contract, despite giving their testimony under oath.

“Until Mutharika does this, he has done nothing,” said Chakwera.

The MCP president further asked  President Mutharika to take disciplinary measures to remove every official of the Malawi Government at ADMARC, who had a hand in any fraudulent, unauthorized, or unlawful activities of ADMARC in the course of facilitating the Zambia maize deal, including members of ADMARC’s Internal Procurement Committee.

Chakwera has since demanded that the President immediately come to Parliament to give a full report of the progress of all that he has demanded.

“I, in my capacity as President of the Malawi Congress Party and Leader of Opposition, assure him that we, the people’s representatives, will not allow or participate in any discussions of any other business in Parliament.

“Until these demands are met, there will be no Parliament discussions on any other matters, because the corruption in his government is now in a state of national crisis,” he said.

He warned sternly that if these demands are not met “within reasonable time”, the opposition shall ask the people of Malawi to “peacefully and legally pour out onto the streets of Malawi till government becomes accountable again.”

“We demand to see justice in all the identified ‘gates’, abuses of government offices and see that the Constitution is adhered to with no one being above the law.

“Malawians lets demand not to be and remain the poorest of all nations, fellow Malawians we need to draw a line and say ‘Enough is Enough’,” said Chakwera.

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