Chakwera wants to deal with corrupt thieves: ‘ACB boss job should be opened to foreign professionals’
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarus Chakwera has maintained his stand that separating the Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) from the Executive arm of government could give power and independence for the ACB to investigate corruption by members of the Executive branch and that the head of graft-busting body position should be open to foreign professionals.
Chakwera—who is also leader of opposition in Parliament— speaking on Monday in Mzimba during a whistle-stop tour which was broadcast live on Times Radio, said the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been presiding over the most corrupt administration in recent history.
He accused the DPP of being clueless and directionless which has made many to suffer untold miseries and fuelled corruption.
“There are thieves in this government, we need to get rid of them by registering to vote and evict them from power with your ballot,” said Chakwera in speech which was a mixture of Tumbuka and Chichewa.
Chakwera said the country needs to open up the ACB czar post to foreign professionals that can help deal with corruption rather than stick with compromised Malawian nationals appointed by the Executive.
“We want people at the help of dealing with corruption like ACB to be independent. We want that even in Sadc [Southern Africa Development Community] region, we should be sharing ideas. Any suitable person outside Malawi should be able to apply for the job of ACB director general, not just Malawians,” said Chakwera.
The current ACB director general, Reyneck Matemba, faces accusations of being partisan in handling high profile corruption cases.
Chakwera said leaders are busy enriching themselves through corrupt means and are failing to fight corruption because “they themselves are thieves and corrupt”.
The MCP president said DPP has been a rolling disaster and that the current administration has displayed “sheer incompetence.”
He said when elected to lead the country in next year’s elections, cases of stealing taxpayers’ funds will be given priority and speedy conclusion.
Why not open up the MCP presidency to foreign professionals?
Abale a Chakwera ndi za kunja? Kalankhulidwe Ka kunja ndipo nthawi zina Ka chikunja. Mkulu ameneyu mwatsoka atangowina abweretsa atsamunda, mbambadi adzabweretsa chitaganya chonunkha.
DPP moti simukuona kuti Our President you claim akuyendesa bwino is a foreigner with green card?
Catholics for example has azungu Bishops. Kodi akuda kulibe UTM take care when commenting…..Chakwera is genius he knows what he is saying…..National Football Coach ndi wakunja and we have done that several times….TNM wakunja……ma NGOs ambiri ali ndi mabwana akunja…..Chimmodzimodzi a Malawi ambiri ndi ma bwana kunjako ku ma Universities komanso govt departments as well….Ngati UTM or DPP ikutsutsa izi kunjako mukumakapanga fundraising komanso timakomiti ntachani? We are in a global village..
Otambwali tikuziwa kuti mukumamusata you Even uprooted MCP flags in Mzimba and Tried to disrupt his Rally.Am not surprised with the likes of Ben 10 Nkhasala as your strategists.No wonder Boma likukukanika.
What we want in Malawi is an independent ACB and not a foreigner. ACB boss including the directors should be interviewed by Parliament. The body should also be accountable to Parliament. We have competent Malawians capable of chancing the situation at ACB if there is no executive interference full stop
Dr Chakwera you are not solving a problem here. Bringing a foreigner to head the Anti Corruption is not a solution. What ou are trying to tell the nation is that Malawians are not fit for the office. Now if you cannot trust Malawians to that office, how can Malawians trust you for the position of president of the nation? One creat thinker said, when you find that the country is dirty, take a broom sweep your area and your neighbour should also sweep there area and the country will be clean. What you are doing is portioning a blame to DPP, but it is not only DPP members who are in corruption. Malawians are involved in corruption period . It is evident that the way people are doing things, it is not their salary because most people are complaining of poor wages but look at their life style and properties they are having, with no trace of loan from the bank. Some are the biggest funders of our parties. Let the church tell their members not to bring offerings, or gifts from corrupt money to the altar. Let every party tell it’s fundraisers not to bring dirty money to the party. Together we can fight, and win the war of corruption. If you think in MCP there are no people who are corrupt and practising it, you are deceiving yourself, or may be you know that is why you want foreigners for the job. Let us change our mindset as a nation without portioning a blame to others, then we can win this war otherwise forget .
An Independent ACB led by a Professional Khaya ndi Foreigner we Don’t care bola ndalama zathu zitetezeke.From 1994 we have lost more than 3 trillion kwacha to Corruption .Talemera ndi Timabanja Takubar ndi aku mtundu kwao.Ndie zimatondidabwisa Amalawi ena akamayankhula Ngati Angogwa kuchokera Ku Mwamba Namasapitabe Akubarwo.
Chakwera is insane. No wonder he trusts these people that are picking him up at the airport in Johannesburg who are mostly white. On the 8th of October 2018 he was in Johannesburg. Are those the people he wants to ACB boss. What fool of a suggestion…..he has lost my vote…..
I totally agree employing a foreigner is the way out as regards ACB (and perhaps MACRA). Yes, our brilliant young locals can understudy the expatriate but the bottom line is ACB should be independent, approved by Parliament and not handpicked by some president.
Bololo Sakondamadzi.
Employing a foreigner in govt . positions to improve performance is not strange in Malawi. For example Prof. Gordon Hunnings, vice chancellor UNIMA. Prof. Broadhead College of medicine. German Banker as Governor of Reserve Bank. Escom CEO. These are but a few examples. These guys brought improvement in efficiency and a good work culture. Some of these were hired during the multi party dispensation. So hiring someone from Botswana or Rwanda where the work culture is better than ours would be welcome.vGood graduates from our universities can understudy these guys for two to three years. The best performers will take over. Those who cannot perform will lose out. That’s what Dr Banda did with the first crop of Principal Secretaries in gotv. That’s why people like Goodall Gondwe could get top jobs in world bank. Today’s top civil servants can not secure such opportunities because their CVS are tainted. Bravo Chakwera.
This clergy is kind off limited in terms of ideas. what ACB needs to run without being biased is to give it the freedom to run its business without political interference. In other ways the Lazalo has no crue to turn around things. kkkkkkk
Think outside box dala…This is a Global Village….U think like UTM zoti ife tabadwira nkokuno taphunzira konkuno….koma kukapanga fundraise ku UK………Manganya nkumati tapempha azungu atithandize…….
A Chakwera, whilst I dont support Peter, nzeru zimenezo ndiye za umbuzi. You are parliamentarian, you make laws. Act laws to avoid the compromise of the high posts like ACB boss, Auditor General and the like, not kutenga mwenye or mpwitikizi. What about him if he is compromised by the Govt.
Does this means we should also allow foreign nationals to compete for the presidency post because the current leadership has failed? Your ideas Mr Chakwera does not give us hope. May be this what you are going to do when in gvt.
Ndimaganiza zozavotela a Chakwera koma na apa pokha poti wamkulu wa ACB azikhala wakunja mwandigwesa ulesi. Basi SKC vote yanga
Talk of lack of jobs is all over,instead of finding jobs for local malawians,wins kufuna akunka aorze ntchito..nzeru zathera mili Ku opposition..kkkmmm koma abale….
Shallow thinking….Your Bishops in catholic siazungu?
Retrogressive idea by Chakwera! A foreigner would even be more liable to be influenced by the executive because he wouldn’t want to lose the fat salary that he would be getting (yes, a foreigner would have to be paid a very fat salary for such a dangerous job). The best way is what Chilima espoused: Parliament should be the appointing authority and the appointee should be reporting to it, full stop. In brief what needs changing are administrative and legal frameworks.
The 183 parliamentarians haven’t demonstrated any credibility at all when it comes to dealing with corruption and greed. When MPs were called to do the right thing and vote appropriately, they were found wanting especially MPs from MCP. The voting patterns of MCP MPs have given Malawians a glimpse of how the party will conduct itself once in power. I really don’t think MCP is serious or will ever be serious about cramping down corruption. You have failed to live the expectation of your people in your constituencies and you will certainly fail all Malawians who would have voted you into power. The fact that you voted no to the amendment of the Electoral Law is a sure give away…….money went into MCP MPs heads and there went down the most powerful amendment of them all. Come next year, we will be led by a political party with 25% of the votes (whilst MCP will have 23%).
O Chakwera now you are off tune. Now we know you will even be more corrupt. You mean we are not competent enough to govern ourselves? So you want some Indian, Pakistani or Libyan to run the ACB? We know this idea is coming from non other than Sidik Mia. You won’t have my vote.
If this is way 2 go, then this should apply to the Auditor General, Police Chief, and ultimately, the presidency itself. Chakwera’s idea does not address the real issue. What we need is inculcate values of integrity, honesty and professionalism in Malawian, beginning with the President himself and all appointed heads. Chakwera is trying to outsmart his political opponents but the idea is retrogressive.
Ndekuti Kuno kulibe omphuzila? Bola akanati azaika ndondomeko yokuti ACB izasatila…..empty speech
zoona ,mu nthawi ya Kamuzu even ku ma estate ku mchinji ndi Kasungu ma bwana amakhala a chizungu…….why not now?ndizotheka chifukwa ma bwana a chimalawi alephera mwachisanzo nthawi imene anthu amaba ma futa ku Escom mwabwana anali kuti?corruption,anthu aku nyumba za zisoni mzipatala akamalipilitsa anthu ma bwana amakhala ali kuti?corruption,nkhani ya k145,000,000.00 police food scandal,chimene mwachita ndikumupanga transfer Bottoman monga mmene munapangira ndi Kachikuwo,corruption the….VIVA MCP…VIVA CHAKWERA
It’s not about a foreigner heading the ACB. It’s about changing the administrative system of the institution. Osati za colonialism zanuzo
Great idea! And don’t forget to include Immigration, MACRA, ESCOM, MRA, Forest dept, Judiciary, MBC, Traffic Police and MEC as destination for those expatriates
The way Chakwera thinks sometimes leaves a lot to be desired . Next time, he will probably tell us that the Presidency should also be open to foreign nationals.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu awanso awaaaaaaaaaaaa! Iwe siungaone kuti we’re already open to foreign national for its not news that the current president is an American?
Zinazo I strongly believe you would have understood Chakwera rightly if he said whatever he said in chi Lhomweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
@Central , how would anyone begin to guess someone’s tribe from an innocent comment. Bwinotu bwino
Kodi mwati Hon Chakwera ndi m’Malawi koma? ACB boss to be an international, really? Then, party presidency must also be a foreigners including that of MCP. This MCP leader seems to be dull and he thinks like a secondary school drop-out. Last time he called for early elections and yet that can’t happen in Malawi because the Constitution does not provide that except for Vice President to take over. Does this president read our supreme law of the land? Running the legitimate govt is different from from leading a church grouping. MCP advisors, please help your man to understand simple issues. He has in politics for over 3 years now and now he still raises irrelevant issues in Malawi.
Machine, excavator, kugaya mfundo basi palibe umboni wina apa Mulungu wa lozera Lazaro kutenga boma kuchokera kwa mtsamunda wakuba Maliseche. Boma ndiilo la Chakwera ndiye wina uzilubwabwa apa usala wekha ife tapita ndi Chakwera wathu. Amasankha Czar mlomwe nzawo kuti aziba azitetezedwa mukumva milandu ya katangale pano ayi kaya adasiya nthawi yawathera 6 months to go Matemba has failed completely.
That’s the way to go,employ a foreigner as ACB head.
Myopic thinking. In other words he is belittling Malawians. Symptoms of Ng’ona Prty. Nkhanza zenizeni. Wina ndi uja amati ku safuna anthu okuda kuphunzitsa ku school yake ija yeti iye waS MUTU BIIIIII
We have tried foreigners in football arena, has the Flames improved? Nonsense. Its about integirty and the systems we are following. ACB boss has to undergo interviews as anybody else in employment. Parliament thru its Public Appointments Committe must scrutinise all applicants based on required credentials and offer a job to any successful candidate not to be appointed by the presidency as it is now, simple, not internationals.
powerful
Good idea from Chakwera, osamangolubwalubwa, eeeee ndizakumangani mbava nonse popanda strategy yake yogwilira mbava, zingatheke bwanji?
DPP ndi UTM mukumva mfundo za mzanuyu pa nkhani yothetsa katangale ndi kagwiridwe ntchito ka ACB.
Tikufuna zimenezi, osamangoti ndikalowa m’boma ndidzakumangani ngati mbavazo ukazigwila wekha.
Bravo Chakwera!