Chaponda bashes Malawi Parliament inquiry on Maizegate for lacking objectivity, credibility: ‘Sorry for being emotional’
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development George Chaponda has torn apart the the Parliamentary inquiries into the controversial maize procurement from Zambia, describing it as waste of time, waste of tax payers money and lacks objectivity and credibility.
The chairperson of the joint committee presiding over the inquiry, Joseph Chidanti Malunga, said parliamentary committee, under Section 60 of the Constitution, has powers to summon anyone, including Cabinet ministers.
But Chaponda, a US trained lawyer from Yale University up to PhD level, questioned the credibility of the House probe on maizegate.
He said this towards the end of his appearance before the parliamentary inquiry after succesfully and eloquently answered all the questions.
Chaponda also played a regionalism card, saying some section of Malawians was victimising him, was treating him unfairly just because he comes from the south.
“It is unfair to say I pocketed K9.9 billion, it is unfair. This country cannot go on like this,” said Chaponda who looked and sounded emotional as the nine members of both the Agriculture and Public Accounts Committee heard him silently.
The inquiry was being covered live on Times Radio and Zodiak.
He said the joint committee was illegal because it went to Zambia without two members, Karonga Central MP Frank Mwenifumbo and Zomba Changalume MP John Chikalimba.
“This has been a waste of time, the committee is contrary to Section 154 of the Standing Orders. It lacks objectivity,” said Chaponda.
He however tonned down after chairman of joint committee Joseph Chidanti Malunga told the suspended minister that the issues he was ranting about did not come from the inquiry members.
“You should not be responding to newspaper articles or what people are saying apart from what the honourable members here are raising,” said Malunga.
Malunga told Chaponda after succesfully answering the questions eloquently, he was a disappointment at the end.
He read to Chaponda the said Standing Order 154 which showed the joint committee did not commit anything illegal in leaving behind Mwenifumbo and Chikalimba from the Zambia trip.
Malunga said the donor, Cisanet, who funded the Zambia trip said they could only fund eight members out of the 10 in the committee.
Chidanti Malunga said he balanced up the equation by taking two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) MPs, two Malawi Congress Party (MCP) members, one United Democratic Front (UDF) MP, two Peoples Party (PP)MPs and one independent MP.
In addition, Malunga said the criteria in taking the MPs ensured he takes two MPs from the north, three from the centre and three MPs from the south.
Malunga said there was a quarum of 50 plus one.
After listening to Malunga, Chaponda withdrew his remarks but did not apologise.
He said the committee has been warm and kind to him, including vocal Rumphi east MP Kamlepo Kalua.
“I am sorry I have been emotional but the house is burning, there is an effort to break the door and save the child.
“We might have not done well in some areas because we were dealing with a crisis,” he said.
However, Dowa West MP Alexander Kusamba Dzonzi said there was no food crisis in Malawi.
“There was no house that was burning, there was no child in a burning house, there was no need to break doors, whosoever broke the doors did so with an intention,” he said.
The joint committee then welcomed Chaponda’s retraction of the attacks on the inquiry and invited him for a cup of tea.
But after making his submission, Dowa East parliamentarian Richard Chimwendo Banda informed Chaponda that ZCF told the committee in Zambia that it had enough maize to supply Admarc but they were stopped due to the inquiry into the sale.
On its way back from Zambia, the committee stopped in Chipata to appreciate the maize that ZCF said it had in supply, amounting to over 100 000 MT.
But Chaponda retorted: “If ZCF had the maize, and contract is there, ZCF would have supplied the maize by now but until the Letter of Credit expired, only 4 100 MT was delivered.”
Responding to the Transglobe query from Chimwendo Banda and why Zambian officials allegedly introduced them at State House as a potential supplier of the Malawi maize not long after the minister left, Chaponda claimed that Transglobe was desperate to sell the maize perhaps fearing that it would rot.
Chaponda schooled the committee that Transglobe could not have featured at a meeting at State House in Zambia because the date of the export license given to the company did not coincide with the date of his meeting with President Lungu.
“Transglobe said it had an export licence, but I told them they could only deal with ZCF as the identified supplier, to act as a subcontractor, this is why the supply of 50 000 metric tonnes was considered. But let me repeat, there was no handling of money. All I was interested in was ZCF supplying maize,” he said.
While agreeing that indeed he interfered in the procurement process, Chaponda said this was at the level of providing policy guidance as a ministry when he noted the danger that maize would not be supplied.
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A MCP inu we heard bwana Lazaro telling the nation kuti kuli njala ndipo anthu akufa ndi njala. izi anakamba mu parliament and ma news outlets. The WFP, FAO, CSOs were also of the view that hunger is looming, MVAC said the same things on hunger and the need to prepare adequately. So there was an alarm raised and the government being responsible responded effectively….even bwana APM said nobody is going to die with hunger under his watch… the executive also made sure that ADMARC is not corruptly dealing with vendors at the expense of the poor by put across a competitive maize business environment which actually is benefiting grassroot small scale maize businessmen omwenso by the way ndi amene amavoter kwambiri. These guys (DPP) are smart koma inu mumawadelera…. hahahahahahahahahaha
Bwana chaponda anadya ma book apa Yale university, faculty of law.Yale simanama inu.tamusiyani munthu atumikire a malawi.2019 APM BOMA.OR Dr GC boma.
Dr Chaponda said at the end of the enquiry, that he was of the opinion that the committee was a was of time and resources. A few questions come to mind:
1. Was this observation specific to the parliamentary committee or does he feel the same way about the presidential committee as well?
2. If he feels the presidential committee is a waste of time too, did he tell the appointing authority(the president) his honest opinions?
3. Or did he specifically call the joint parliamentary committee a waste of time knowing fully well that the presidential one will exonerate him?
Koma nonse nd mbuzi apa smtymz u r not punished for breaking the law but for failing to withhold it…..dont be stupid youth of Malawi
One day truth will come
Why the same MP anavomereza in parliament after the report kuti dziko ligule chimanga? Where were these greedy people. Chifukwa chovera media maka Times Group yoti ndichipani chotsutsa MCP. No corruption here, Chaponda take Times to court after the report for dirtyn your image.
in summary should we say Chaponda fooled all the mps to go away with billions of kwachas under their approval if there was no hunger? Do honourable members take time to cross check facts or samadziwa zomwe akuvomereza? your confusing me munthu wakumudzi.so who should we blame Chaponda or the August house?
How can MP Dzonzi say there was no food crisis when his own party, MCP, was busy preaching about the looming hunger in Parliament and wherever they found people??? Let’s call a spade a spade; the accusations were fueled by politicking of power hungry politicians. We have just misused tax payer’s money on the investigations. Some people were just bent on tarnishing Hon. Chaponda’s image but they have failed.
Abwana, do you know the meaning of ‘crisis’? In case you don’t, this is the meaning: A crisis is any event that is, or is expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or whole …’. Was Malawi any closer to this? Ndinu a cadet eti? Munadya nawo
musamatengere ndale ai
But Dzonzi the way opposition was shouting about now and now you saying there was no hunger, really? What are you trying to say. Now I know that it’s politics of hatred, Malawias will not prosper with this hatred it’s high time that opposition should oppose things that will benefit Malawians, lastly Hon Chaponda the deliberations have really proved your innocence
Malawi will never develop
So what have you gained after making all that noise Now we are coming to round two to knock out p.p on jet gate. I have never heard of any peace keeping force buying bombs to help in Congo.
We want to know where the net is.
Chaponda boma.
Shame Kamlepo you are a big fool and a distress to the nation . Chakwera you have fooled these people and yourself. That’s the death of Mcp and pp…Rest in peace
There are two things here, hunger crisis and availability of maize in the country. There are so many people in the country without maize who were looking up to government for support. Within the country there is plenty maize which Chaponda and his Ministry would have purchased to reach out to those in dire straits. Instead of buying from within, these guys decided to buy from Zambia and yet some of the companies sub-contracted were also expected to purchase the maize within Malawi. It is amazing that some are failing to see the gaps,
This is the Bwana Chaponda his constituents expect. And respect. He comes out swinging and jabbing the opponents where it hurts. Not aimlessly, to be sure.
He has a right to be mad at how he has been treated, by especially some detractors and biased members of the Committee. And by political (MCP) surrogates, like Times Group and its editors and so-called investigative journalists. But he’s also gentleman enough, in spite of what scathing criticisms, to apologize when emotions overtook him personally.
He’s right in calling out some “tribalists” or “Regionalists” too.
When is this committee going to realize they are chasing windmills, and stop wasting our money? Lacking objectivity and credibility the whole way.
One wonders how some of the more reasonable members of the committee will feel, at the end, when they find zero culpability by the Bwana?
That the bulldozer himself was quized in the August house us a milestone in our democracy! Next time some small time politicians wants to mess up with our money he or she better think twice….media will be all over them and parliament will investigate. Adziopa kuba from now onwards!
As for the regionalism card….am not suprised that the guy Chaponda thinks like that….he is the author of the Quota system….and he has been quoted in the media castigating the North.
However…am not sure if Chaponda thinks that only Northerners are angry with the maizegate! Sure , anthu a ku South are happy kuti ndalama zinabedwa? A ku Central nanga….ndinu okondwa nayo nkhaniyi??
Any sane Malawians should be angry with corruption….FULL stop!!!
Hehehehe inu inu ……Chaponda never studied law to a PhD level at Yale…. get facts please. the only degree in law he has is from University of Zambia nothing else. His PhD is not in law at all
Get your facts, bro!
Chaponda did get into Yale Law; and nobody, including you can deny him that fact. He came out with an advanced law degree, even if it wasn’t the JD, the law PhD.
ps. you probably wish you had gotten into Yale, yourself. Kikikiki
Chaponda was indeed all over the media.Surprisingly it was the Journalists and people from one region who were stoning at Chaponda.
What next after this? Any proof that the guy pocketed any dollar? All the noise about Chaponda has yielded nothing other than pocketing allowances from as far as Zambia? Anthu woipa inu kwambiri. Is it not Chakwera who was very noisy about hunger in Malawi? And now his stupid MP says there was no hunger. Mwagwa nayo tiyeni tsopano a Kamlepo muyankhe za ndege.
Kodi a ma MP mmene amavomereza zokongola ndalama yogulira chimanga, ma MP enawo anali kuti? Anayenera kunena nthawi yomweyo kuti njala kulibe. Hopefully iwo anali akugona.
It
seems the parliamentary committee was not neutral how can someone say that we were not in a food crisis, I thought parliament discussed the
issue and also authorized the borrowing or are we to blame our researchers ?
Malawians and our hatred. Maybe I should call it hunger for power. Or would it be possible frustration at being on the wrong side of the government? I feel so ashamed to be a Malawian, if such is the carelessness and impunity of building up pressure for no aparent reasons.
Surely Chaponda might have flouted some procedures in all this saga. But listening to the enquiry, none of the MPs alluded to an act of curruption or stealing of government resources. Come to think of it, does it mean that the MPs know the transgression on the part of Chaponda but are aware that the political damage that would emanate from the right accusation would be minimal?
Malawi, a land of the less educated who just follow the loud mouthed few with pathetic education. Everything that is written in the papers is regarded as gospel truth. Nobody wants to cross check facts. On matters of nepotism, we Malawians are as foolish as the Rwanda of 15 years ago. Do we think we that we can have more than one president at any particular time? All this back stabbing and beakering is only detrimental to Malawi’s development.
I would rather we accuse persons on the right crimes other than tarnishing innocent peoples images with made up stories just to score cheap political mileage. Patriotism is the character that Malawians have critical deficiency of. We need to learn to like our country, report positive about ourselves, say the truth in our publications, before anyone can start blaming the other on mere suspicions and based on nepotistic hatred
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk !!! Reverend Chakwera. Tachitani comment. This game is not for someone with Religious Education, let alone wa Madras ngati Uladi Musa.
My Kinsmen,
It has never happened in Malawi’s history that someone can buy maize from vendors at a cheaper price than at ADMARC. If we go by history, by this time there would be no maize in all local markets in Malawi. So hunger is really artificial in Malawi. Go to the markets all over the country there is plenty food like sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, rice, pumpkins, yams, etc. etc.
So which hunger are you talking about?
Agreed DK. It is the same politicians who tell people that food is not only msima from maize and yet here they were erroneously buying maize without first analysing the situation and whether we did not have rice, cassava, sweet potatoes, irish potatoes, millet, bananas, etc that could be used to cushion in the event that there was indeed scarcity of maize. Malawians and Leaders re-engineer and diversify in your thinking please to develop this country. If this thinking was done surely there would have been no need to borrow the billions of money. That is why Malawians think there were evil intentions to steal the money. Re-engineer your thinking Malawians this is over 52 years of independence and you are not mentally independent? Shame.
If money has not been stolen yet, then it was to be. Thanks all of you who blow the whistle for these crooks to fail there agenda. If malawi was in food crisis as he claimed, the 5000 metric tonnes was to be sold within days.
I think the best way is to give back the remaining money to PTA bank.
The truth pains but sets free and nkhonya yobwezera kuwawa. you were all over the media painting Chaponda a bad picture from the hear says. Today you are reprimanding Chaponda for commenting what you were posting on the media. The truth pains, Chaponda has told you the truth. All the monies spent in all these inquiries could have been used to the benefit of the poor Malawians. Learn to handle critical issues with sober minds. God bless the land of Malawi. Bless our leader, each and everyone, and mother Malawi.
ineyo ngati nzika ya malawi ndikanakondwa kwambiri zokambilana zanu zikanakhala mu chiyankhulo choti tonse amalawi tizimva kuopa kunamizidwa. Chaona ine nchoti dziko lathu lilidi mu crisis ya atsogoler olongosoka. Munthu sangamanene kuti mdziko muno munali njala nchifukwa amapanga ziithu mofulumila pamene iye yemweyu anakana kuti sanatenge nawo gawo lalikulu pa kugula kwa chimanga and zikudabwisanso kuti out of 100 metric tonnes yomwe amafuna kugulayo kaya akuti 5000 yokha ndiyomwe yafika. Tsono ngati mdziko mulidi njala chimanga chimenechi bwanji sichinathe mmesa bwezi titakanganilani week imodzi?
Pepho langa Mr Chaponda nali Malawi ilibe njala monga mmene ndamvela pa radio tengani chenje cha ndalama yongongolayo mukaibweze kuti tisakhale pa ngongole yopanda nzeru ngati iyi
I THINK MP DZONZI is Very, Very, Very Dull and a bigot. Always thinking of his positioning his MCP. His statement that there was no food crisis etc was stupid not fitting an MP of that sort. The Minister went into gear because it was the same Parliament that came with a stern warning that signs were all over that Malawi was in food shortage. TODAY HE IS SEEING THAT THE SHORTAGES WERE NOT THERE BECAUSE ACTIONS WERE TAKEN BY THE same government he is rebuking. This is very sick!
Iweyo ndiye wa umve mwina umadya naye Chapondayo poor gvt ngati kummwera simunakolole bwanji osakagula zomwe analima central and north kuti mudyetsane? Ikanakhala crisis bwezi a single grain itagulidwapo mu Admarc Dzonzi sakunama coz aboma amabweretsa zinthu mu paliament ngafi zavuta kwambiri kuti aphungu avomereze msanga cholinga abe mbuli ndi mbuzi ndiwe
Joseph Banda, you are the one person who is very dull and idiotic. Honourable Dzonzi was right to tell this Chaponda that there was no food crisis in Malawi last year. Here is the evidence: no-one has queued for maize at ADMARC markets this lean season which means maize is/was available from other sources within Malawi. Despite the 100, 000 metric tonnes that Chaponda said was to be bought not coming into the country, no one has died of hunger. The maize shortage was a deliberate creation of Chaponda and his masters so that they could siphon the K26BILLION loan from PTA Bank into their personal bank accounts outside the country.
You Joseph Banda and many of us innocent Malawians would have made Chaponda and his greedy friends instant multi-billionaires… But the bad thing about this transaction is that its you so-called Joseph and us other ordinary Malawians who would have repaid that K26bn debt with interest to PTA Bank through the taxes that you pay in form of VAT, etc.
So, Joseph, Wake up!! Dont be so sleepy and dull. Open your eyes and see the reality. I dont care about where you come from in Malawi or the political party that you support and subscribe to. In your current state, you are an enemy of Mother Malawi. Its people of your mediocre kind that have underdeveloped this country, 52 years after Independence.
I agree
Indeed there was no house on fire, no child foolishly locked inside for doors to be broken. We had a lot of maize already from within Malawi, and the same child you wanted to save by breaking doors is still suffering by not accessing the maize Malawians sold to Admarc because you want exorbitant profits on heads of poor Malawians. He seemed as if he somehow didn’t know what he was talking about. Yale University lawyer my foot, how do you quote sections of standing orders when you do not even know how to interpret them? You are a disgrace Chaponda.
ka MP KA KU DEDZA kanakakamira mbuyomu kuti anthu akufa ndinjala
NDI UCHITAILU ONENEA MWA EXAGGERATION KUNACHITSA MPUNGWE PUNGWE KUTI BOMA LIJIJILIKE KUGULA CHIMANGA …. THE HUNGER SITUATION WAS GROSSLY EXAGGERATED BY THE OPPOSITION AND THEIR COHOTRS…TAONANI LERO MWALEPHERA KUPEZA KUPEZA WAKUBA SHAME…….. SHAME…….. SHAME….NSANJE, JELAS NDIKADUKA ANZANU AKAKHALA PAMPANDO
I agree. I must sound crazy. I agree with Joseph Banda above that MP Dzonzi must be dull to say what he said at that forum. Yet I also agree with Karonga that the content of Dzonzi’s speech are correct too. There was no house burning.