Goodall sparks backlash over BBC remarks on Malawi anti-corruption ineffectiveness

Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe has been accused that he “fundamentally misunderstands” the essence of governance institutions such as Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) when he told BBC that the apparent ineffectiveness is not of  Malawi Government’s making because it was the World Bank and International Monetray Fund (IMF) that provided legislation that established the constitutional body.

Goodall Gondwe
Goodall Gondwe

BBC’s Ed Butler quizzed Gondwe on reports that there is ‘political pressure’ to graft-busting body   hence diminishing zeal for fraud prosecutions, which have severely dented the country’s reputation and cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in budget support funds.

He queried Gondwe why Malawi government is not keen on “independent oversight” of ACB.

Gondwe stumbled in his response: “Yes, I think that you have a point there, that the system is such that, and it’s not only in Malawi by the way, it’s true in Kenya, its true in Zambia, and its true everywhere.”

The Finance Minister added: “These institutions were started, by the way, through the influence of World Bank and IMF. They are the people who gave us the legislation.”

However,  Gondwe triggered furious blash from Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP).

CCJP national coordinator Martin Chiphwanya said Gondwe’s remarks is another  stain on the national quest to good governance.

He accused Gondwe of “talking down Malawi”.

And Political science lecturer at the Chancellor College, a constituent college of theUniversity of Malawi Dr Mustafa Hussein said World Bank and IMF did not formulate the  Corrupt practices Act but Malawi parliament.

Hussein said  Gondwe’s remarks were “irrelevant” and “senseless”.

In Parliament government rejected a motion moved by Lilongwe South West MP Peter Chakhwantha that an amendment bill be drafted to change Section 5 (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act to provide for appointment of the ACB director and deputy by the Public Appointment Committee (PAC) not the President as it stands now but be based on merit and through an open recruitment process.

However, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Samuel Tembenu said ACB belongs to the Executive arm of government and removing the President’s powers to appoint a director would be a “travesty of the doctrine of separation [of power].”

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Jarred
Jarred
7 years ago

What Gondwe said is true, just that its hard to accept the truth. In essence, what he was saying is we are incapable of formulating and implementing our own regulations but either we rely on the west or rather the west still colonises us to this day

phulantenga
7 years ago

abuse of power is here to stay in malawi, whoever thinks otherwise is deluded

peterbanda@gmail.com
7 years ago

Dr Mustafa Hussein you are telling the whole truth. Yes, parliament passed the bill. But it came from outside Malawi. The law is modeled on wstern countires with just a few variations. In fact, the IMF / World Bank even sent a consultant in 2000 to work assist the ACB.

Gondwe is right. ACB was imposed on Malawians. In fact, all these laws that we have are imposed on by western countries including the Land Bill. What is in the Bill is unAfrican.

JJB
JJB
7 years ago

wasting your time telling facts to Malawians, they thrive on Hearsay. Facts don’t matter to Malawians. If Muthalika said 1+1= 2, they would argue there is something wrong, If Chakwera said 1+1=3, they would argue it was right and find excuses for him. such are Malawians.

A mwana
A mwana
7 years ago

i agree . Good as they may be most laws are imposed on us by westerners , Human rights , Ant Corruption phenomenon,the ideals of Civil Society groups are all alien to most African Cultures . Since they are not at the core of our understanding of issues they are not taken seriously by anybody. Sad that we are like that. Gondwe was right . Musamugwere munthu

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