Joyce Banda claims of not returning to Malawi are ‘insincere’ – Govt
Malawi government has said arguments by People’s Party (PP) that its and former presidnet, Joyce Banda is failing to return home because government has not allocated her a home befitting a former head of State are flimsy and insincere.
Banda, who was president from 2012 to 2014, left the country in September 2014 after coming third in elections a few months earlier, and she has given a myriad of reasons as to why she has not returned ever since.
She has travelled extensively, delivering speeches and working on her charity, the Joyce Banda Foundation.
A spokesperson for the still absent former president says she will not return to Malawi until “serious security concerns” are resolved.
Banda criticised the “Malawi Government’s delay in providing a secure and decent house in a secure locality” as well as the move to disarm her security detail.
“She will return home as soon as the government allocates her a house and also beefs up her security,” Banda’s spokesperson Andekuche Chanthunya is on record saying and this has been maintained on Monday by PP spokesman Noah Chimpeni MP.
The government has called these claims “insincere”.
President Peter Mutharika has said he was saddened that Banda is busy telling world leaders that he us denying her to return home.
And government spokesperson Nicholous Dausi said arguments by Banda on the house does not hold water as a house had been allocated, but was rejected by Banda’s relatives.
“She must come back, the issue of a house is not an issues,” said Dausi.
He claimed the government asked Banda to identify a suitable house, but that “the ministry is still waiting to hear from the former president’s office if a house suiting her taste has been found”.
Dausi said Banda had been provided with seven guards, the number to which former presidents are entitled.
“The government is taking care of former president Dr Bakili Muluzi and all former vice presidents. We will do the same with Joyce Banda and the President has said let her come back and help to develop this country,” said Dausi.
Banda has also complained that the government has failed to pay her retirement benefits for 18 months.
But again, the government has hit back, with government spokesman saying certain forms need to be filled in by Banda in person before she can receive this income.
Banda’s office insists that ongoing security concerns are keeping the former president from returning home, but some observers believe her real fears lie elsewhere. Many claim that Banda is afraid of allegations surrounding the huge corruption scandal known as Cashgate.
The Cashgate scandal was uncovered in 2013, while Banda was president, and led to the arrest of about 70 people, including government officials and business people, accused of stealing $32 million of government money through dubious construction deals.
Although not officially implicated, a number of lead suspects have made allegations involving Banda. Oswald Lutepo, a former official of Banda’s People’s Party who is serving an 11-year jail term after pleading guilty to theft and money laundering, announced ahead of his sentencing: “Joyce Banda already knows that she used me. I can’t start explaining things that she already knows. She knows how she used me.”
Leonard Kalonga, a former Chief Tourism Officer who was also convicted, claimed Banda was involved too.
Former Justice Minister, Ralph Kasambara, told the High Court he wanted the former president to be among his witnesses in his trial. And recently, it emerged that the jailed former Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture said in her witness statements that Banda was the mastermind behind Cashgate and that the former president instructed cabinet ministers to solicit money for the 2014 election campaign.
Banda’s spokesperson Chanthunya insists that the former president’s delay in returning to Malawi has nothing to do with fear of prosecution, pointing out that Banda’s name is not on the list of culprits and that there is no warrant for her arrest. Banda vehemently denies all the allegations and some of her supporters have suggested the allegations are politically motivated. But speculation is still rife.
An editorial comment in The Nation newspaper on Monday pointed out that most Malawians would want Banda to return home to “she light on the financial maladministration that she presided over which resulted in Cashgate.”
The paper said: “On the other hand , we trust that government us being sincere in its insistence that finding a house for JB should not be a problem.”
Apart from explaining what happened during her reign, Malawians would love to their their former leader contributing to the country;s social-economic development, the paper’s editorial comment concludes.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
I think JB’s not coming back to Malawi till now is total lack of respect to Malawians who she led for 2 years. It’s like a parent who dumps her kids, left them behind and move on. As a former leader and a parent she is a disgrace to all women in Malawi and beyond. This mediocracy of what needs to be done for her to come back has been on-going – it’s total nonsense.
During her term in office their was “Cashgate” and she’s been implicated by former senior party / business people and government officials. Why can’t the current Malawi Government bring her home to answer and clear her name if she is innocent. As a Malawian I am disgusted with what happened and if indeed she was not part of it she should have wished to clear her name “BUT” there she is giving all sorts of excuses not to come back and our government is in no hurry for three years to bring her back home to answer to the allegations. How are we supposed to be taken seriously by our development partners. That is US$32 million that we are talking about. Meanwhile she’s leaving a luxurious life here in the USA state of …………. yet the people she led and abandoned suffered and maybe are still suffering because of what happened during her term. I am not saying she is guilty or was involved but as any innocent person would do, she should clear her name – simple.
I’ve got one question to all existing PP legislators, supporters, followers, administrators etc……… How do you till this very day say you’ve got a leader, let alone a Party Leader who dumps her founding party, in her native country and governs it remotely in a self imposed exile? Come on Malawians be mature enough and have your own Integrity, Self Esteem – you mean you can’t have the guts to say enough is enough? The Ralph Jooma’s I knew back in the days had credibility which I know he still has “BUT” I can’t just understand this questionable loyalty. Leaders should have credibility, integrity – the characteristics that JB is not showing here. As much as am not a fan of President Mutharika he showed a strong character when the going got tough for him, he even got thrown into jail but he never abandoned his followers neither the party. Am sure at that point if he wanted to bolt maybe he could have but he never did. That to me is a leader – all great leaders have that. Please people let’s not be a laughing stock by the world leaders, be called all sorts of names by leaders like President Trump. Show some character and lets join hands and clean up our own houses. Cashgate to me in huge, so huge so that anyone implicated should be brought in for questioning it doesn’t matter the consequences etc. African leaders should be responsible and held accountable. In our own famous cashgate JB should explain because it happened under her watch.
President Mutharika if you do find time to read this comment I beg you – bring her in for questioning. I am not sure if you are aware of some of the inhumanly state some of your people are leaving in. This money that was stolen by some greedy people to accord themselves a luxury life at the expense of others should be retreaved if possible or those found guilty should face the wrath of the law. A President!! Anthu akuvutika kwathu kumeneko, US$ 1 million could change lives of many, and how about US$ 32m????? I for one have friends who have footage’s of people leaving in utter poverty in Malawi in this millennium like you want believe – anthu omwe zikuwakhudza izi azayankhe “PLEASE”
Abiti akudziwa chonwe asakubwerera kumpanje.Kodi nanga tiwakhulupira bwanji kuti za cashgate sizikuwakhuza ngati sakubwera kuti azakane okha in a Court of law?coz whether one loves it or hate it,podium is awaitin for her arrival ,just to clear her name.Malawians want to know why her name is a song of all those convicted in that case
Why do you want her to come back home? If she wants to stay where she’s, is okay. Everyone can stay wherever he/she likes to stay unless if there’s a genuine reason for her to come back. If she has a case to answer as is alleged then the govt can arrest her wherever she’s
Mabusa, you are right. Let a warrant of arrest be issued if indeed it is true she took part in the scum and Interpol will duly serve it on her. Abiti, stay where you are.
Yah! Scam and not scum. Scum refers to worthless immoral people!