Joyce Banda faults Mutharika on Malawi worsening corruption in new year message: Hails Kamuzu, Muluzi and Bingu
Former President Joyce Banda says there are a lot of good programmes and policies that Malawians today can learn from past presidents and governments, which can also be adopted to address some of the “deepening” social and economic challenges facing the nation today.
In her New Year’s Message released by her office on New Year’s Day, Banda calls for “unity of purpose among all Malawians without regard to our political, religious and tribal differences”.
“We are all sailing in this ship together and if it sinks, we shall all perish, as Malawians. As we move forward with hope, let us learn to appreciate and acknowledge the work and achievements of previous governments and presidents during their time.” Banda says.
According to her, despite his autocratic leadership style, Dr. Kamuzu Banda was instrumental in breaking the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which ushered in our independence in 1964.
Kamuzu Banda presided over Malawi’s rapid social and economic development, including a sound road network, public infrastructure, sound education, referral hospitals and improved commercial agriculture.
She also recalled that Ngwazi Kamuzu Banda was extremely particular about ensuring that “his people had enough food, good clothes and better housing”.
“During President Bakili Muluzi’s time, Malawi experienced the establishment of governance and rule of law institutions, such as the Ant-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and an independent judiciary. He must be credited for bringing about democracy and ensuring it is consolidated.
“The late President Professor Bingu wa Mutharika went to the World Bank to fight for the introduction of the Input Subsidy Program. As a result, Malawi achieved high food security levels like never witnessed before in our country,” recalls Banda.
However, she said Malawians would be the best judge regarding the performance of the current president, Peter Mutharika.
“All I know is that international watchdogs have rated Malawi as the poorest country in the world under his watch for the first time in the history of our independence,” reads the message.
According to Banda, if Malawians acknowledged such historical facts, they will be able to learn and adopt some of the workable solutions to the current challenges.
“Achievements of past leaders are case studies, which must give us hope that a better future is possible when our present leaders initiate certain policies and programmes. We will also be able to avoid certain policies and programs that may not have worked before,” she says.
But Banda rapped Predident Mutharika for his apparent lack of seriousness to pursue corruption suspects, saying she had expected him to “continue from where I had left off”.
Says Banda: “In September 2013, the European Head of Delegation, Ambassador Alexander Baum, alerted me about his suspicions that the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) had serious loopholes, which some public officers were taking advantage of to steal government money.
“I therefore announced at ECAMA Annual Conference in Mangochi on September 7, 2013 that my government would review IFMIS in order to ensure its integrity and to prevent any loss of Malawian taxpayers’ money through fraud. I also publicly made it clear that anyone involved in stealing public funds would be arrested and that I would not shield anyone,” she says and chronicles some of the specific steps her government undertook to fight corruption and theft of public money, including initiating a forensic audit into cash-gate by engaging “an internationally-renowned audit firm, Baker Tilly (now called RSM)” with the help of the British Government and inviting opposition party leaders, faith and civil society leaders to State House to seek their input in the fight against theft of public money and steps brief them on the steps being taken to arrest the culprits and take them to book.
“As a result of these measures, the first 72 people were arrested and many bank accounts were frozen. Most of them have been convicted and sentenced while others are still answering charges related to cash-gate to-date,” she says.
Banda explains that on leaving office in 2014, she had expected that the current President would continue from where she left off in regard to the fight against corruption and Cashgate scandal.
“But judging by the way matters of corruption are being handled now, I may have been too optimistic. To this day, no action has been taken on numerous fraud allegations, including the MK577 billion fraud audit report, and perhaps most disturbingly, the recent ADMARC maize and UN peacekeeping soldiers’ missing allowances scandals.
“In all these matters, there is enough information and evidence of wrongdoing by certain individuals to provide any serious government with the impetus to investigate. It is my sincere hope that President Mutharika’s government will follow in our footsteps in the fight against corruption, by instituting open and transparent investigations into the looting of government resources, especially the MK577 billion Price Waterhouse Coopers report, which has been in progress since 2014 but has swept under the carpet,” says the former President who is also leader of the opposition People’s Party (PP).
Banda says Malawians continue to enjoy peace and tranquility despite facing extremely difficult socio-economic situations and thanked God for it.
“As it has been my tradition, I, once again, wish all Malawians a Happy and Prosperous New Year, 2017. My humble prayer to our Loving God is to grant us His guiding presence as we strive to deal with the current deepening social and economic problems, especially the desperate food situation.
“Today, many Malawians don’t know where their next meal shall come from, or indeed if it will come at all. It is my humble prayer to God that He grants us enough rainfall this season so that the nation can harvest enough for food,” reads the message, which also addresses the current various social and economic issues in Malawi.
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Does Muluzi realy deserve praise JB? He has an inclusive case of MKb1.7 and he brought back to cabinet Sam Mpasu after firing him for the exercise book scandal and now you are saying nonsense. Mwana wache wayamwiraso akuba ndalala kukasusngisa kwa amwene ku Limbe. Do you think we don’t know? Zidazululika satsala pang’ono. Come back home quickly, another thief!!.
Shupit joisi banda
where is this lady speaking from,come out from your cave.where were you when cashgate took centre stage,stop the curse.who do not know you in Malawi?JUST come down here,and see if you shall walk a meter
True.. True…True… Mayi JB continue staying there if you dare to come here this Bwampini will kill you just as he did to Njaunju and Mec chairperson.
l remember when you were in power we celebrated your 100 days in office, there was a very big change in our country after you took over from Bingu but its almost 3 years now nothing on the ground only problems…problems….problems. misewu ndi iyi apaka phura dzana koma lero ayamba kale maintenance.
Only one question to JB Who will be on ballot paper 2019 YOU Or Uladi Musa?Simple question to you and the whole PP
Am surprised majority seem no the to oboe what happened, when by who? Personalty agre 80pct what have is saying she was a problem so vrr..Lima some wanuyu
.asap!
Yes those watchdogs may say so but what i know is that this is a sovereign state. Malawi does not give advice to them on their economical challenges and governance. Why is it always simple to dictate Malawi on what to do? I have never seen and heard that parents, friends do advise and blame another household on how they manage their finances, raising their children because it is believed that each household is capable of managing its own. Therefore, as Malawi let us be left alone we are no longer under British armpits since we graduated from stupid federation that was imposed on us and was miserably abolished by the victor Kamuzu(Mkango wa Malawi) may his soul rest in peace.
So my fellow Malawians lets mind our business listening to this and that by these so called donors, watchdogs, etc will only make malawi hazy. APM in his statemnt has categorically said ; “Lets begin the new year with positive minds that as an individual we can make it” Lets have confidence on ourselves.
Your saying sure that u left corruption in this country? So u wanted some one to arrest them while ur not here? Au sure mama ur brain is working? U run away without a handover what do u expect? We are fine mama we don’t Ned ur apology, stay there god bless u,you have already killed us with your corruption, now we are fyting here that this government is corrupt while it’s ur government start shame!!!
Kamuzu, Muluzi, Bingu, Joyce and Peter plus anyone who voted for these maggots= Useless.
Wished we had leaders like Trump, Putin and of course Assad
Firstly, reading this from Joisi Banda makes me sick, like giving me a headache. Secondly (in that order), it makes me sick to my stomach – like throwing up or vomiting.
What has Joisi Banda done to deserve a plat form for a New Year’s “message”? Perhaps an appropriate message from her would simply be: “Continue suffering there due to theft and incompetence by me and my soon to be defunct Party, PP. And good lucky (sic) – as she would say – while I am living here in paradise, using the money I stole.” Period. Nothing else, as she is NO scholar of Malawi politics, economics or culture; even though she was born, grew up and lived all her life here, she showed NO propensity for serious scholarship, in any area. This was probably reason number one for her failures. No way should we ever elect a president without post secondary formal education, in future. Never.
Some of us lived during the Kamuzu era. But even if you didn’t witness that regime, and you have seriously read up about it, it is clear:-
– Big money theft was started right off the bat by him (Kamuzu) personally, his coterie like the Tembo clan (must specify the Kadzamiras), Msonthi , Chakuamba etc. The money they stole dwarfs even Cashgate in today’s value; it is worth harping on this because that climate of theft set the precedence of what we have been experiencing in this country since.
-And besides being thief No. 1, Kamuzu was also criminal No.1; but that deserves a write-up as a
subject.
During Kamuzu, some of us used to think may be a female President would have been better suited to us, for reasons of temperament and tolerance. Idea proven WRONG by Joisi Banda.
So, if Joisi Banda thinks her expressing her views will soften her image, she has something coming: the opposite indeed. Even ten year-olds now know about her abysmal record of managing government affairs. And as these kids grow into the voting age category, they would just spit on her name, if it appeared on the candidate list. Asa.
Having said all that, we still wish her a Happy New Year uko kunja ku dziko la mana ndi uchi (in La La Land).
You may be forgiven in future, if you come out and admit. But Malawians will not forget. The records are in the Archives already, in Zomba.
Anyone that praises Muluzi is corrupt.
so, why are you scared of coming home?
You are at least safe out side Amayi. A MAlawi your troubles are just beginning as you allowed Bwamphini mtchona to rule you.
Inu ndiye munayenela kukhala omalizila kulankhulapo. Mwaiwala kuti tikhale mumavuto amenewa ndichifukwa cha inu? Mwaiwala cashgate munayambitsa ija? Mwaiwala kuti anzanuwa akuyendetsa dzikoli popanda donor support chifukwa cha inu?
A MAlawi this is just the beginning of more trable as you allowed this Bwamphini to rule you. Amayi time is not right for you to return home as the DPP government will eliminate you . At least you are safe 80 percent outside Malawi.
Crazy article,not worthy reading
JB, thus your annalysis which is more on the good things you did during your government. My analysis is that there was more bad than good from MCP government. Corruption was prevalent during that regime with many ghost workers on the payroll.The Ministry of Lands and housing at the time had many ghost Landlords with houses in Blantyre, Lilongwe,Zomba an Mzuzu and government was pay Millions of Kwachas to these ghost Landlords. Drugs were being stolen daily and we had village informal Medical Assistants who were administering injections and disbursing medicine stolen from hospitals. These are just the few from the many I could list. Top civil servants of the likes if John Ngwiri were using Ministry of Works Artisans and material to build the houses at their homes. These are some of the rotten behaviors spilled over to UDF government and you JB were one of those involved in the maize that ADMARC sold to Kenya followed by hunger as a result. UDF fueled corruption though they formed ACB, it was just a smoke screen because no one was arrested with the help of this toothless institution. All the standards that were there with MCP government deteriorated during UDF although we had freedom of speech then. Came Bingu. He did well but all went bad because of your sour work relationship in his second term. It is you that connived with world Leaders , countries and Donors to stop assisting us. We could not have experienced what we went through in 2010 to 2012 with all Donor taps dry if it was not for you the spy no. 1.
Came you. Even when you say cash gate started in 2009, it started way back in MCP as I have explained. The difference is that your predecessors were very artistic when it came to concealing trails. You became childish thus why you were caught. We are suffering because of your government. You haven’t spoken good about Mutharika but all your culprits are in jail during his government. Many have been caught whilst you have long gone and you can’t say he didn’t take over from where you left as if you handed power to him at the stadium. Were you there or did you sit with him to give him some tips? What ever of the many ills you may say or do there in diaspora, the notable thing is that he is the President who won 2014 general elections even though some say he stole elections well it’s spilled milk now. He is still forging ahead to your dismay.
Tsalani mushe amai, happy third new year in your diaspora.
Useless fool,,,,,,,,,,,, You don’t know anything.
The New Year offers hope for self reflections, assessments and managing performance for development results. The problem with all our leaders is that they are sceptical in taking advice from anyone. If you can not do that you will be a permanent failure. Learn to establish performance support systems. The reform talk will yield empty results if we do not change. Stop politicisation of government machineries responsible for agriculture, economy, justice and communication. Let democracy operate freely. Do not gag the media in 2017. If you do not have any solutions then honourably resign and let others take this nation forward.
Amayi in your time you knew kuti mu umodzi muli mphamvu ndipo you were really calling stakeholders of different affliations to a round table to hear their views koma a mdala athuwa iiiiii iwowo ndi mr know all ndi masavage advisors awowa. Dausi pano mmene wayamba kubowera ndi tima statement take topanda fundo. Angokhala ngati mchimwene wa patricia. Koma DPP kumangolalata mabodza chilungamo akuchidziwa. Mulungu akuona ndipo dzanja la Mulungu likalemba limalembadi.
Very true
Bwerani mudzanchotse bwampini. Watikwana udyo
This year wil be an exciting one politically.
The battle ground is slowly yet surely being set.
Someone wil hv to show so much to prove the substance he is made of.
But am seeing him desintegrating though.
He is not inspiring at all
What you are saying is quite sensible and correct. But if you really care about Malawians why staying away from them. Come home and assist the country needs your experience