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.

Joyce Banda: President Mutharika to blame for worsening corruption in Malalwi government 

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.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
24 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Gogodasi
Gogodasi
7 years ago

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!!.

Zifome
7 years ago

Shupit joisi banda

tman
7 years ago

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

Athino
7 years ago

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.

Concerned Mcp
7 years ago

Only one question to JB Who will be on ballot paper 2019 YOU Or Uladi Musa?Simple question to you and the whole PP

fathom alshehaab
7 years ago

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!

Chatayika Phiri
Chatayika Phiri
7 years ago

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… Read more »

Bob
Bob
7 years ago

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!!!

john phiri
john phiri
7 years ago

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

Mwananyanian
Mwananyanian
7 years ago

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… Read more »

Read previous post:
Let God be in your boat in 2017

Things happen in life that will make children of God feel helpless, and lonely. I would like to encourage those...

Close