Malawi experts trash commission of inquiry on Zambia ‘maizegate’: Move to silence critics and shield thieves
Some sections of the society has trashed President Peter Mutharika’s commission of inquiry on Zambian maizegate scandal.
Law professor at the University of Malawi Edge Kanyongolo said experience has shown that commission of inquiries do not do any good.
Mutharika has appointed a four member commission of inquiry led by former chief Justice Anastanzia Msosa to look into allegations that Admarc chief executive Foster Mulumbe corruptly bought the 100000 metric tonnes of maize.
The deal is also implicating Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Devleopment, George Chaponda.
“This inquiry will not help us,” said Kanyongolo.
He said in the past, there had been numerous commission of inquiries whose reports the government had not acted on.
Civil rights activist Justin Dzonzi described the setting up of the commissiion of inquiry as waste of time.
“The commission will not help anything,” said Dzonzi.
He said Mutharika has appointed the commission just to silence some critics over the maize saga.
But Minister of Information , Communication IC, Nicholas Dausi said the government would make use of the report after it will be released.
Mutharika has given the inquiry 30 days to come up with findings.
But Robert Mkwezalamba, the executive director of Malawi Human Rights Consultative Committee said the 21 day ultimatum to have Chaponda fired and Admarc CEO Foster Mlumbe suspended still stands despite the inquiry.
He said after the expiry of the 21 days, if Chaponda is not fired and Mlumbe not suspended, the government should brace for massive protests organised by 11 civil rights organisations including Public Affairs Committee.
Chaponda dismissed in an interview that he was involved in corruoption in the purchase of the government maize.
“People who are saying these are jealosy of me, they are envious of my political stand in the country,” he said.
He therefore said he would not step down following the intense pressure to do so by some civil rights organisations.
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THIS OLD PRESIDENT WILL NEVER HELP MALAWIANS.DESPITE BEING A LAW PROFESSOR, PETER HAS PROVED TO BE THE MOST INEFFECTIVE PRESIDENT. TO PROVE EFFECTIVENESS, LATE BINGU FIRED YUSUF MWAWA FROM HIS CABINET OVER THE MISUSE OF PUBLIC MONEY
PETER HAS ALWAYS BEEN SLEEPY AT HANDLING ISSUES OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.AN EFFECTIVE PRESIDENT COULD NOT NEED A COMMISSION OF INQUIRY TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS MAIZE SCANDAL.KAMLEPO ALREADY TOLD PETER MUTHALIKA THAT HIS MINISTER CHAPONDA IS AMONGST THE ROTTEN MINISTERS IN THE K236 BILLION CASH GATE.WHILE PETER IS JUST SLEEPING OVER THE MK236 BILLION CASH GATE, HIS ROTTEN MINSTER IS NOW INTO THE MAIZE GATE. IT IS VERY ANNOYING TO SOME OF US THAT WHILE WE ARE PAYING TAXES TO MRA THE PRESIDENT IS BUSY TOLERATING OTHERS TO MISUSE OUR TAX MONEY.
Zitsiru za ma CSOs. Was it not one of your recommendations to APM to put in place a commission of inquiry.
Thank You Joseph Chidanti Malunga MP for checking out all this nonsense in DPP.
I foresee a big demonstration coming called “AChoke achoke!” Mark my words its coming sooner or later I can be called a prophet of doom koma. mmm
deal iyi nja Ku chipani nzopangana even a big akuyidziwa iwoso anyanthapo guys am telling you
I guess ACB should be abolished..coz we should not be hearing of a certain political commission of inquiry on a scam like this when ACB is totally silent…Anatitemberera ifeyo ndi mfitidi
Fire crooks. The Commission of enquiry is not needed but independent auditors. The independent auditors should report to Parliament and let all crooks pay. Taxes of Malawians are not for jamboree. Malawi need to walk the talk on corruption fight. If these will not be done then this is the end of DPP because strikes will be unmanageable. Malawi is tired and frustrated.
Do we have LAW Society in Malawi or do we have concerned citizens who can act? Check on http://www.lusakatimes.com for more Maize details in Zambia. The Society can take action and save the citizenry and bring the culprits to to book of course after spending another huge amount of tax payer’s money and only to go and continue spending on them by feeding them while in prisons.
Kamuzu was wise to have the forfeiture act in place as it tried to recover part of the losses. To day rare of this is done. After all the citizens are not told how much has been spent on any case and just pride in reporting they have jailed so and so.
Opposition cannot be listened to on running of government otherwise it will be them ruling. If indeed the concerned people are innocent, they can resign on their own accord in order to prove their innocence but as it is they cannot because the scandals have links uphill and that’s why they can be so flamboyant to obtain court injunctions. The fact here is that Malawi is rotting while we are seeing because most people are illiterate or atidyenawo and vote wrongly because of that.
As long as the illiteracy level still remains this and atidyenawo as numerous, we will always vote for greedy people with poor records or mitchona who do not understand the problems of the villager.
A credible person does not want to be associated with bad reputation and will always prove himself during such accusations.
Issa Njauju..Robert Chasowa.. 577 Billion..
The Commission is the right forum to sort this out. In the modern political world.
No judge or former judge, like the former Chief Justice, would want to bring their professional record into disrepute, but just whitewashing a “case” like this one. This is hard core stuff.
Fellow Malawians, let’s wait for the Msosa report; examine it and then judge it on it’s own merit and the legal evidence. But then, knowing that most of us on the net can read English, BUT cannot really analyse complex issues, and because tribalism and regionalism are rampant in this country, many tribalists have already made up their minds a priori. So I have no hope that Msosa will satisfy the unofficial opposition like some NGOs, and university teachers.
So, Bwana Chaponda, DO NOT resign. Continue with your work, full throttle, to win the next elections. I mean for your Party and yourself. For most Malawians, there is nobody in the opposing Parties that has the mettle for political leadership. We may as well stamp those chairs on the Opposition side in indelible ink “MCP – PERMANENT OPPOSITION”
AMalawi umbuli sudzatha! You wanted a CoI one has been appointed now you are busy trashing it left right and centre before it has even begun work. So what exactly do you want now? Disband the CoI and then what? Why not give them time to work and we judge the President from his commissions or omissions after the CoI tables the report? Let’s wait until the 30th of January and we discuss any course of action the president will take or not take after that. Let’s not be preemptive. Patience is a virtue. Panopa, the best we can do is shut up and wait. Ndalama ngati zinabedwa zinabedwa kale it will not change anything until we are advised so by the commission. The CoI has the right to ask Chaponda and Admarc Chief Mlumbe to go on administrative leave or investigatory suspension pending investigations. But for anybody let alone a whole human rights body like MHRC to demand Chaponda’s dismisal when there are no substantiated charges against him is not only prepostorous but definitely setting a dangerous precedence. We simply need to commend the President Mutharika for appointing the Commission of Inquiry. It is the right thing to do. Zinazi we can bark after the the commission tables its results.
It is so ridiculous how things work in Malawi. I mean where is the police and the ACB in this? In a genuine vote based system at whatever point, there is an alert of maladministration of public funds, security arms of government briskly start investigations without sitting tight for a president to let them know what to do or wait for a commision of enquiry and then act.. This is an affront to our democracy as well as to the numerous dedicated Malawians who continue sustaining our glatonous politcians through our lean tax pocket.. These are the issues that move the nation back and we ask why we are dependably at the tail of the most poorest nation on the planet? SMH
The president is stupid nkhani ya straight forward ngati iyi mpaka commission of inquiry for what?
Very stupid indeed. Chaponda has set up the enquiry and he knows it will come up with results that will never be acted upon. Deal iyi ndi ya DPP 100% osatipusitsa a Malawi.
The whole govt obtaining a loan to purchase maize with an idea of saving it’s people from dying and a few individuals inflating purchase figures is very disheartening.These few individuals should face the wrath of the law by all means.I hear this so greedy chaponda is being groomed to be DPP s torch bearer come 2019,What type of president will he be if at all his party win elections?I beg to differ with the proponents of this idea.This man can steal anything that he can lay his hands on.He benefited from tractors which were bought with a loan which we are suffering paying back now.Stand up Mr president and do the needful thing.Do not hurry your head into the sand when things are in a pathetic situation in the country that you are governing as a result of your so called trusted boys.These boys/men that you trust are 100%crooks they are thieves they have satanic elements.You can witness by their actions and behaviours.It very pathetic Mr president.Its high time you should change your style of handling things otherwise you will leave behind a negative legacy of the Lomwes.May God help Malawi and restore things to normal.
Why is Malawi cursed with such kind of leadership? Is it the voting on tribal lines or it’s the ripple effect from Dr Banda’s leadership? But Dr Kamuzu Banda did not tolerate corruption and loved the common man-he was only at pains with potential political opponents.
It is disheartening to note that the whole president of a republic,entrusted with responsibilities to protect the interests of his people, is sugarcoating matters involving corruption of his own cabinet ministers and government officials. Peter Mutharika is proving to be the worst president with hypocrisy against his own people. He is always not serious in tackling sensitive issues affecting vulnerable people. We have had issues concerning Albinos, university students,drought affected people in villages,blackouts,and now the maize saga which concerns hungry people. I think this president is not fit rule the whole country-he needs to be an overseer of his tribe. Anything concerning someone belonging to his tribe he becomes very elusive and shields that person,but if other people are involved he joins the choir of castigation.
The issue at hand here is the gross breach of procurement procedures involving maize in which the Admarc official and Chaponda are at the core of it. George Chaponda at one time celebrated the exorbitant maize prices at Admarc while private traders were selling at a cheaper price. He said once the maize at private traders runs dry,people would flock to Admarc. He knew about the scum behind the purchase of the maize in Zambia at a higher price than the real price because deliberately, Admarc did not deal with the Zambian government in the transaction. Peter Mutharika is also involved in this scum which explains why he is more committed to his commission of inquiry than suspending Chaponda and the Admarc official while a private investigation firm carries out the whole process of investigation. When did commissions of inquiries appointed by Malawian presidents yield any results in the country? What are Peter Mutharikas’s aims, objectives, and motives regarding his inquiry because you can not have an inquiry while the suspected culprits in the corrupt practice are still in the office?
These DPP politicians are busy raising funds corruptly for 2019 elections instead of striving to change lives of people for the better and developing the country. We have devils in alliance in the current government who will do anything to amass wealth while the majority are reeling in poverty. It is a big mistake for Malawians to keep trusting Peter Mutharika.
The evils APM is doing to the people are enough to force him out of government through a revolution, the Egyptian style. What happened to Malawians of 1992? This man has caused enough suffering to people; I don’t think God is pleased with his leadership. Corruption in his government has reached an exponential rate and is not in reverse. We will have no country left by the time Peter Mutharika clocks 10 years in power-GOD SAVE MALAWI.
Lets wait and see
Mbava zikunyozetsa ulomwe
The commissions of enquiries are the process that most of the governments use and can not be dismissed as a waste of time. It is the same to say bringing suspected culprits to Police is a waste of time as we see them out in the streets again. People must blame those who fail to implement the findings and not the commissions themselves.
Unfortunately this is an expensive process of inquiry which could have been avoided if our opposition was clued enough to becoming proactive before wastage occurs not after. Seems it is the opposition’s strategy to let government make mistakes first to find an opportunity to point fingers kuti ife tiziti opposition ndi power!
How would the Opposition be proactive in this scam? The bottom line is Peter and George are crooked to the bone. They have thieving blood flowing in their veins starting from elections
In Parliament. They have raised the same for Brazil . Why didn’t they dig deeper for all else where maize was procured and what process was being followed?
The inquiry is just a waste of time and resources. The inquiry will not bring anything tangible. The useless so called commission of inquiry has no blessing of many Malawians.
MHRCC, CEDEP, PAC, Catholic Commission, MLS etc, can you also organise to counter the tractorgate injunction? Also, should we reach the demo stage, the list of grievances should include this as well as demand of Chasowa and Ngaunje murders conclusions and action on the K577 billion cashgate. We are ready.
IF THIS COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY IS SET UP ON GOOD FAITH, LET
THE PRESIDENT COME BACK TO MALAWIANS WITH THE RESULTS
AFTER 30 DAYS OR STOP WASTING OUR TIME.