Malawi ‘Policegate’: Implicating Mutharika, Karim equals mob justice
Amidst the hullabaloo that has engulfed the country following the leaked document allegedly from the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), someone said Malawians are fond of passing judgment on fellow Malawians without looking at the proper merits of the issue at hand.
He equated the current ‘Policegate’ saga to the mob justice practice popular in the late 90s and early 2000 when it was enough to just shout “thief” in order to have people to descend on anyone they did not like with mob justice.
Many innocent people in our cities, town centres and even the villages lost their lives to the mob justice, which spread like wild fire that time. It was, in fact, safe for suspected thieves to seek refuge at police stations than to be caught by a mob. People knew that the likely consequences with a mob was a burning vehicle tyre around one’s neck and inevitable.
It was common for all ‘thieves’ to run to police stations for protection whenever they were chased by a mob. It was total lawlessness.
That time it was also clear that our police had also somehow lost control of the situation, and no sane Malawian would want to go back to that dark era of our history as a country, the Warm Heart of Africa.
To say that the leaked report has created so much buzz on the social as well as mainstream media is an understatement. Every Jim and Jack now thinks they have the right to wake up and comment or shout “thief” because everyone else is doing it.
Quite a majority of people now think they are capable of throwing a salvo or two at the alleged culprit because it seems to be fashionable to do so. With this kind of practice, we could be going back to the sad mob justice days of the late 90s.
The principles of natural justice demand that all sides to an issue or argument must be heard in order to cultivate facts to arrive at a fair decision acceptable by all sides.
But the way President Peter Mutharika, the governing DPP and Zameer Karim of Pioneer Investments have been tried, judged and crucified by the court of public opinion has just been frustrating and plain unfair. It is akin to the mob justice days of the late 90s when kangaroo courts roamed down the streets, and did not allow people to be heard. This is not right and we will not progress as Malawians if we continue down this path.
Pioneer Investments was registered in 2008, and Zameer Karim has been at the helm of the company for 11 good years. The company has been operating smoothly, and in conformity with accepted corporate governance rules and best practices. There was not a time over the organization’s tenure of operation that it was found to be on the wrong end of the law, and it is not about to do that now.
Like any well-meaning corporate entities, Pioneer Investments responded to a tender invitation from Police Department to supply ration-packs. Its bid was the one found to be particularly responsive because the price that the company offered was much lower than the rest of the companies that responded.
The fact that the company was awarded the tender should therefore not shock anyone because this is normally how government procurement works.
The business environment is also often dynamic. Companies the world over, including in Malawi, operate in a complicated and intertwined global village where events taking place a world away can affect economies in another continent sometimes in a profound manner.
In order to mitigate against such contingencies, an allowance for adjustment is always often provided for in public procurement to avoid losses, and it was perfectly in order for Pioneer Investments to adjust the price of the ration packs in light of prevailing economic variables. There was nothing illegal.
All over the world, donations to political parties are allowed and Malawi can never be an exception. All political parties in this country receive donations either from local or international benefactors. In fact, our laws in this country do not forbid anyone from donating to any political party in a manner they deem fit.
Zameer Karim is a Malawian of Asian origin, and just like all Malawians, he is entitled to political thought and to belong to any political party of his choice.
If Karim believes in the ideology of the DPP and felt like helping the party to advance that ideology, he was well within his human rights boundaries to donate to the party that he loves. No one could stop him.
The DPP was also within its boundaries to receive the donation because it is not illegal for political parties in this country to receive a donation of any amount from anyone.
Again, it is not stipulated in the DPP constitution about how it should operate its bank accounts or indeed how it must manage its finances. That matter is left to the leadership of the party to create a financial management framework that they think would best serve its interests.
By creating an account and making Mutharika, as President of the party, the sole signatory the DPP has done nothing illegal and was perfectly within its legal boundaries.
The party has simply crafted a perfect management framework that it thinks will better serve its interests, specifically about its headquarters building project.
The usual hypocrites and later-day naysayers should, therefore, not take this as an opportunity to act ‘holier-than-thou’ when in real sense they are engaged in real and more heinous financial malfeasance than the one they are allegedly trying to moralize against.
The social media is a good thing because it helps in the sharing of information, particularly now when we are living in the digital era of informed societies. However, the social media can also be an anathema to democracy in that some people have taken advantage of the medium to peddle hate and to inflame situations.
This is wrong and all well-meaning Malawians must not allow this to happen. It must be the duty of all of us to be our friend’s keeper so that we promote just societies; we must not use the so-called ‘policegate’ to peddle lies or promote vested interests based on narrow political agendas.
President Mutharika and the DPP did nothing wrong to accept the donation, neither did Zameer Karim by making the donation to the party. There is nothing illegal about it, nothing at all.
- Kelvin Masambo is a social and political commentator based in Blantyre
DISCLAIMER: Views expressed in this article are those of the author
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Children are being stoned to death even this day but you dare to speak as if the practice is history!! Very annoying article! Your masters are known for storing cartons of money in their houses instead of creating rehabilitation houses for juveniles to reduce juvenile criminality! Let them enjoy stolen money and wait to seen their great great grand children get stoned to death sooner or later then they will know the real feel of mob justice. REMEMBER WHAT GOES ROUND COMES ROUND. Political positions are but for a short while, If you think I am kidding ask Sadam Hussein,Hitler, and Robert Mugabe.
I beg to differ. I can honestly not state that Piooner Investments have been operating following good corporate governance rules since incorporation in 2008 as alluded to in the article. I find this line of thought faulty.
PIONEER investment is the same company that was involved in tendering and SUPPLYING FURNITURE FOR THE CHIEF SECRETARY AT MK67M.Secondly, that a party- which a corporate body, could be allowed to open an account with only one signature is means that the account into which the alleged donation was deposited is not a party account-which to me is common sense. My inference therefore is that this account is personal. The matter is made worse when the Secretary General of the party -DPP(alleged recipient) denies any knowledge of the donation by the top official who is supposed to know such transactions. Why was the donation made just after the POLICE RATION DEAL though one can argue that transactions can occur at any point? There is implied evidence that the RATION PRICING was deliberately padded with an amount meant to go back to the party.
In my court of Public Opinion, the amount in question was not meant for the DPP. This was a kick back to APM.
People like you! the author of this article are the ones supporting corruption and ruining Malawi in the long run. Nyasatimes must be ashamed for sinking so low like this. No one is passing judgement on your corruption masters. People are free to express their opinions. They can speculate as they wish because they are looking for answers
I am in total agreement with you please nyasa times stop endorsing some of these sh…….hole articles written by sick minds after they have been given sikono/ chibinladen. Don’t perpetrate suffering of ordinary Malawians in favour of the corrupt few!!!
It is people like you the author that perpetuate and support corruption in the country. Unbelievable what you say. Haven’t you noticed that every corrupt thieving dpp person when caught with bribe or fraudulently acquired money claims that it is dpp party money? And all us foolish Malawians fall for it. After that the money is shared amongst themselves.
Everyone who is serious about killing corruption in Malawi wouldn’t have followed the so obvious poor governance and lack of proper accountability that dpp, peter and pioneer did in this deal. It is a joke the way dpp manages its finances and wonder what is the point of having a treasurer general when the president is doing all the dpp money work on his own?
From this week you will see articles like these every where include in social media. DPP and state house are busy recruiting spin doctors to write articles and comments backing Peter on police gate and are paying handsomely for such articles and comments. I was approached two days ago but I refused.
Show me the way my friend I am also ready to write. Why are you voiceless on this loud crying baby who got cashgate money through the sale of a house.???????????KkkkkkkkkkYour hands are not clean.
The writer is naive!
Surely in a country where corruption is a big problem head honchos need to uphold rules of corporate governance. In the absence of the law it does not make it right for one person to be the sole signatory of an organisation. It makes the organisation the breeding ground for dubious commercial decisions. The writer of the article does not fully address the problem at hand. The problem at hand is that Malawi is riddled with politicians that are high on stealing and that needs to be addressed. I will also argue that if that is left unchecked we will continue to feature as one of the best poorest nations on earth. Don’t defend thieves regardless of their nationality. This nation has a serious problem and Mr Writer get that into your brain cells
i own a business myself and am a sole signatory in all the bank account of the business, nothing strange with that lol
the Author whatever you call yourself – your are sick.
Your article shows that there is no corruption in the world – the word corruption in your mind should be deleted. /
shame for making foolish arguements.
The article was writer by a DPP supporter. The writer is defending corruption
In a democratic world everyone is entitled to their views and opinions. The author is right to mention that he has expressed his views. To those of you calling this article rubbish and useless, shame on you. You are the very people that are killing democracy in this nation.
We should tolerate other peoples views and opinions.Variety is the spice of life.
Democracy comes with responsibility. If someone kills another person in cold blood then a writer comes defending the killer as a way of expressing their opinion, that would be utterly nonsensical. Kusapota ababa chifukwa ngantundu wathu, corrupt or no corrupt, is what is killing democracy. Mediocrity and foolishness should not be tolerated in the name of defending democracy.
Yes, democratically, everyone is entitled to their views but does that mean all views are right or correct? The view of supporting or glorifying corruption or malpractice, is that right or good for the country?
Similarly all of us are entitled to freedom of speech but we have to be careful with what we say because we can be sued if we make false allegations. But it is still freedom of speech.
The corruption here is so blatantly obvious, please don’t defend the indefensible. Cash gate being repeated all over again as some of expected it to continue under this thieving dpp govt.
Peter claim he doesn’t take all his salary but he knows he makes more from corruption. Again trying to fool Malawians.
Like Bingu said, Malawians are only warm-hearted to foreigners, Ndiife ankhanza kwa a Malawi anzathu. Our thinking and mentality is so dangerous that even in the next 200 years we wont see any positive strides. We enjoy when our neighbour zamuonekela, thats why kuli mau oti “Neba uziona”. Our neighbours naturally are our enemies. Regardless how you look at it, our mindset will hold us back forever we all have a mob mentality thinking and so far it has not benefitted us, look at how we hate each other in the communities.
The only thing that a Malawian is capable of is Hate, love is way too complicated for a complicated creature like a Malawian, SAD! Ndiife onyasa mitima ngati ma comments a pa Nyasatimes
What ever u call urself ur worse than a man who has stoneheart, ur more than a monster! How could do shielding this pathetic illuminati blood suckers regime!? Do u really have any i dear what ur defending!? Yes everyone has the right to express his/her view that’s absolutely true, but u need to see the argument first before u get ur ass involved! Coz this is serious issue and let me remind u that only this tym u and me can take action is now coz after next year if nothing get done now! 17+ million Malawian will continue to living in stinking shitholes poverty cos of little bootlikers lyk u. Now listen if ur benefited from this regime lucky u! But what u need to do now is to SHUT FUCKUP!! Let pple express their concern. Hope u got it!
Tiye uko iwe. Mbuzi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want us to be smiling at corruption. Malawi is still the poorest country on earth even by 2017 statistics. One reason is because money meant for the poor goes into corrupt politicians like ambuyako a Peter Mutharika.
DPP ikulowera ukoooo!Tikungoiwona nsana okha.
Anthu okuba awa ndipo atisautsa mdziko muno. Ulendo wakundende 2019 kulibe kulila apa. Mwatha basi
You were given a difficult task Kelvin, even you Master would not be impressed considering the facts on the ground. Sure a poor attempt, VERY POOR!!
You said it all, my man!
VERY TRUE SIR I LIKE YOUR COMMENT. NO LAW FORBIDE DONATIONS TO POLITICAL PARTY AND NO LAW IN MALAWI THATSAY A PRESIDENT CANNOT BE SOLE SIGNATORY TO A PARTY HE/SHE LEADS .IN MALAWI LETS LEARN TO BE LEARN TO TALK THE TRUTH ANY POLITICAL PARTY IN MALAWI HAS ITS DONORS/FUNDERS BASED ON ITS IDEOLOGIES. DPP IS ALSO PARTY AS ANY PARTY OPERATING IN MALAWI IT HAS ITS WELL WISHERS, FRIENDS, DONORS AND ADMIRERS. IT IS A PROBLEM TO RECEIVE DONATIONS JUST BECAUSE IT IS RULING PARTY AND ITS PRESIDENT IS A STATE PRESIDENT WHO SIGNS CHEQUES FOR THE PARTY. LEAVE THING SOLE SIGNATORY ARRANGEMENT TO THE OWNERS OF THE PARTY NOT YOU TALKING.
That is not the issue. We are saying this corruption. Read the report from ACB. Pioneer investment connived with the police, manipulated the figures and then deposited in APM sole account. Can you see that there was communication between APM and this thief Indian called Karim?
What else can complicit say?
So what is your point here Mr Kelvin Masambo?I don’t understand what you are trying to elaborate here,it is a total useless story and article
The Problem of Our Nation is not having old Leaders or having Corrupt leaders, OUR PROBLEM IS LACK OF LOVE or UNSELFISHNESS.
You can agree with me that even those that are pointing fingers at those in authority are not doing so with pure motives. They also are doing that with selfish reasons.
The spirit of selfishness is what is in authority.
Lets wake up.
LOVE IS MISSING hence all the problems we are facing. it is if and only if men start loving one another we will never have leaders who will please all people.
Ideal leaders will never appear in reality. It is only in our imagination that we have ideal leaders.
You cant compare a cat and a tiger, you cant compare a Corruption allegation against petty thieving. As far as I remember in the 90s there were no free for all killings of suspects as potrayed by the writer. The Police Gate issue is a factual case which has evidence that even the ACB has accepted handling the case and are in a process of disciplining the officers who leaked the information to the PRESS. No one has judged anyone, people are just crying, people in authority are using their position to enrich themselves against many suffering Malawians. We are all crying, our economy is struggling, there is high rate of unemployment, there is no medicine in hospitals, Teachers are not getting paid in time and school infrastructures are appalling . I can go on and on to describe our situations as worse as if we are a country in War, yet our Politicians are walloping in riches conniving with foreigners to inflate contracts, they have become instant businessmen selling and winning contract in statutory corporations, employing their children in Goverment, posting their relatives in diplomatic missions abroad. My brother if you are fine with what is taking place in DPP Government or you are a beneficiary, leave us alone, enjoy your loot, but dont stop us from pointing out evil and we will fight, expose, and persecute the corrupt officers once they will be voted out, evidence is there.
Bandits are fighting against each other……and useless supporter want a share in corrupt money….they fear that their corrupt employments abroad will vanish…….they are happy to see Malawians suffuering…….they belong to dark world…..
Kelvin Masambo you are a disgrace to Malawi. Uzingodya ndalama zako za DPP but you should not waste our precious time with your stupid arguments. To the hell with your trash…
At least some sensible thinking from Kelvin Masambo. Malawians are now the biggest consumers of fake news. Well done for bringing a different perspective.
I am failing to understand what is happening in Malawi. How can you stand so low to back the trash which is taking place in this country. Shame on you! Our vote will be the Judgde come 2019.
No substance here. Your article is utter rubbish. Do the right thing for yourself and your loved country by putting in your immediate resignation and apology to the nation.
Very good reasoning Kelvin. This police gate thing could be a hoax just like the maizegate. We saw the characters that were championing the maizegate going to team up with their masters. Soon we will see those propagating the policegate realigning with their masters.
About political donation, that too has been ably explained. Recently MCP raised K75 million and none of their donors were disclosed. MCP’s recent expenditure, including the cost of holding illegal convention, is more than K75 million. Where has the excess come from? As usual our biased CSOs don’t see anything as usual and they are enjoying their slumber. JB received a donation of 22 vehicles from undisclosed “well wishers” and no CSOs made any noise because at that time people people like Sembereka and others mitu ya mbuzi inali mkamwa sakanatha kulankhula. The cost of 22 brand new vehicles 6 years ago was already more than K145 million. Again no one said anything.
We will respect the constitution; a presidential term is 5 years with a possible re election for another 5 year term and that is what Malawians are going to do in May 2019. Osamvera mbuli zosadziwa malamulo a dziko zomwe zikulota za early election.
Another bandwagon.Mbuli ndiweyo
Shame on you!!!!!
The writter shud also ask questions like,is the government ready to try pipo mention in this skandal so that justice take its course.
Mr. Kelvin you are trying to defend the undefendable, if you have morals as a typical Malawian you will ask yourself these simple questions: why does a sitting president have an account at Standard Bank in the name of another entity? Why is he the only signatory to the account? Why would a supplier deposit 145,000,000 in secret to this account? When did companies start making donations in secret ? what are its motives.Mr.Kelvin 145 Million is not a small amount of money others are in jail for cashgating the similar amounts. why would a supplier make such a big deposit. Is the 145million not 10% of the net contract value.Is this the only supplier who deposits 10% to this account.What’s the net value of this account? we need these answers from ACB and Mr Kelvin tell those who have sent you that their time is coming to an end in 2019 as the youth will stop this at all cost
And why did the Police make an undertaking to remit MWK970 million for a tender not yet advertised and awarded to Pioneer Investments? How sure was the police that the tender would be won by Pioneer Investments in a competitive bidding? The writer is really shallow minded. Wasn’t it the same DPP which went to town over Joyce Banda being the beneficiary of Lutepo’s corrupt loot?
You see Mr Masambo, evidence will show that our president is a corrupt being. We will prove that the president is the sole beneficiary of the loot. Even if he used part of the loot for DPP activities, he personally benefits in the final analysis. Because of the “contributions” he makes from this account, he is regarded as a benevolent leader that his party stalwarts would bar anyone competing against him. After all, DPP is synonymous with the Muthalikas that you cannot separate the two. The party is the Muthalika’s vehicle for corruptly amassing personal worth. It is therefore unthinkable to think that the president did not personally benefit from the loot.
Booty-licker!!!!
How much have you been paid to write this Public Relations trash? You are among the the people who do not love mother Malawi. Please attend a governance course and re-do your write up
Akupatsa zingati Kelvin kuti upange damage control?
Inu a Kelvin Masambo, author of this article is another DPP handclapper. Have you worked for an Asian or Indian before? He cant give that such huge amount of money as a donation out of nothing, it was part of the inflated amounts attached to the contract which was pre arranged as one of the conditions for Karim to get the ration contract. That is what DPP government is good at – PERIOD. This is just one of many deals DPP is using to milk poor Malawians – the tax payers money.
Kelvin Masambo is another stupid guy. Giving and receiving isn’t bad BUT people are talking about the originality of transaction. Mbava iwe eti you mean all these people do not know what they are talking about?
Kelvin Masambo, you are 100% entitled to your opinion whether by critical mind or by blue colour. What the public is engulfed in discussion is no hearsay but emanates from the sources empowered with investigative jaws. The report was at first dismissed later own accepted by you know who. Every individual is assumed innocent until proven otherwise yes but this maxim does not deter us from thinking. The mathematics in this saga is simply not adding up that is why we are making the conclusions that somebody has fattened his belly. I would also conclude that your article is a mob justice too since you are defending the indefensible. Can we wait for the logical conclusion of the matter, of course that does not stop us from commenting and ”opinionating”.
So the author plans to hoodwink us into believing this nonsense that they have written. Utter nonsense what you have written here sir, garbage to say the least. It is idiotic views as these that have left Malawi and Malawians in the devastating state that they are now in. You should be ashamed of yourself for trying to cover up the stench of corruption by saying it’s within their right.
So you what do you want to tell us here exactly? Your presidemt is the only person who can access the account out of all those cohots, are we wrong to suggest that he is as corrupt as his fellow lomwe George Chaponda? Do you really know money laundering? Do you know how people will wash dirty money into clean money?(cleanse) Man be honnest enough out of the whole clew of gogos the party cant choose at least 2 extra to access the party account? This is stupid enough! People were burned because people are tired with injustice. You labour for 12years just to buy a tv screen and some decides to steal from you in just hours without considering your poverty and pain you paid to get that thing, do you think its easy? Do not blame the tired malawians blame the failled government of peter and goodal gondwe plus chaponda which cannot provide even the basic needs of the poor people in times of need. If everyony is free why is the rulling partys young cardets beating up opposition members everywhere? Did you consider the position of malawi before writing or you just want to make it aday? Rubbish!
You are right. It is views like those of this author that drive people to mob justice. The author is busy defending the thieving president instead of sympathizing with the public whose money has been corruptly appropriated by the president and his cronies. How would parents of the kids who died after a wall fell on them in Mayaka feel? Wouldn’t the MWK145 million built a much safer classroom for their kids? The police involvement does the least to help matters. Here is an institution that is supposed to uphold the rule of law but is at the centre of shady deals. Where would people run to for justice? Wouldn’t they resort to mob justice seeing that corrupt individuals are left scot-free?
You spent a good amount of times to write this, I would like to believe that you still have enough to write one about JB who without being proved guilty people have commented about her alleged corruption to the point of the police telling us that they have an arrest warrant. About the donation, as you would like to believe it was, this was actually a bribe. Keep own defending APM and his DPP, the mob out there thinks differently and fortunately, they will not be able to read your good apologetics
The issue is not on donations, but how he donated, after what was it a donation or sharing the proceedings, don’t twist the issue here, I know you are one of the beneficiary or you want to, such kind of thinking is making Malawi home of thieves
I like that; and let us please leave personal hatred and political opportunism at the door. Indeed, let us have “judgments” based on evidence, and not on opinion.
Indeed, the connection from the donation to the Party is straight forward; but to the President, personally, it is really only through the principle of tortuosity, at best.
The arguments advanced in the piece could also be presented as follows:-
– are we a nation of modern laws or not?
– are we a nation of patient citizens or people who met out mob justice?
– are we a people who support fair justice, based on natural and constitutional laws?
– are we stooping so low as to prejudge a person, under the law, just because he or she is NOT part of the majority race in this country?
– do we have freedom of association, so that we don’t deny anyone the legal rights of choice?
– are we (insert your own words to reflect tolerance in this modern world)…?
Warning: we do seriously risk reverting to the injustice that run amok during the dictatorship of MCP and Kamuzu Banda. The laws were 100% skewed in favor of the dictator’s PERSONAL wishes; and the courts were, essentially, his rubber stamps. Do we want that? Do we really want that?
Kkkkkkk am failing to understand what you have written? What’s your point anyway?
Unfortunately, if your perspective is the truth, you will still be judged as being in defence of the so called thieves.
Banzi akudyetsa ija siunamezebe?
The foolishness of some people is astounding. How can one equate the “cry of the people to have this crook of a president to resign” to “mob justice”? There was no tender as the police already convinced the bank to give a loan to this mmwenye in February, months before the so called tender was out. Kodi a Malawi ndinu otani? No wonder the country is third from the bottom, coz if those who can read and write still have faith in this Profisi Muthakorika nde eetu!
The guy called Kelvin Masambo is very naïve
The leaked documents have clean evidence for Kelvin to have used to make up his opinion. But he chooses to neglect the evidence and backs up a thieve. Fortunately the thieve is covered by his secure public accommodation (Palaces). If it was not for that the mob justice would have appropriately applied on the thieve and his cronies.
Please peace loving Malawians let us not be misguided by Kelvin. All is wrong in this deal.