Malawi should not invent its Guptas like Zameer Karim and Mota Engil:  Yeremiah on record

Opposition legislator Yeremiah Chihana invented himself as new loose cannon among the current cohort of Parliament during the last sitting and will be the MP to watch in general debate of the 2019/20 budget statement.

Chihana, who is the only MP for Alliance for Democracy (Aford), is standing to advance transparency and accountability.

He is on record saying that with the  level of debt, and devaluation there is need to strengthen the offices of the Auditor General, Accountant General, saying “ all of them must be appointed by this House, not even one should be appointed separately because you have changed three Auditor Generals for the past three months which was unusual.”

Chihana, Member of Parliament for Mzimba North, also called for the strengthening of the office of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

“In the board for large contracts, we do not want Malawi to invent the Guptas of Malawi, the Zameer Karim, because they have been holding large contracts which were vague,” Chihana is on record to have said in Parliament during the last sitting which approved a provisional budget.

“The contracts were vague and they did not involve the Minister of Justice, the Malawi Law Society, and the Accountants Board which is the regulator.”

Some people had accused Zuneth Sattar of Xavier Limited of being one of the benefits of business with government. But authorities cleared Sattar of any wrong doing and that his business is earned fairly and credible.

Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale and Anti Corurption Bureau director Reyneck Matemba confirmed that Sattar is clear of any wrongdoing.

Chihana,  the evaluator of former president Bingu wa Mutharika’s deceased estate,  tipped Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph Mwanamvekha to enforce strict  measures of accountability, financial management , warning that that failure to do so , his job will be” at the mercy of the Gupta families in Malawi.”

He said: “I am aware about Mota Engil, Zameer Karim, but I know you are a strong character and you will be able to waive the storm wave that is before us.”

Chihana said some of the difficult challenges that Minister of Finance is going to face; the economy is dominantly foreign controlled.

“NICO is controlled by Saman, Old Mutual is controlled in South Africa and Malawi is posting deliberate persistent deficits. You should find mechanisms to reduce these monthly deficits which we are posting month to month.”