MCP tears apart Corrupt Practices Bill
Main opposition, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has torn apart the government presented Corrupt Practices Bill, saying it still gives powers to the President to appoint the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) among others.
MCP spokesperson on Legal Affairs in parliament Maxwell Thyolera told the National Assembly that the government has just devised a new way for the President to appoint the director for the graft-busting body.
The bill says that when a vacancy occurs for the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the minister of Justice shall constitute an appointing panel which shall appoint three names to be presented to the President who will in turn appoint one person as director.
However, the bill also says the President shall have the powers to veto all the three names.
The appointing panel, according to the bill, shall comprise of people from the public sector, the private sector, the faith community and the media, those that are in ACB strategy.
However, Thyolera said the President should not have powers to reject all the three names, saying he could do it to manipulate the system so that a person he wants be appointed.
Thyolera also said the bill should explicitly say which professional bodies from the public sector, the private sector, the faith community and the media should be mandated to interview the future director, saying the President can appoint his loyalists for the exercise so that they appoint a person the president wants.
However, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Samuel Tembenu said the new bill takes away the powers from the President of appointing the director of ACB.
He said his office would now be mandated to advertise for the post in newspapers and the appointing panel would select three successful candidates before the president appoints one.
“The appointed person would still be subjected to scrutiny by the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament,” he said.
Both State Vice-President SaulosChilima of UTM party and Lazarus Chakwera of the MCP have openly said once voted into power in May, 2019, they would ensure that they have nothing to do with the appointment of the director of ACB, saying they would leave it to parliament or any other independent body.
A cross section of Malawians feel the current ACB is shielding corrupt officials in the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led government.
Another contentious issue is the donation of K145 million to DPP and five vehicles worth K85 million from unscrupulous Indian businessman Zameer Karim.
State House denies any wrong doing by the President, saying Mutharika did not benefit personally.
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The opposition is not happy with this bill because they don’t believe that they will win elections in this country one day. To them DPP is the government forever. So once they hear something about government, something tells them that DPP will be just the ruling party forever and that they will never ever be a government one day. BTW, parliament is not an independent institution. Parliamentarians are politicians and they have their political parties they work for. In fact, the reality is that there is no any other independent institution. It just doesn’t exist. This bill is more improved… Read more »
@ JFK
With archaic and lousy people like you and leaders who think like you, do we have to ask questions why Malawi is in retrogression and lagging miles behind its neighbors ?. Malawi surely could have been a much better place without misfits like you otherwise with people like you and leaders like those running Malawi now we are closer to Sentenel community than to any progressive community on this planet. Why can’t we do and have systems that define modernity and progression other than doing stupid politics all the time. .
Bravo MCP and opposition musalole, we dont want a repeat of K145m zameer karim scandal and also k85m cars from the same person. We are tired of this most ever corrupt government. Musole bill imeneyo ibwerere basi akayambirenso. Atitola ife amalawi eti? kutiwona kufatsa eti? chilichonse president president, za ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Inu zoti Chilima anati tazisiyani Kaye chifukwa mukulu uyu ndiyomwe uja anakana kulandila chikalata cha ma CSO chamadandaulo a corruption komanso anthu Ali mukulu mwakemo ndiomwe aka anakana bill imeneyi muparliament asanawalande maundindo months achina Kaliati, Ngalande komansoMsowoya asanathawe Mia. Mwina angazapange zimenezo ndi Chakwela
Does DPP think they will be in power for ever and still want the president to have appointing power? Zosiyilana izi, muchoka 2019!
The President should have nothing to do with the appointment of the Director of the ACB. Full stop.
so the president still want to appoint ACB director?
Nkhufi zakuba zokhazokha za DPP sizikuona cholakwika. This issue has been discussed at length now what the government should have done was to follow advice and detach this ACB from them not what they are proposing.
Apart from frustrating fighting corruption through maintaining the appointing powers I don’t see the rationale for insisting to have the president actively or passively engage in the appointment process. I wonder why the govt has consistently prevented rational change of the Corrupt Act; after all this bill as presented is not consistent with the 2014 DPP manifesto
The truth about this issue is that DPP cannot survive without stealing this vice it’s in their DNA. No wonder they are up against the NGO’s.