Mutharika hits at Chilima on Bloomberg: ‘Massive corruption thing has become more of a cliché’

Malawian President Peter Mutharika has  defended his record in tackling corruption fending off accusations from Vice-President Saulos Chilima that his administration is  riddled with corruption, nepotism and cronyism.

Chilima quit the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on June 6, alleging that “nepotism, cronyism and corruption are rampant” in one of the world’s poorest nations, and that only those with political connections are benefiting.

But in an interview with Bloomberg News, President Mutharika, is quoted saying that the issue of graft is being used to score political points ahead of next year’s elections.

Mutharika wondered why Chilima is faulting the government he has served for four years , this time around.

“That’s something that people ought to ask him, that after four years in the government, why are you only seeing corruption now? He needs to say where it is,” said Mutharika as quoted by Bloomberg News.

Mutharika said he had made it clear that graft isn’t acceptable.

He said he’d fired a senior cabinet minister [Goerge Chaponda]  who was implicated in wrongdoing, refused to shield senior several government and party officials from investigations and backed greater independence for the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

“We are fighting corruption,” he said. “The massive corruption thing has become more of a cliché, it’s political now. It’s a collective effort. If we all work together we can stop this scourge, but not one person.”

Bloomberg reported that Chilima —who remains Vice-President until the end of his term next May— declined a request for an interview.

But the former chief executive officer of mobile-network operator Airtel Malawi , who is reportedly going to bid for the presidential job, has been consistent in his blistering attack on the plunder of the country’s wealth but has not mentioned names of those responsible for the wrongdoing.

Chilima, however, called for an amendment of a constitutional provision that shield a sitting President from criminal prosecution.

Chiradzulu North member of Parliament (MP) Willet Kalonga (a member of the so-called Chilima Movement) had given a notice to table a Private Member’s Motion to amend Section 91(2) of the Constitution to remove the provision that gives a sitting President immunity.

But on a day designated for Private Member’s Motion, Thursday, the legislator failed to turn up in the House to move his motion.

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