Nankhumwa disputes K1.3tn DPP plunder as ‘propaganda’: Encourages President Laz to prioritize nation-building
Leader of opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa, who is also Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice president in the southern region has distanced the party from reported plunder of public resources when it was in power, saying if the claims by President Lazarus Chakwera that DPP has looted K1. 3 trillion from the state purse, the government could have collapsed long ago.
Speaking at a news conference Tuesday morning in Lilongwe, Nankhumwa said Chakwera is buying this excuse and narrative to effect his “politically motivated” arrests on opposition DPP officials.
“The President clearly deceived the nation that the DPP government misappropriated and mismanaged a total sum in excess of MK1 trillion.
“President Chakwera must be informed that if an economy, as small as ours, was robbed of that sum of money, his administration would not have found any penny in the government coffers,” he said, flanked by former minister of finance Joseph Mwanamvekha, DPP legal advisor Charles Mhango and the party’s deputy publicity secretary, Zeria Chakale.
Nankhumwa, dubbed the voice of reason in DPP, said President Chakwera based his allegations on the ‘Report of the Auditor General on the Government of the Republic of Malawi for the Year Ended 30th June, 2019’, saying the report of the Auditor General does not say that the DPP government stole government money.
He said the said report on page 9 is talking about non-compliance by ‘individual ministries, departments and agencies.’
The leader of the opposition said the report talks of delays in paying contractors: K13, 220,855,182.3, payment vouchers without supporting documents (Poor record keeping): K8, 660,464,313.21, abandonment of construction works: K1, 263,478,836.39, under Collection of Revenue: K1, 207,032,445.74, stores not accounted for: K762, 260,739.61, failure to maintain proper revenue records: K610, 879,500, suspicious long standing pensioners: K590, 766,657.28 misallocations of Public Funds: K 454,333,543.56, revenue Spent at Source: K425, 727,406.87.
He said from the above information, it is clear that there is no mention of DPP stealing money anywhere.
“What is clear from the President’s address is a desperate attempt to mislead the nation on matters of management of the economy, obviously taking advantage of people’s ignorance on the same,” he said, adding that the audit report will be presented before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee for scrutiny and the truth will be made bare.
Nankhumwa said one wonders how a delay in paying a contractor and under collection of revenue could become theft.
The leader of opposition said the move by Chakwera is just a political propaganda to dent the DPP image and sway the public misgivings against the unpopular cabinet that Chakwera has put in place.
“We have seen nepotism of the highest order, he wants people to lose focus on the unrealistic promises his party made during the campaign period, such universal Secondary education; the cost of obtaining a Passport to be at MK14,000.00; creation of one Million jobs; cheap fertilizers to all Malawians (MK4,900 per 50kg bag) removal of fees to all institutions of higher learning; duty free week every year; free water connections; free electricity connections; and construction of 400 roads in the first 8 months,” he said.
Nankhumwa said he has got the impression that Chakwera may not be well conversant with the financial operations of government.
The opposition leader said Chakwera is now the President and can do what he wants as long it is within the confines of the rule of law and good governance.
“President Chakwera should start working towards fulfilling the promises he made, otherwise, Malawians will not forgive him if he fails to deliver on his promises because he was busy blaming and arresting members of the previous governments,” he said.
Nankhumwa said Chakwera must prioritize nation-building and that his thirst for settling political scores against DPP will be counterproductive.
He reminded President Chakwera and his government that Malawi is facing the most difficult challenges amid the Covid-19 19 health crisis and that it was important that collective efforts and energy are expended on saving our people from this pandemic “instead of witch-hunting and persecution against perceived political enemies”.
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oKY CHABWINO TANVA SI 1 TRILLION AYI YACHULUKA NDE TIUZENI NOKHA MUNABA ZINGATI? MWAULEMU
The promises that the Tonse alliance made were based on the country’s GDP and our tax base, assuming that the money is available and not in pockets of thieves.
Am sure that the way the Tonse alliance has started they will deliver their promises, the list mr Nankhumwa can do is to help the Tonse alliance government to recover all the stolen money that him and the DPP government failed to stop.
Can Nankhumwa tell the Malawi nation how the DPP cadets and party women ended up on government payroll? If DPP was not involved in the looting…..
Idiot Nankhumwa, payment vouchers without supporting documents, whats that? Do u know accounting procedures? How can you make payment without supporting documents? What are you paying for? That is stealing? Just be quite. I thought you were in government, can fertilizer be bought over night? 3weeks in government you wanted anthu ayambe kugula subsidised fertilizer? How can that be possible? Mesa boma liyenera kugula kaye fertilizer then people should start buying. Zina ukunenazo zingachitike bwanji popanda budget? I thought you as leader of opposition you should know well that some of the expenditure will only happen after budget, which is… Read more »
You don’t know what you are saying. Ifmis does not produce payment without supporting documents. It is rather misplacement in filling of vouchers
Malemia is too noisy these days. Can someone follow up the certificate issue. He may spend some time in the cooler to be the voice of opposition from there.
My faith and respect for Kondwani Nankhumwa has just gone down the toilet!!!
How much did You Steal ….If we audit your Wealth will it be proportional to your Businesses and Taxes you have been paying ….Munatibera kokwana pano Mitema iri mmwamba ….What were you doing to Allow all this Rot that we are seeing .Kulipira msonkho ndi kuphweteka ndi Wina azingotapa ..
….Just like that ?At One time people were shocked when You distributed Bicycles Mr Leader of Opposition ….Namafunsani kuti Ndalama zake Ziti ?
Ok Bwana Nankhumwa you may have a point. But the issues stated are a clear indictment of your colleague Mwananvekha’s incompetency in that he was not in control at Finance.Can you please, in the meantime, comment a little on the rot at ESCOM, MACRA, MERA, MRA, Kammwamba Project, Chisale unexplained wealth etc. To some of us these happenings are proof that DPP were out to bring Malawi to its knees and I shudder to think what was going to happen were you given another mandate to rule the country.
There was a time I used to think that Nankhumwa was someone who could think but alas, the idiot has no brains! Chakwera is basing his One trillion theft from the Malawi govt coffers by DPP based on the audit reports. It is not Chakwera who does the interpretation but the experts in the area and Nankhumwa has the audacity to parry these findings! If you know Nankhumwa well, he is soft spoken But a croook. He is the same idiot who just before the Fresh Presidential Elections had predicted ‘a Landslide for the DPP’ ; the same man who… Read more »
If the audit report is for the last 6 years then 1.3T is less than K250 Million per year. There are DPP thieves that have more than K200 Million in their personal accounts. Also keep in mind that some money was not looted from Govt transactions but diverted through shady deals like the cement saga.
DPP is a child of corruption. DPP was born after Bingu whom Bakili Muluzi corruptly imposed as leader of UDF left UDF to form DPP. So DPP is a child of a corrupt union between Bakili and Bingu.
Autupele has reversed the process by going into an unholy alliance with DPP. Filth breeds filth. Those in DPP who are aspiring to lead DPP, be warned that Autupele too wants to lead DPP. So who wins?