Undule rubbishes Concerned Citizens for asking donors to stop assisting Malawi
Governance and Human Rights Expert Undule Mwakasungula has rubbished and described as unpatriotic a call by Concerned Citizens to the donor community and international partners to stop providing financial support to the Malawi Government.
In an interview on Saturday, Mwakasungula warned that it is ordinary Malawians who stand to suffer should the development partners heed such unpatriotic calls.
“Much as I do not agree with all what the Tonse Alliance government is doing in governing the country more for their executive arrogance and rampant corruption, but calling for halting financial support will be disastrous for the country which is already struggling economically. This is unpatriotic call,” reads part of the statement.
Mwakasungula further argued that stopping financial aid has ‘never created an atmosphere of the desired and anticipated change in any country’, citing what happened in Zimbabwe where, for years, has been under international economic sanctions, but with limited impact to influence reforms or change for the good of the people.
He said sanctions have more sustained and solidified the existence of the oppressive ruling government at the expense of the suffering people of Zimbabwe.
“Therefore, calling for stopping financial aid will more impact negatively on the people of Malawi rather those in leadership. If the donors and international community wish to use aid as a weapon to facilitate the much desired change then let them target specific individuals as a means of sending a message to the leadership in defence of our tax payers money as we see government negative actions in protecting resources meant for the people of Malawi,” said the renowned human rights activist.
He pleaded with the development partners to continue engaging with the country’s leadership based on the understanding of promoting principles of national sovereignty so that they must not be seen as interfering in Malawian own affairs.
Mwakasungula stressed that this does not mean undermining that the donor community and international partners have the right to question how Malawi is being governed more in the fight against corruption and on accountability so as to protect their taxpayers’ money channelled to us in form of aid to help improves the lives of the people of Malawi.
“Malawi has the chance for economic recovery and prosperity for everyone, but only if we are more focused with sincere commitment in fighting the rooted cancer of corruption which is draining billions of much public resources meant for the people of Malawi,” thus he concluded.
