Roman Catholic Bishops under the banner Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) says corruption has worsened under President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance.
ECM made the sentiments in a pastoral letter issued on Monday 10th of October titled: ”A call to hearken to the cry of poor Malawians”.
According to the l letter, corruption has now become an accepted way of doing things in Malawi and it causing havoc across several arenas of governance and service provision.
“In line with the Tonse Alliance campaign promises, Malawians expected the Government and relevant agencies entrusted with leading the fight against corruption to decisively and effectively combat this social ill that has become a cause for worry.
“The way the fight against corruption is being waged is posing more questions than answers: Is there a serious cooperation and coordination among government institutions mandated to deal with corruption?
“Why is there lack of noticeable progress on many corruption cases that involve the politically and business connected?
Why are there long delays in any action being taken in response to reports submitted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to the relevant authorities? Who is being protected? Whose interests are being served?
Are the seemingly public actions against the graft done in good faith or are they meant to serve the hidden political interests of a few?,” reads the letter in part
The letter further said: “We are of the view that honest and decisive leadership on corruption, especially regarding high profile cases and high profile persons, would send a resounding signal of serious determination to eliminate corruption in Malawi.
“It is also the Church’s considered view that certain bureaucratic elements within the legal and institutional framework have deliberately derailed the fight against corruption.
“Malawians expect the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the Directorate of Public
Prosecutions (DPP), the Attorney General, the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) and the
Fiscal Police to work together to serve the public interests when discharging their functions and
obligations.
“We, the Catholic Bishops in Malawi, are deeply disturbed to note that some of the
long-time defenders of the poor of the poorest in our country have now become spokespersons of the powerful and the rich – leaving the weakest citizens of our country groping in the dark alone in search of economic justice.
“While we appreciate the complex and complicated nature of systematic and organized corruption, we call upon all those tasked with its elimination to do their duty without delay on behalf of the citizens of Malawi.”
During the fresh presidential elections campaign, the Tonse Alliance-led administration promised to fight corruption.
The Pastoral Letter has come at the right time though a bit late after most of the government framework has been dilapidated and compromised and indeed been corrupted. In our culture as Africans we have a saying that “Nkhuku imaonera kholo kuipitsira nyumba”. I’ve always said it in the past that there’s no way the head will not know what is happening to the rest of the body unless the nerves and all systems that comprise a mass called ‘Body’ is dysfunctional. In short, the disease making rounds in government today is a deep rooted malaise which has now become institutionalised because of lack of direction, responsibility and leadership. I must hasten to say the Pastoral Letter fell short of declaring that there is no leadership in Tonse Alliance and that being the case, to repair the existing inefficiency and deficiency, the country requires fresh minds that is corrupt free and prepared to work on behalf of the poor in the villages. What we have seen since that inauguration at Kamuzu Barracks has been nothing but substandard leadership with zero policies, direction and integrity. Hollow and unfulfilled promises with their rhetorical podium empty speeches.
The problems created will not mysteriously disappear in thin air without ourselves trying to bring about sanity as a people. Unfortunately, that cannot be achieved by the current administration who all along were afforded guidance, advice and all the assistance there was but was not heeded. Actually the appointments that were made were all wrong. One cannot tell me that in all those 9 Tonse Alliance parties all are dunderheads who can’t think as normal people. If that is what it is then we are in big trouble. All in all the mistake was made by us the owners of the country who chose to entrust the management of a country, which was at one point respected internationally, to a mere Chipiku Sales Clerk who in his entire life had not held an office, let alone lead a group of subordinates. The product of his inabilities is the real calamities Malawi is going through now. You can’t say the country doesn’t have the capacity to make money because the little there’s is what is being wasted on trivial programs and baseless overseas trips, even local trips within the country costs tax payers money because wherever he goes he takes with him Support Staff. All those useless things undertaken in the name of the Malawi Government is observed by the same international donors you meet for monetary assistance with a begging bowl in hand without any shame. That being the case, which mad person can continue funding a country that refuses to develop for reasons best known by the leadership?
The cumulative abyss created by the current government will continue to grow because to fill those gaping holes is an enormous task which will take time to accomplish. The group which is there has been tried and they have miserably failed. If more time is given to them I am sure that will be the end of Malawi. Everything will ground to a halt and the existing problems will double. People are already dying in hospitals, there is no fuel to drive businesses, power generation is a luxury these days, there is a forecast of hunger next year due to poor planning, companies who could reduce unemployment are closing shop, forex has gone south, there is no solution as it were other than pleading with IMF for more loans to squander. The country’s administration needs a rapid fix and that should be done now.