From the wall of Mzondi Lungu: Speaker is right, Malawi leaders should be open to critique

I have read the speech of Hon Richard Msowoya. Firstly he is right that there is nothing wrong for leader of opposition to criticise our president who is very weak or compromised to the extent that he orders ACB to just tour Chaponda’s house, take stolen millions to Reserve Bank then order ACB to do nothing afterwards. We now have ACB that waits for orders from above/ state house on who to arrest and who to close the file.

Am telling you if this money was found in the house of Chakwera or any opposition politician by now he could have spent four nights in maxmum security prison waiting for trial. By now MBC could be beaming how money laundering is a serious crime. By now the president would have been flexing his muscles giving speeches to the international community that he is committed to fight crime. But four days down the line after discovering 166 million kwacha kuli ziii, two weeks after commission of enquiry recommended arrests of Dr Chaponda for corruption on maizegate kuli ziiii.

The only thing that has happened is the relieving of duties of Dr Chaponda what a nice way of making it like he is fighting corruption. But look at the meaning of words to understand Dr Chaponda has been treated very generously by the president. The words of press release say the Minister is “relieved” of his duties ; they are not saying equivocally with emphasis such as ” Following the commission of enquiry findings and the allegations of money laundering Dr Chaponda’s position has become untenable” and if you look at the two you will see how nicer the ” relieving of duties ” means to both Chaponda and Peter Mutharika in keeping with the saying that our president is very much afraid of fighting corruption when it comes to his fellow corrupt DPP politicians. He knows money laundering is a serious offence but he is very much afraid and confused if Chaponda should be arrested, until today he doesn’t know what to tell donors and the nation.

That’s why I agree with Hon Chakwera that the president is working at a chameleon speed when it comes to fight corruption involving his own party or himself but he works at a speed of an antelope running wildly the moment he feels he can threaten opposition with arrests with fake information in the name of fighting corruption. The president should grow up and mature in his conduct by performing his duties above partisan politics , without having ulterior motives towards one or two and without favours when it comes to making decisions in the best interests of the nation, that’s where PeterMutharika is lacking very much.

The only thing about the speaker of parliament speech is he didn’t go as far as demanding the president to come to parliament and be explaining his decision making on some important matters such as the purchase of maize from Zambia, the awarding of oil and minerals mining contracts to foreigners dubiously and the strange contracts of tapping water from Lake Malawi to Lilongwe without feasibility studies and by the way ; to explain how billions end up in people’s houses and personal bank accounts instead of going to intended beneficiaries who are real Malawians facing hardships due to poor governance..

So Hon Msowoya I agree with you 100% on this point that

” In this country, leadership starting from the Presidency, Ministers, those of us in this house, Councilors, Civic and Traditional leaders etc, are treated with far too much respect and are sometimes feared such that it becomes a convenient barrier to accountability. Fifty three years after independence and twenty four years in the multiparty dispensation this cannot be allowed to continue and we, in this house, are the people who have to lead in changing that.”

The status quo has to change. We must make our leaders accountable!!!

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