By Cathy Maulidi:
President Lazarus Chakwera has implored the citizenry to join the war against corruption, saying this is key to quick victory.
He said this in Lilongwe yesterday, when the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) organised an Anti-Corruption symposium that was held under the theme ‘Rethinking Anti-Corruption Approaches for Malawi 2063’.
Chakwera, whose speech took him back to his old days on the pulpit, cited scriptures that focus on Prophet Elijah.
“At that time, Elijah found himself living in a country that was very corrupt. Ahab, the king, practiced corruption openly. His wife Jezebel was also so corrupt that her very name is synonymous with State corruption to this very day.
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“They ran a government so corrupt that they even went as far as corrupting the prophets in the land so that they would no longer speak truth to power. And Elijah accepted the mission and assignment from God to be an anti-corruption champion in the midst of that,” Chakwera said.
He said, at the time, Elijah believed that there was no one with integrity left and that he was the only one who could fight the corruption.
However, God told him to go back and gave him names of individuals he could enroll in the fight against corruption.
The President added that God told Elijah that, contrary to his opinion, there were at least 7,000 Israelites that were men and women of integrity, wisdom and courage.
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Chakwera said, likewise, there are still people with integrity who are willing to join the fight against corruption.
“The reason this room is full and the reason many Malawians are following this event is because there is a generation of thousands in every institution who are not corrupt and who are ready to take on the forces of corruption.
“All they are waiting for is for us to enlist them and tell them how they can help in the creation of a new Malawi that is free from corruption. And because that army exists, we must choose to turn our frustrations into hope, the kind of hope that believes that our victory against corruption is within reach and inevitable,” he said.
Meanwhile, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Titus Mvalo has revealed that the lifestyle audit manual that would guide the ACB in monitoring and tracking corrupt individuals is ready and would be sent to Cabinet soon.
“We are working on introducing [a] lifestyle audit. A draft manual on this is already ready. We hope to take it to Cabinet soon. My ministry is also reviewing legislation on Public Officers Declaration of Assets law to address current operational deficiencies. Once reviewed, this piece of legislation will change the anti-corruption terrain,” Mvalo said.
The Ministry of Justice is also in the process of developing a Whistleblower Protection Bill through the Law Commission, and it is hoped that, once enacted into law, the subsequent Act would aid the fight against corruption.
ACB Director General Martha Chizuma emphasised the need for stakeholders to focus more on corruption prevention than letting the corruption happen and, then, start fighting it.
“I’m saying corruption prevention is cheaper because, when you prevent corruption from happening, you save a lot but when you let it happen first then start fighting it, the process is very expensive,” Chizuma said.
On his part, European Union (EU) Ambassador to Malawi Rune Skinnebach said following the approval of the Extended Credit Facility by the International Monetary Fund, there would be an opening of more doors in terms of development partners that are willing to offer the much-needed budget support to bolster Malawi’s economic stability and growth.
“However, it is imperative to highlight that the disbursement of such crucial financial aid, particularly in the form of budget support, is intricately linked to the country’s demonstrated and continuous commitment to combating corruption,” Skinnebach said.
The symposium attracted leaders of international organisations, representatives of Southern African Development community member states, local civil society organisations and individuals who shed light into how to fight corruption.
