CSOs threaten civil disobedience
A group of civil society organisations (CSOs) and concerned citizens have threatened to call for popular civil disobedience if government refuses to take bold action in fighting corruption.
Among others, the CSOs are demanding the release of names of people alleged to be the biggest beneficiaries of the K230 billion Cashgate, the dismissal of the current head of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Lucas Kondowe and the reform of the law governing the bureau.
The organisations said this in Lilongwe during a press briefing held under the Forum for National Development (FND).
In a statement signed by FND chairperson Bright Kampaundi, the group further called upon government not only to follow through the resolutions of the last Public Affairs Committee (PAC) All-Inclusive Stakeholders’ Conference.
The group urged PAC to reconvene another conference to look at how the K230 billion Cashgate is being handled. They also urged Parliament to reconvene within 21 days to change the law that empowers the President to appoint the ACB director.
The CSOs also called for Kondowe’s removal, accusing him of undermining the fight against corruption.
Fryson Chodzi, one of the activists,said the order by Attorney General (AG) Kalekeni Kaphale asking State institutions not to release names of the cartel accused of being behind K230 billion Cashgate demonstrated how the cartels had influence over government.
Both Kondowe and AG Kaphale could not be reached yesterday for comment, but government spokesperson and Minister of Information Malison Ndau yesterday said Mutharika is still consulting on the issue of trimming his powers, particularly on appointment of ACB director, as stipulated in the party manifesto.
Asking for dismissal of Lucas Kondowe is not enough. The guy must be investigated to gather enough evidence of his involvement in obstructing justice by his noncommittal to execute corrupt high profile public officers and their connected business persons. If we can arrest such type of people, we will rid our nation of crookedness in the public service as everybody will be afraid of the law not afraid of the appointing authority (who might sometimes be a very compromised individual).