Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima says Malawi will continue to pay huge economic costs of moral decadence unless citizens work together towards transformation.
He said this on Tuesday when he gave a public lecture to students at Chancellor College’s Department of Philosophy titled ‘Addressing Moral Decadence: Towards an Effective Compliance and Ethic Programme’.
Chilima observed that moral decay, including corruption, accelerates conflict between ethics and the law in all sectors of the economy.
“Adherence to ethical standards or moral conduct is the norm not the exception. But despite this full realisation, we still find ourselves caught in this trap such that these malpractices take the shape of normalcy and become a way of life.
“Individuals that are appointed to hold senior positions of influence eventually lose control over the organisations they represent because they are obsessed with external attachments.” he said.
The Veep explained that both government and the private sector have fuelled corruption and abuse of resources as responsible officers and employees do not take full ownership of possessions at their disposal.
He then commended the faculty of humanities at the Chancellor College for introducing a programme on ethics and morality, arguing that students who graduate from the faculty will help to instil honesty and transparency in the workplace.
Speaking earlier, Chancellor College Principal Professor Richard Tambulasi said the course, introduced two years ago, will equip students with knowledge on how to identify moral challenges in all spheres of life, including governance, and help them identify workable solutions.
