Councillors warned against politicising development projects
District commissioner (DC) for Chiradzulu, James Manyetera, has advised councillors to desist from personalising or politicising development projects if the district is to register meaningful social and economic transformation in the next five years.
Speaking on Wednesday when he officially opened a day-long interface meeting between councillors and leaders of the community-based organisations (CBOs) in the district, Manyetera observed that development is lacking in most parts of the country because politicians tend to personalise and politicise projects.
The Pan African Civic Educators Network (Pacenet) organised the meeting with funding from the Tilitonse Fund under a project which aims addressing low levels of citizen participation in the planning, implementation and monitoring of local developmental projects at community level.
Manyetera noted that most development projects were failing to register maximum citizen participation because of the tendency by politicians to personalise them.
He said the practice disenfranchises sympathisers of other political parties and, in a way, denying them their constitutional right to economic, social, cultural and political rights as enshrined in Section 30 of the Constitution of Malawi.
“As councillors, your main role is to assist government in ensuring that all persons and peoples are enjoying their right to development and, therefore, to the enjoyment of economic, social, cultural and political rights. I, therefore, urge you to desist from personalising, politicising and discriminating based on party colours for this to be achieved,” said the DC.
Pacenet executive director, Steven Duwa, emphasised the need for the newly-elected councillors to assist in the administration of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and Local Development Fund (LDF) to ensure duty-bearers are upholding the highest standards of integrity and are addressing the pressing needs of the people.
Duwa expressed commitment to support efforts aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in Chiradzulu, Machinga, Thyolo and Luchenza municipal councils where Pacenet is implementing the Tilitonse-funded project.
