CSOs want action on reforms report

Days after a hitherto highly-guarded Public Service Systems Review Report leaked, some civil society organisations (CSOs) have given President Lazarus Chakwera seven days to authenticate it and provide progress status since 2021.

Speaking during a news conference in Mzuzu yesterday, the CSOs said failure to make it public would be tantamount to undermining democratic values of transparency and accountability, thereby raising doubts about the sincerity of efforts to reform the public service.

Youth and Society executive director Charles Kajoloweka, who led the CSOs’ team, said the absence of a transparent implementation strategy and secrecy surrounding the report raises doubts about the sincerity of these efforts.

He said: “We urge President Chakwera to confirm the authenticity of the leaked report within seven days and pursue its recommendations as part of his constitutional fiduciary responsibility to the people of Malawi.

“The Minister of Finance must present the reforms report in Parliament for debate during this sitting. Further, government should facilitate an all-inclusive stakeholders’ summit within 60 days to present the report, its implementation plan, and progress made.”

Flanked by Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace national coordinator Boniface Chibwana and Centre for Social Transparency and Accountability executive director Willy Kambwandira, Kajoloweka said the proposed summit would provide a platform for stakeholders to assess progress, identify challenges, and propose solutions.

Chipping in, Chibwana said government used public resources to come up with the report, as such, any continued refusal to make it public raises accountability questions.

On his part, Kambwandira said the endemic abuses of allowances, procurement, and employment contracts across the public sector, cannot be dealt with due to government’s actions.

He said: “How do we check the progress of the report? Do we have to allow legislators and others to continue pocketing double allowances? Be paying fees of children of executive managers for parastatals? Do we have to continue wasting money through dubious allowances?”

Coalition against Corruption chairperson Moses Mkandawire said in the event of unresponsiveness and disregard of call for action, they will consider all options at their disposal to unify the national voice for State accountability.

But Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu said there was nothing to comment on the report because neither the State House nor the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) nor his ministry have released any report.

He said: “On the call for an all-inclusive meeting, the President will not get tired of engaging stakeholders to provide advice using the already existing channels. Should there be a need for an all-inclusive one, the future will tell, but for now we will use existing means of soliciting views.

“We need to remember that it is the President who sanctioned the reforms, and when he gets such reports, he uses his wisdom. We have steady fuel supply, projects are progressing, teachers and health workers being recruited and promoted because the President applies wisdom.”

During the launch of the 2023-25 National Action Plan for Open Government Partnership last June, the President said the report was not for public consumption, but a reference for his administration.

The report highlights that money lost through abuse of allowances is estimated to be in billions of kwacha which could advance many development projects and create fiscal space for improved salaries and better conditions of service across the public service.

Further, the report recommends abolition of sitting allowances for members of Parliament (MPs) and Parliament staff, introduction of full-board for civil servants and removal of risk allowances for health workers.

It also recommends removal of sitting allowances for board members and proposes annual honoraria instead. It also suggests abolition of transport and travel allowances for ex-officio members when using government vehicles and fuel.

The task force also recommends abolition of payment of school fees for children of members of executive management in parastatals, projecting that this could help government save K5.89 billion yearly.

Vice-President Saulos Chilima led the task force which comprised professors Ronald Mangani and Nyovani Madise, Dr Aubrey Mvula, Dr Henry Chingaipe, Dr Steven Matenje, Waki Mushani, John Suzi-Banda, the Reverend Elsie Tembo, Tione Chilambe, Zunzo Mitole, Nwazi Mnthambala and Jane Kambalame.