National News
Donors have withheld budget support to Malawi
Donors under Common Approach to Budgetary Support (Cabs) angry at the Cash-gate revelations, have delayed budgetary and sector funding to Malawi Government until trust and confidence in government financial systems is restored.
Cabs chair Sarah Sanyahumbi has told Nation Online this morning: “the line has been crossed and there is no going back to business as usual”
Malawi Finance Minister Maxwell Mkwezelamba has pleaded with donors to “soften their hearts”.
Cabs meeting between donors and Malawi government started this morning is currently underway in Lilongwe.
Details of the outcomes from meeting to be communicated later in the day.
This is national crisis. The simplistic solution is to blame one party or the other. The truth is Malawians ndinu mbava. Majority of the people have wrong attitude towards the government assets and you call it zaboma izi. The problem goes beyond party politics. Civil service is supposed to be party neutral.
So here is my suggestion. 1) Draw up a time line for an urgent national plan of action. 2). Let an independent adjudicator coordinate the process. I suggest such calibre as Tony Blair or Bill Clinton, if available 3).Take a tactical step to determine who has stolen what and put them in jail at RBM, Finance ministry, all ministries and local govt. This is an audit process –use KPGM or Delloites auditors. 4). Take a strategic step to redesign all systems of government and to make them foolproof – I suggest Dr Mervin King- former governor of Bank of England. 6) Publish the plan and publish your milestone dates 7). Provide regular update to the nation about progress report by Tony Blair/Bill Clinton. The reason being we need to bring discipline, credibility and methodology to the process without any fear or political interference.
The above suggestion may sound heavy handed but crisis times call for crisis action! The Malawi Govt must regain credibility which is slipping away fast and this proposed step can engender confidence to arrest further deterioration of the economy.
At the same time this shallow view of mono development policy based on agriculture is hampering progress to wealth creation in Malawi. With proper economic development planning Malawi should have been developed by now not still dangling at the bottom below poverty line. Extreme poverty is recipe for disaster and I do not want to hear anyone still pushing for more agriculture, agriculture in 21 st century without manufacturing industry as a national development strategy. That is the mistake that has kept Malawi poor and is the root of lack of development in this country. The UN has stipulated the formula for wealth creation and economic development for all nations to follow to create wealth for all Malawians.
Malawian politicians are deliberately ignoring it because they are busy filling their pockets. Malawian parliament, political parties I urge you to follow ‘religiously’ the UN resolution 2626 in particular item 76 in section 9 in order to develop this country and create wealth for all Malawians. More subsistence agriculture as you have done in the past 50 years is not smart economics. China, Singapore, Korea etc has since 1972 followed these guidelines and have since industrialised. Having industrialised China agriculture output is now number 1 in the world. They could not have done that by just following agriculture. They tried and had terrible famines as late as 1960s. Malawi is still having famines after 50 years of pushing agriculture. Below is the summary of the UN resolution
http://www.un-documents.net/a25r2626.htm
The bonya and bwannoni times will now worsen. These were our complaints soon after Joyce Banda took over but of late she openly boasted she had made amends with partners like donors and the British Government and that the economy was taking the right shape. We never saw the fruits of this improvement in the economy and we still complained about massive poverty and cost of living. What about now? She has been caught red handed stealing and to us and donors we do not mind who was behind as long as Joyce Banda has control over the government, she is accountable. We are suffering. She wanted to fund her 2014 after seeing she could not win easily. This woman lacks education and education is a foundation for everything including good leadership. She wanted to impress us with the verses she was quoting from the Bible to fool us she was God fearing. Now this is it and that was lip service and nothing else. She fooled us by dismissing the whole cabinet and only to reinstate it with a few changes. John Tembo said this government left a lot to be desired as it was a mixture of different animals in one kraal. Tembo knew which the good animals were and which the bad ones were but he did not know that the Shepherd was bad as well.
I think Cash-gate is not just theft, it is economic sabotage. If theft goes to extent of adversely affecting the economy, then it is no different from those who bomb electricity pylons or water pipeline or other infrastructure. So charge these people on economic sabotage charges.
Has Malawi finally shot itself in the foot with its corrupt practices?
Cry my beloved country! The music has just began! I’m feeling sorry for the many poor households especially in the rural areas. With little access to so many services their vulnerability will even rise in this present situation.
If I was Joyce Banda I would simply resign otherwise many innocent Malawians are now going to suffer more than Bingu times if Presidency is sweet the best to do is ask Britain to send someone to be Governor of Reserve Bank, Secretary to Treasury and Finance Minister put Mkwezalamba deputy other forget the Donor money . JB umati Bingu kufa was a joke nanu mufa ndi ma BP ingozisiyani izi .