Good governance hinges on rule of law—Chakwera

President Lazarus Chakwera has said good governance hinges not solely on having a competent President, but also on establishing robust systems that empower citizens to hold public officials accountable.

The President made the remarks in a televised message at the launch of Open Government Partnership (OGP) Week in Lilongwe, which commenced yesterday and will run until May 31 2024.

He highlighted the pivotal role of OGP in advancing government’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and combat systemic corruption, further addressing the importance of access to information in the appointment of a registrar of political parties.

Said Chakwera: “In the area of access to information, I have appointed a Registrar of Political Parties to handle the issues concerning political parties financing to enhance the promotion of transparency and accountability by political parties ahead of the general elections next year.”

He further called for collaboration among citizens, the private sector, and the government to fully embrace the OGP agenda, saying by doing so, the country can accelerate its development trajectory and foster a more responsive government.

However, the government acknowledges the need for a balanced approach such that while the National Action Plan (NAP) for OGP is crucial, it should not be overly ambitious in its thematic areas.

Deputy Secretary to the President and Cabinet Janet Banda, who also chairs the OGP National Steering Committee, disclosed that the current two-year implementation period falls short.

She said the government plans to request a four-year timeline for implementing thematic areas in the next plan.

Said Banda: “NAP has taught us that each thematic area is a programme on its own and demands time and resources.  Additionally, a two-year period is inadequate to achieve desired outcomes meaningfully in a NAP.

“Further, a NAP should not be divorced from a nation’s budgetary process. It requires consistent and adequate financial backing. It is, therefore, important also to develop a Resource Mobilisation Strategy alongside a NAP.”

She, however, noted that government is on the right track in achieving ambitious reforms related to constitutional values and governance.

Banda also highlighted key achievements in the Anti-Corruption thematic area, notably, the deployment of open contracting and the transparent disclosure of beneficial ownership which she said have made the government more sincere, transparent, and accountable.

She indicated that another milestone is the operationalisation of the office of the Registrar of Political Parties, which aims to enhance political parties’ accountability to the citizenry, particularly regarding political party funding.

Banda said: “The Open Parliaments thematic area is making significant strides in addressing the nation’s debt burden.

“By scrutinising money bills, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) promotes transparency and checks and balances on government borrowing.”

In her remarks, Minister of Mining Monica Chang’anamuno urged the civil society to collaborate with the government, adding that more ambitious and impactful reforms would transform societies and communities positively.

The minister also cited progress made in areas such as the approval of the National Digitisation Policy and its implementation to leverage digital public services, the enactment of the Mines and Minerals Act, 2023 and its operationalisation through the establishment of the Mining Regulatory Authority which is now up and running and the passing of the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act, 2023 last year to demonstrate commitment to protect whistleblowers which is crucial for combating corruption effectively.

Others are the ongoing efforts to develop standalone whistleblower legislation through the Law Commission and development of the Lifestyle Audit Manual for public and private officers, fostering a culture of accountability and transparency.

On his part, a representative of the civil society organisations (CSOs) Ronald Mtonga said CSOs are ready to task all public institutions that will not be performing.