Instutionalisation of corruption during elections
It has become a norm in Malawi during an election period for candidates to offer electoral gifts to voters. Whenever they conduct campaign meetings they make sure they ‘leave something’ for the people. Candidates are spending thousands, if not millions, of kwacha to influence people to vote for them. Those that lack resources to give voters are seen as not leaders enough and are not able to compete favourably to woo the electorate.
Voters have also been conditioned to expect to receive gifts from candidates regardless of their political persuasion. Politics is now commercialised. Those who want to enter political office have to part with a lot of resources to get the much needed votes.
The architect of this malpractice was former president Bakili Muluzi who dished out millions of kwacha wherever he went. People scrambled for his money and they looked forward to attending his campaign meetings. Where this money was coming from only God knows. The late president Bingu Mutharika also used the political gimmick to influence voters. President Joyce Banda is no different. She has also been giving gifts at different forums. Two weeks ago she donated K25 million each to Big Bullets and Mighty Wanderers Football Clubs. Throughout the country, many aspiring parliamentary candidates are openly influencing the voters through electoral donations.
Regardless of what reasons candidates give for these electoral gifts one thing is clear. Gifts are clearly meant to influence voters to vote for candidates. They are meant to corrupt the minds of voters. Thus these gifts go beyond influencing the voters, but they also raise questions about the integrity and the value systems of the candidates. True leaders have a character of excellence and present themselves to the electorate without giving gifts. If political leaders are not setting a good example of avoiding corrupt practices, it is difficult for them not to continue with the same behaviour once voted into office.
The tragedy is that people are no longer measuring the greatness of candidates on the basis of their leadership qualities, but on the quantity of gifts or money they give during campaigns. Voters do not even question candidates where this money is coming from or why they donate huge sums of money or lavish gifts now and not any other period. The end result is that wrong leaders are elected. This is reflected in the non-performance and lack of leadership skills.
Although the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is aware of the corruption during an election period, it has done nothing to clamp down on the malpractice. During a civic education meeting in Neno, ACB public education officer Patrick Thole is quoted in the online Oracle publication as saying “giving money or other forms materials with the aim of gaining favour from people to vote for a candidate is corruption and can attract a maximum sentence of twelve years in prison if proven guilty.”
Commissioner Mezuwa Banda echoed similar sentiments, saying MEC will work hand-in-hand with ACB in sensitising chiefs and voters to resist accepting handouts during the campaign period because it is fraud. However, nothing tangible is happening on the ground to stop the vice or to ask people to report candidates who are offering them gifts or other material donations. One would have expected ACB or MEC to issue a strong-worded press statement dissuading candidates from offering material or monetary inducement voters or urging voters to report candidates who are offering gifts during the campaign.
The overt silence from both institutions is clear manifestation that they have failed to stop corruption during an election period which has been going on for the past 20 years. For the ACB, it is a double blow because its core function is to deal with any form of corruption. The expectation is that efforts to nab corrupt candidates should have been intensified during this period. But the ACB is not doing anything. This not only confirms its weakness, but also sends a message that it is normal for people to be involved in corruption during elections.
With such lackadaisical approach to work, Malawians should not expect much from the ACB to win the war against corruption because it is a very weak organisation to police political leaders. As Malawians brace themselves for the elections, it is important that they reflect on the type of leaders they will vote for. If they are not careful, they will vote for people who will perpetuate corruption because they see it as normal to do it.
