JB faulted on handling of Mphwiyo saga
Malawi President Joyce Banda’s public declaration that she personally knew Treasury budget director Paul Mphwiyo’s attackers could compromise investigations into issues surrounding his shooting, human rights activist Martha Kwataine has said.
In a statement made available to Nation on Sunday, Kwataine said the President should have provided the information to relevant authorities such as police and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to allow for proper investigations.
“The President rushed to inform the public that she knew the people who shot Mr. Mphwiyo because that is not her mandate. The best she should have done is to inform the police and let them follow the right procedures in establishing who the real culprits are.
“Such statements are very likely to be misinterpreted knowing that we work on trust. What if the contrary is proved true? It may work towards tarnishing her image and we would urge the President to desist from such remarks.
“We know that as a leader the incident is emotionally taxing but she should try as much as possible to handle it soberly and objectively whilst knowing that she has institutions and technocrats who can ably handle that,” said Kwataine.
The statement said recent reports and arrests bordering on corruption have exposed huge gaps in the enforcement of the country’s anti-money laundering laws, adding that banks also need to strengthen their systems to prevent theft of government resources.
“The private sector, especially banks and business gurus, should also create a conducive environment for fighting corruption. If banks can be diligent enough in enforcing the anti-money laundering laws without fear or favour, that will work better for the nation. The private sector has also played a role in fuelling issues of corruption because transactions are done through banks,” said Kwataine.
The statement adds that government needs to provide more resources to strengthen capacities of the ACB, Police, the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) and other governance institutions to reduce incidences of abuse of office and corruption in the country.
The statement comes at a time civil society organisations (CSOs) have given Banda’s administration 30 days to act on several governance lapses that have led to loss of public funds, saying if government fails to act, they will mobilise taxpayers to stop paying taxes that finance government operations and projects.
Nation on Sunday
could not reach Minister of Information Moses Kunkuyu.
But speaking to The Nation on Wednesday, Kunkuyu called for “listening and understanding” on the part of the CSOs regarding the abuse of public funds.
