Ombudsman has challenged us all

Dear judge Mbadwa,

My lord, you should read through the report of that venerated ombudsman Marita Chimbeki, which pulls no punches but lays bare the rot that characterised Nyasaland Electoral Commission’s hiring of South African lawyers in the presidential appeal case.

The report might have exposed the decay that the majority already knew it existed, but it is the manner in which Marita, without apology, has courageously called a spade by its name that has raised hopes of many that the country can do away with mediocrity if only people who have authority exercised it with diligence.

I might not be in the group of those who are willing to till her garden as a token of appreciation, but she is surely an epitome of integrity, dedication and patriotism.

My lord, Marita’s report should also be an indictment of several systems including procurement in government.

My lord, I am not sure whether your bench is safe either because we know of fellow judges who are star-struck by senior counsels who appear in their chambers and are forced to dance to the sad tunes of senior counsels at the expense of justice and integrity.

I know you are not one of them, but a good number on the bench is lazy and compromised otherwise we should not have had a backlog of cases peering at us some dating back to 10 years.

I digressed, my lord, but Marita has taught us that there should never be shortcuts in government operations for whatever reasons.

People who are entrusted with power should be taken to account for their decisions and they should be made to pay for whatever mess they create.

Nyasaland can emerge from its cocoon of abject poverty if everyone maintains professionalism and rule of law in executing duties.

Taxpayers’ money should never be regarded as deceased estate to be plundered at will by greedy uncles at the expense of the widow or widower and the orphans.

Surely, this report goes further to demonstrate how John Answer presided over a fraudulent exercise that cost this country billions of kwacha which should have gone a long way in addressing various financial gaps in the country.

There are several others, who have made the country lose a fortune because they refused to be professional. I hope Marita will not spare them.

Now that Marita has shown that the country still has people who want to run things professionally, can every sector emulate her example?

My lord, Marita has challenged us and it is up to us to take her bait to be professional.

Regards,

John Citizen.