‘Open ACB boss job to foreigners’
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera has suggested that the position of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general should be open to foreign professionals as one way of fighting corruption in the country.
Speaking during a whistle-stop tour in Mzimba North on Sunday, Chakwera said the country needs to widen its scope on expertise that can help deal with corruption, rather than limiting itself to Malawian nationals.
His suggestion comes barely a month after ACB director general Reyneck Matemba declared that all public institutions, especially those that provide services to the citizenry, are rotten to the core on corruption.
At Madise Trading Centre, Chakwera said the country needs serious strategies to get rid of the wanton theft of public resources.
He said: “We want people at the helm of dealing with corruption, like at ACB to be independent. We want that even in Sadc [Southern Africa Development Community] region, we should be sharing ideas. Any suitable person outside Malawi should be able to apply for the job of ACB director general, not just Malawians.”
Chakwera claimed some leaders celebrate corruption because it is being done by their relatives.
However, during a recent debate organised by the Malawi Law Society in Mzuzu, ACB director general Reyneck Matemba said personal integrity is what matters in executing the job.
He said: “The fact that we are appointed by the President doesn’t mean that we are compromised. To the contrary, you can be appointed by Parliament and become compromised. The key thing is personal integrity, that all.”
In an earlier interview, governance expert Henry Chingaipe said the problem is that anti-corruption strategies in Malawi are road shows to hoodwink donors.
The Corrupt Practices Act (CPA) mandates the President under Section 5(1), on such terms and conditions as he thinks fit, to appoint the director, who shall be subject to confirmation by the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament.
