The Capital Hill filth has to stop

That the Capital Hill and the whole government machinery has become a den of thieves involving themselves in a shameless free-for-all orgy of financial impropriety of taxpayers’ money is fast becoming an issue that is no longer of any seismic proportions.

This is for the mere reason that since the shooting of budget director Paul Mphwiyo about three weeks ago in an unexplained circumstances, it has now become a daily occurrence for this country to wake up to stories of civil servants being arrested on suspicion of being found with money in their houses, cars, and only God knows where else.

Let me put this in context. Malawians are among the heavily taxed people in this part of the world. We are hounded to pay tax everywhere whether on our salaries or the goods that we buy every day in shops.

Any slight delay by our work places to remit taxes to Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) on our behalf is treated by the tax collecting body as if it were a matter of life and death.

Companies are mercilessly bullied and hounded and threatened with court orders even on monies that they themselves have not collected from their clients until they fall in line and pay up.

Some desperate companies with shaky bottom lines even go to the extent of borrowing on commercial rates from banks just to be left alone and maintain their peace.

Sadly, this money does not end up in buying drugs for our grand-mothers or constr-ucting roads or school blocks. This is the money that is being shared around at Capital Hill and being hurled in the boots of greedy people’s cars or used to build mansions.

But this nonsense has run its full course and we, Malawians, should not allow it to continue. This country belongs to us all and not only President Joyce Banda or her PP and her other minions.

The President must accept that Malawians cannot be paying tax under tremendous duress only for it to end in the pockets of some people.

But when all is said and done, this Capital Hill filth should be placed firmly at her doorstep.

By refusing to make her assets declaration public, the President did not lead by example but told every civil servant on payroll that her resolve to fight corruption and fraud is merely lip service.

That single act which she justifies by saying the law on assets declaration is silent on whether her declaration should be made public has loosened the nuts and bolts at the Capitol Hill and the results are what we are seeing today: a free-for- all daylight looting of our taxes while our hospitals remain without drugs and our people are dying like flies from curable ailments.

The surprising thing is that JB is the only President in the multiparty era who has concocted an excuse to avoid making her assets declaration public.

Even the late Bingu wa Mutharika, despite walking away to his grave with a K61 billion huge loot himself, had the temerity at the beginning of his term in 2004 to tell Malawians that he had K150 million worth of assets which made us compare with what he carted away.

But we, Malawians, must rise up and boldly say enough is enough since the opposition has gone into a deep slumber while on duty.

No one is going to claim our rights. We are being screwed openly in broad daylight without putting up a fight. They are sharing our taxes among themselves while we are looking on.

This nonsense has to stop and the civil society better be serious this time when they say they have given the President 30 days to stop the rot or else they will take more drastic action.

We have had enough. It is that simple.