The cliché: power corrupts
‘In the context of servant leadership, we believe the Lazarus Chakwera State House must show that it is leading by example in accounting for every tambala that may have been spent irresponsibly at any given time.’ (The Nation Editorial, July 20 2023)
The above sentiments were made against the backdrop of an audit query of K23 billion between 2015/16 to 2019/20. This was under Peter Mutharika’s administration.
Needless to say, it is a tall order on the Tonse administration. This is because of the humongous malfeasance in public finance management precipitated by lack of political will to tame the tide not only in the current administration, but also in the immediate past government.
The Chakwera administration is neck-deep in its own mischief and indecorum to be able to do anything. Come to think of a whole Ministry of Agriculture earlier this year paying a butcher millions of Malawians’ hard earned kwacha to sell it fertiliser. How? Yet it happened just after several ministries, departments and agencies had fleeced the taxpayer over K6.7 billion Covid-19 money from development partners. And almost two years after that daylight robbery happened not a single controlling officer has been cornered to account for their mischief. No lessons learnt.
Indeed, the theft of Covid-19 funds in 2021/22 took place when government’s big dogs had gone on shopping sprees with the K142 billion Affordable Input Programme windfall. This was followed in 2022/23 by the K109billion loot. The colossal amount of money for AIP was supposed to rid this country of hunger. Yet in both years, a majority of the intended beneficiaries received almost nothing leaving over 3.8 million hungry mouths this year.
Indeed, how and where could the servant leaders find time to clear the rubble as they promised during campaign when they have occupied themselves with arresting and prosecuting Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Martha Chizuma over Zuneth Sattar-related issues? Sattar issues are not baby stuff and if not handled well, they can unmake a government. No wonder the Tonse government’s heavy-handedness on the ACB leadership once the issues came into the public domain.
There is no disputing there are a thousand and one issues about graft some of which the Tonse administration would have zeroed-in, even cherry-picked, to show they were not kidding on their promise to fight corruption in the country. For example, they would have ensured the courts prioritise Cashgate cases, some of which have been in the courts for 13 years.
Apart from Cashgate cases, the Tonse administration should have been interested in the multibillion Kwacha Kam’mwamba Coal-fired Power Generation Company (KPGC) fraud. In 2018, the Malawi Government paid a cool K7.8 billion to a company called Black & Veach. The firm was contracted to do consultancy on the coal-fired project.
KPGC which sought a ‘No Objection’ from the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA) to engage the firm and Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining—the mother ministry for KPGC—claimed later that the company was registered in the USA. But it transpired the firm does not exist anywhere except in someone’s pocket or head. That a company which a whole ministry cannot vouch for its identity and physical location can be awarded billions of kwacha from the taxpayer shows how the government’s tool for selecting and awarding contracts for the country to save money, was and is porous. It is said that some super mortals, with connections in the corridors of power, pocketed that money. The Tonse administration should have been interested in recovering such money and making those who facilitated the fraud accountable. But not when the leadership has its own litany of woes to cover up. You can’t fight corruption when your hands are dirty. The cliché power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, still rings true.
