My Diary

This endless thieving must stop, somehow

Malawians always have known that from the moment they ushered in Bingu wa Mutharika as president in 2004, he instantly became a rich baron, but news that his obscene wealth had reached the astronomical levels of K61 billion, by the time he was dying last year, simply beggars belief.

Mutharika’s apologists such as George Chaponda, who think Malawians are a daft lot that they can continue being duped by his false ranting in Parliament to the effect that the former president acquired his wealth from his 25 years abroad, should look at facts straight in the eye.

And fact number one is that the arithmetic on how Mutharika acquired this repulsive wealth does not add up. And because it does not add up, the right conclusion is that he got the abhorrent amount of money from poor Malawians through corruption or abuse of office.

Fact number two should be that after years of working for the UN and Comesa, where he was sacked as secretary general for incompetency and arrogance, Mutharika ended holed up in Lilongwe as a very broken man on the verge of obscurity and financial collapse.

It was former president Bakili Muluzi who gave him the lifeline as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank that he recovered from the pecuniary quagmire after working for so many years in international bodies.

Fact number three is that upon ascendancy to the presidency in 2004, Mutharika declared that he was worth K150 million, a figure that included assets such as broken tractors and other old machinery at an inactive farm in Zimbabwe.

While fact number four should be that the K150 million has only risen to K61 billion after his eight years in power and not through 25 years abroad, fact number five holds that all his known business ventures in Malawi or those associated with him personally or his family have fallen or continue to fall like a crumbed pie even as I write this.

To sum up, Mutharika’s wealth is indecent and dubiously acquired using the office poor Malawians honoured him with through their vote in 2004 and 2009.

While poor Malawians were languishing in overcrowded wards and their children burning their butts on hard concrete in classrooms throughout Malawi, he was stashing billions in off shore accounts, among other safe havens and assets, at their expense.

But Malawians who care about their future and that of their children cannot and should not see this farce continue because if it does, the question would be: until when?

It is obvious that the assets declaration constitutional provision has virtually failed and no politician is interested to see it work because either they are taking their turn if they are in the ruling PP or they are waiting to take their turn if they are in opposition to deprive Malawians of billions to leave in their wills for their children.

That law in its present state is simply in the Constitution as a decorative feature. The politicians can choose what to declare because no one audits what they have declared.

Malawians have no recourse to see these declarations as they are kept under lock and key at Parliament and there is no law to force access.

When you contrast this with what obtains in other countries such as the UK where the access law forces public bodies to allow any member of the public access to public documents and there is an enabling act that forces it, including a tribunal where one can go if a public officer is playing a demigod, then you know why our law was doomed right from the start, making it a free-for-all jamboree for public officials to steal public money.

But make no mistake, dear readers, until Malawians take back what is rightfully theirs and undertake a crash course in demanding, getting and checking accountability on those who choose to serve in public offices, politicians of all shades and manner, including presidents, will continue to lie in public that they are there for the public good while secretly stashing billions of money abroad as our country continues to sink into oblivion and standards of living plummet to pathetic levels.

The choice is ours. This endless thieving must halt, somehow for the sake of all of us.

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My Diary

This endless thieving must stop, somehow

Malawians always have known that from the moment they ushered in Bingu wa Mutharika as president in 2004, he instantly became a rich baron, but news that his obscene wealth had reached the astronomical levels of K61 billion, by the time he was dying last year, simply beggars belief.

Mutharika’s apologists such as George Chaponda, who think Malawians are a daft lot that they can continue being duped by his false ranting in Parliament to the effect that the former president acquired his wealth from his 25 years abroad, should look at facts straight in the eye.

And fact number one is that the arithmetic on how Mutharika acquired this repulsive wealth does not add up. And because it does not add up, the right conclusion is that he got the abhorrent amount of money from poor Malawians through corruption or abuse of office.

Fact number two should be that after years of working for the UN and Comesa, where he was sacked as secretary general for incompetency and arrogance, Mutharika ended holed up in Lilongwe as a very broken man on the verge of obscurity and financial collapse.

It was former president Bakili Muluzi who gave him the lifeline as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank that he recovered from the pecuniary quagmire after working for so many years in international bodies.

Fact number three is that upon ascendancy to the presidency in 2004, Mutharika declared that he was worth K150 million, a figure that included assets such as broken tractors and other old machinery at an inactive farm in Zimbabwe.

While fact number four should be that the K150 million has only risen to K61 billion after his eight years in power and not through 25 years abroad, fact number five holds that all his known business ventures in Malawi or those associated with him personally or his family have fallen or continue to fall like a crumbed pie even as I write this.

To sum up, Mutharika’s wealth is indecent and dubiously acquired using the office poor Malawians honoured him with through their vote in 2004 and 2009.

While poor Malawians were languishing in overcrowded wards and their children burning their butts on hard concrete in classrooms throughout Malawi, he was stashing billions in off shore accounts, among other safe havens and assets, at their expense.

But Malawians who care about their future and that of their children cannot and should not see this farce continue because if it does, the question would be: until when?

It is obvious that the assets declaration constitutional provision has virtually failed and no politician is interested to see it work because either they are taking their turn if they are in the ruling PP or they are waiting to take their turn if they are in opposition to deprive Malawians of billions to leave in their wills for their children.

That law in its present state is simply in the Constitution as a decorative feature. The politicians can choose what to declare because no one audits what they have declared.

Malawians have no recourse to see these declarations as they are kept under lock and key at Parliament and there is no law to force access.

When you contrast this with what obtains in other countries such as the UK where the access law forces public bodies to allow any member of the public access to public documents and there is an enabling act that forces it, including a tribunal where one can go if a public officer is playing a demigod, then you know why our law was doomed right from the start, making it a free-for-all jamboree for public officials to steal public money.

But make no mistake, dear readers, until Malawians take back what is rightfully theirs and undertake a crash course in demanding, getting and checking accountability on those who choose to serve in public offices, politicians of all shades and manner, including presidents, will continue to lie in public that they are there for the public good while secretly stashing billions of money abroad as our country continues to sink into oblivion and standards of living plummet to pathetic levels.

The choice is ours. This endless thieving must halt, somehow for the sake of all of us.

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