‘Yes, no K92bn report, no Budget’

If it wasn’t for the news that opposition parties, on Thursday, threatened government with the ‘No K92 billion report, no Budget’, I could have been the angriest man in Malawi today against Parliament.

Here is the reason I could have been the angriest Malawian. We all know, after that news article, that Parliament over the weeks has been heavily defined by absenteeism. And we all bear the truth, to be self-evident, that despite not turning up for their work, these absent parliamentarians, including some senior Cabinet ministers, still pocket their allowances. In other words, we, taxpayers, still pay parliamentarians who are not doing the job.

Frankly speaking, the news was baffling. Equally baffling was the response from Parliament officials, who argued they need to find out how other parliaments in southern Africa handle absenteeism. Really?

I thought the principle is simple: If you don’t turn up for work without credible reasons, or excuses, you should not get paid. I am surprised why this principle is failing to apply at Parliament. Is this symptomatic of our public institutions where one can abscond work but still get paid? I think Saulos Chilima’s reform song should extend to Parliament. We cannot afford to be paying people who are not doing their job. No way.

But, as I said, though absenteeism in Parliament made me the angriest man in Malawi, I, somehow, found solace in the news that opposition gurus demanded the release of the K92 billion audit report. It was quite refreshing.

We all know about the audit query of our K92 billion which the departed leader Bingu wa Mutharika chose to sit on. We all know that with his death, the truth came out during the Joyce Banda regime. We all know that though JB instituted an inquiry into the K22 billion that was stolen during her tenure, and was successfully done by Baker Tilly and successfully let out for the public to see, there were still concerns, huge ones for that matter, that another inquiry be instituted into the K92 billion scam. We all know that, with support from the Germany government, an auditor, Price water house Coopers, was hired to comb through the dirt and establish what chanced.

And we all know that two weeks ago, Weekend Nation revealed that the K92 billion Cashgate report is out and, according to the National Audit Office (NAO), it was expected to be in hands of Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe by yesterday.

But what we all do not know is why up to now the report is not yet out.

Gondwe, yes the Gondwe who was there when this report was being sat on by his boss, told Weekend Nation, a fortnight ago, that he was yet to see the preliminary report which was then in the hands of the Auditor General.

On Thursday, when opposition was demanding the release of the report in Parliament, Gondwe said he had not yet seen the report, but had only seen the preliminary documents.

My understanding of the word ‘preliminary’ is that it is not the main thing but something that prepares for the main thing. In case of a report, as it is with the K92 billion forensic audit report, my understanding would be that a preliminary report is the same report, true and accurate, but it has not been officially released. I do not know about you, but I just do not see a reason for not letting the report even if it’s a preliminary one.

Truth be told, to use my Ralph Tenthani’s catchphrase, we all know that this DPP government is not comfortable to have this report released for public consumption. The reason is simple: The report combs through the dirt that happened between 2009 and 2013. It is very possible, and absolutely so, that some of the big heads in government today have been implicated. This I can bet my head.

The fear is that if we let the journey of releasing this report travel at the speed of those in this government, we will definitely get a raw deal. It is either they will conceal it, hiding in funny words such as ‘preliminary’ or they will doctor it to their advantage. Don’t forget we are dealing with a group of people that concealed the death of a whole president.

If they can conceal the death of a human being, what would stop them from doing the same with a document? Additionally, let us not forget that we are dealing with a group of people that doctored a whole zero-deficit budget review document to blind everybody to believe that things are working. If they can doctor a budget document, what would stop them from doctoring a document they fear at their disposal?

This is why I am in unconditional support of opposition MPs who are demanding the release of this report. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, let’s have this report now or never. Yes, no report, no budget. I agree. Thanks.