By Our Reporter
Many key stakeholders in the country’s public affairs continue to commend President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera for his unrelenting role in leading the fight against corruption.
These sentiments drown those made by Public Affairs Committee (PAC) on Tuesday at Kamuzu Palace where they expressed reservations on whether Malawi is making progress in fighting corruption.
Ironically, PAC is isolated on this issue as a number of stakeholders appreciate efforts being taken by the Chakwera administration in ending corruption and sensitizing the masses on the goodness of corrupt-free institutions and communities in nation building.
Speaking recently during the Anti Corruption Symposium 2023 in Lilongwe, ACB director general Martha Chizuma attributed the successes of the fight against graft to President Chakwera who she said has achieved a lot in the three years he has been in power.
Chizuma was quick and bold to point out that in the Bureau’s 25 years of existence, it is only the past three years that have shown adequate political will.
Since assuming office, Chakwera has been in the forefront leading the fight against corruption through a number of interventions from administrative and legal perspectives.
“It is during your presidency that space has been provided for Malawians to genuinely face and confront the depth and ugliness of this vice of corruption in this country. Our confidence further comes from the fact that 25 years later the mandate of the Bureau remains intact. If anything the reviews and amendments that have taken place have only been to strengthen the Anti-Corruption fight the latest one being the removal of the requirement for consent from the DPP to prosecute anti-corruption cases,” said Chizuma.
She added: “Over and above there have been some other developments in the legal and policy frameworks like the Financial Crimes Act which has revolutionalised asset recovery efforts, Beneficial ownership regulations to help control procurement corruption, the process of coming up with whistle blower legislation and the life style audits manual, the development of anti corruption source book for primary schools in Malawi just to mention a few.”
Also weighing in on the issue is European Union Ambassador to Malawi Rune Skinnebach who has given Chakwera kudos for staying the course to end corruption at all levels of society. He went on to link these efforts by the President as the reason behind goodwill from the international community.
This widespread goodwill is already bearing fruits as reports indicate that Malawi will soon recommence receiving budgetary support from traditional development partners.
This is why Skinnebach has since strongly hinted that the EU will resume direct budgetary support to Malawi. The United States too has expressed optimism to resume direct budgetary support after noticing the commitment that Chakwera has to end corruption in the country.