I am sure that everybody who reads news is aware that on the night of September the 13th, the director of budget in the ministry of finance, Mr Paul Mphwiyo, was shot thrice by some criminals. As always, we have turned our eyes towards the government to provide us with some answers on why and who shot the youthful director. And by government I mean the Executive and Judicial branches.
Even though Mr Phwiyo is back in the country, little has been established about the connection between his shooting and the Cashgate scandal. Personally I think the two matters could be separate issues though not entirely sure.
What I don’t like is seeing staunch supporters of a particular party blaming everything on the current government or another particular political party without evidence or thinking logically. Do you think the thieves figured out how to siphon public funds and managed to steal all those billions of kwachas during this small period of time (roughly 16 months)?
In 2001, the then DPP (The Director of Public Prosecutions)-Fahad Assani, cautioned the then government, run by the UDF party, that around 30% of public funds were being embezzled by some people. The UDF government did something ‘helpful’…they just trashed the whole warning into the political dustbin.
In 2009, an expert advised the Malawi Government to replace or remove the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), and the DPP led government did nothing. In the same year K450 million was stolen, the investigation was started and… well…was afterwards, stopped.
And finally,here we are, dealing with the PP government.It’s fortunate to us as citizens (maybe unfortunate to the PP) that the Cashgate scandal has been exposed. We are fed up of government(s) just arresting messengers, we want all the big culprits behind all this mess rounded up and well prosecuted. Until then will the PP be a political party of a ‘kind’ that they have been preaching about, otherwise they are as bad (or good—depending on your brain reasoning power) as those gone politicians.
On 7th December this year, Blantyre Newspapers Ltd reported that even our ‘beloved’ Malawi Police Service has been Embroiled in plunder of K14bn that can’t be traced. So I guess the ‘pious’ police will have to investigate the corrupt politicians, corrupt civil servants and eventually bite its own tail (what an awkward situation!).
I have deliberately omitted the MCP because I was very young during the time in which the so-called Ngwazi ruled. Therefore, I wholeheartedly blame this on my lacking of substantial information. I don’t like talking about speculations until there is somehow some evidence.
Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that our problems in Malawi, especially concerning corruption, go beyond any political party. It seems like a huge chunk of each and every political party is made up of swindlers- ‘demons’ who call themselves politicians.
What we need in Malawi are leaders that work and care for the people. I personally don’t care which party they may come from. I don’t base my voting gudgment on symbols, colour or songs of any political party, nor do I care whether somebody speaks magic words like Obama or not, I am only interested in their services to the people.
Now that I have wasted a good portion of your precious time, it’s up to you to think of any leader whom you deem worth your vote.
Written by Abdulaziz Kaisi
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Malawimuslims’ editorial policy.
