Africa-Press – Malawi. Malawi is bleeding! No forex, no fuel, high cost of living. This is the reason our senior contributor, Rick Dzida takes through inside President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance administration’s two years in power.
There are no 1 million jobs in the first year of Chakwera’s regime. No monthly stipend for the elderly. No three meals per day. No cheap passports. No driving licences that don’t expire. Rampant tribalism, nepotism and regionalism. Scarcity of fuel and forex. No essential drugs in public hospitals. The cost of goods and services is rising everyday. Water and electricity tariffs are skyrocketing. Nonetheless, is there any hope that Chakwera’s government can offer practical solutions to these quandaries?
2.0 Root causes of escalating economic meltdown in Malawi
Forget about the lame excuses advanced by the current regime for this economic crisis. Here factual root causes of this economic pandemonium are expounded.
2.1 Chakwera’s poor economic and monetary policy
It doesn’t make sense to blame the previous regime for scarcity of forex and high inflation rate now after being in government for over two years. Government has failed to monitor and accurately project the country’s economic growth for the past two years. It all boils down to adopting poor monetary , micro- and macro-economic policies.
2.2 Chakwera’s non-zero tolerance to corruption
It is no secret that corruption is derailing country’s progress. Yet President Chakwera is aware of most of the corrupt practices and he pretends to wait for a report first before he takes action. When the report is submitted to him, he trashes it as being substandard. This entails that President Chakwera has more information than what the report divulged.
2.3 Chakwera’s nepotistic and appeasement policy
If Chakwera and Chilima are appointing their relatives into public positions, what will stop their subordinates from doing the same? Beneficiaries of such nepotistic tendencies are many including Chilima’s mother in law, Chakwera’s daughter, Chakwera’s son in law. The painful truth is that nepotism and appeasement policies promote corruption and mediocrity in the public sector.
2.4 Chakwera’s indecisive and reactionary leadership
It smacks of poor leadership to wait for a scandal and then act thereafter. For example, people have been complaining about the dismal performance of the former minister, Lobin Lowe. However, Chakwera just waited for a scandal to erupt first. Truth be told, President Chakwera is too slow and indecisive to take an appropriate action. For instance, President Chakwera promised Malawians a new cabinet reshuffle, it’s week now no cabinet reshuffle seems to be forth coming.
2.5 Government’s uncontrolled expenditure
It is now a proven fact that Chakwera and Tonse Alliance administration’s agenda to defraud the government coffers is being accomplished. The salaries of the president, vice president, members of Parliament, cabinet ministers and other prominent government officials were increased amid the pronounced austerity economic measures. Forex is being wasted on local and international trips carrying large bloated number of delegates who are also given hefty subsistence and travel allowances. Overspending of the current regime is an insult to the low revenue and the much touted austerity economic measures.
2.6 Chakwera’s blame game without offering practical solutions
It is universally agreed that the point of departure in solving a problem is acknowledging that the said problem really exists. These economic problems cannot just go away by blaming former ruling party , Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Forex will not be multiplied on its own by blaming Russia-Ukraine war and COVID 19 pandemic. Government must offer practical solutions to the ailing economy.
2.7 Toothless ACB
It is no secret now that Martha Chizuma, Director of ACB, is a pawn for the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP). Why has the ACB taken a long time to issue a formal statement on its findings about Hon. Mkaka’s involvement in corrupt deals? Why do corruption cases take long to conclude? Is it enough just to arrest corruption suspects and grant them bail thereafter? How much money have we saved as a nation from convictions of corruption suspects despite ACB being handsomely funded?
2.8 Corrupt judiciary
It is only in Malawi where a judge is allowed to preside over his own case. This is a miscarriage of natural justice. It is only in Malawi where a judge who is suspected of practicing corruption is allowed to make determination over corruption cases. It is only in Malawi where a corruption suspect is protected by the court from being interrogated, arrested and prosecuted by a corruption prosecution agency, ACB.
2.9 Toothless office of ombudsman
If the determination made by the office of ombudsman can’t be implemented, why do we need that office? Why should the office of ombudsman spend all tax payers’ money to carry out investigations if its decisions are useless? We still see Mr. Henry Kachaje clinging on his position despite the fact that the ombudsman faulted his recruitment process. Now the board of directors of the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) has vehemently refused to fire Ms. Helen Buluma against the decision of the office of ombudsman. How can the board of directors of NOCMA become the complainant, the investigations institution, the prosecutor and a jury at the same time. Why didn’t the board of NOCMA seek legal redress then?
2.10 Rampant poverty and illiteracy among Malawians
Politicians take advantage of rampant poverty and illiteracy among Malawians to dupe them into empty and unrealistic promises. I don’t personally blame Chakwera and Chilima for failing to lead the country to prosperity. This is the best they can offer. Mediocrity. Malawians should shoulder the blame for voting hypocritical and dishonest Chakwera and Chilima into power.
3.0 Recommendations
The aforementioned list of root causes of economic meltdown in Malawi is not exhaustive. However, there is still a ray of hope for the hopeless Malawians if such predicaments are addressed with urgency.
1) Chakwera administration need to conduct wide, extensive and inclusive consultations on formulating monetary and economic policies that will benefit the local underprivileged Malawians. Malawi is endowed with economic experts of high repute.
2) Chakwera must show leadership in cracking down corruption. Immediately suspend all suspects of corruption to pave way for thorough investigations.
3) Appointing relatives and political party financiers promotes inefficiency and mediocrity. Chakwera must appoint people into public positions based on meritocracy.
4) Reactionary and indecisive leadership is ineffective in times of economic crisis. President must be proactive and visionary in his endeavor.
5) Government must put measures so that it spends within the limits of its revenue. This mapwevupwevu syndrome will continue to deplete government coffers.
6) Government must offer practical solutions to our economic problems. Blaming the former regime, DPP, or Russia-Ukraine war or COVID-19 pandemic will not offer any hope to the desperate Malawians.
7) Make ACB fully independent from political interference so that it reports directly to parliamentary committee and not to the President. Currently, Martha Chizuma appears to be a pawn of the ruling Malawi Congress Party.
8) The other two arms of government, the National Assembly and the Executive, must provide checks and balances on the corrupt and unfair judiciary system. Constitutionally, all three arms of government are mandated to cross check on each other.
9) Chakwera must assess all his appointments that were based on nepotism, tribalism and regionalism. Those found wanting must be replaced with meritorious performers.
10) Government must strive to uplift the wailing levels of poverty and illiteracy in Malawi. Politicians take advantage of citizens‘ poverty and illiteracy levels to dupe them into empty and unrealistic promises.
For More News And Analysis About Malawi Follow Africa-Press
