MALAWI: CCJP Tips Government on War against Corruption
Luke Bisani
The Catholic Commission for Justices and Peace (CCJP) in Malawi has tipped the Government to put more effort to combat corruption that has delayed national development for decades through sealing loopholes that have been fuelling the vice.
CCJP’s sentiments follow a series of arrests of top government officials under the previous government led by Prof. Peter Mutharika and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
In a statement released this week, signed by CCJP’s National Coordinator Boniface Chibwana, CCJP argues that Malawi needs to strengthening the existing systems aimed at combating corruption.
The Commission adds that Malawi’s war against the vice has been hitting the wall due to political, legal, and institutional shakeups hence the need to have a reformist approach in handling Government business in ministries, departments, agencies, and local councils.
“The war against corruption requires changing the professional behaviour of people associated with public service. Lifestyle audits of public servants and their close associates, strengthening integrity systems and the recognition of merit and excellence in the public service as well as restoring the culture and spirit of servanthood in public service provision have the potential to combat corruption in Malawi,” reads the statement.
The Justice and Peace Commission has further urged the current government to adequality fund the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the Office of the Ombudsman, Directorate of Assets Declaration, Fiscal Police and the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA); to provide human resources; and to untie these institutions from political abuse.
The Commission has also challenged the newly ushered Tonse Alliance government led by Malawi Congress Party’s Rev. Dr Lazarus Chakwera to strive in recovering public resources and assets in the numerous corruption cases it is pursuing within a reasonable time, and to optimally utilize the legal potentials by carrying out lifestyle audits of public servants and their close associates to detect corruption.
CCJP has further recommended that Government must desist from nepotism, politics of patronage, cronyism, and rent-seeking in the conduct of Government business including in recruitment processes and Government contracting and procurement.
Malawi is among countries with red flags of corruption on the global map with billions of taxpayers being channeled into individual pockets.
The status of Malawi’s corruption has been worrisome to many stakeholders as the country continues to be characterized among the poorest countries globally, with the majority of the population living below the poverty line.
