LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has been challenged to swiftly reconstitute parastatal boards which were dissolved a month ago soon after took reigns of power following June 23, 2020 presidential polls.
Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI)’s Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa told the news conference in the capital Lilongwe on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 that the delay to reconstitute government agencies board of directors is a fertile ground for corruption, abuse of public funds.
Namiwa said Malawians should brace for the same old story, business as usual kind of approach when tackling issues of national importance.
“The deafening silence on the appointment of parastatal boards is raising fears
that either there are disagreements in terms of how the Tonse Allince members
will share the spoils among the nine political parties
“It is also the CDEDI’s expectation that the parastatal boards will hire Chief
Executive Officers (CEOs) for these boards on merit through competitive
processes,” reads part of the statement CDEDI issued.
But last week President Chakwera’s Executive Assistant Sean Kampondeni told the nation that boards’ reconstitution will be done by end August 2020.
Below is CDEDI’s full statement;
DELAYS TO RECONSTITUTE PARASTATAL BOARDS, A FERTILE GROUND
FOR CORRUPTION, ABUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) is dismayed to note that all but two parastatals in the country are running
without the board of directors after State President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera
dissolved them all just soon after ascending to the high office.
CDEDI, just like all Malawians of goodwill, welcomed the dissolution of the
parastatal boards since it resonated well with the much-awaited public sector
reforms.
It was our expectation that since the Tonse Alliance government spoke
very highly of the need for a fresh beginning, the parastatal boards would have
been reconstituted in timely manner in order to give room to the cleanup
exercise of our parastatals, most of which offer essential services to the people.
The zeal, energy and political will displayed by the country’s Vice President Dr.
Saulos Chilima soon after assuming office, gave a strong signal to Malawians
that change was indeed here! But as we speak now, that dream for a new look
parastatal boards seem to be a farfetched one!
Malawians should brace for the same old story, business as usual kind of approach when tackling issues of national importance.
The deafening silence on the appointment of parastatal boards is raising fears
that either there are disagreements in terms of how the Tonse Allince members
will share the spoils among the nine political parties.
It is also the CDEDI’s expectation that the parastatal boards will hire Chief
Executive Officers (CEOs) for these boards on merit through competitive
processes.
We can only expect nothing less than well qualified individuals of
good repute to lead these parastatals, and in the process develop Malawi
tremendously.
In a related development, CDEDI has learnt with shock the news that the
Tonse Alliance government has embarked on what can best be described as
political victimization of some senior civil servants, especially Principal
Secretaries (PS) whose only crime is reported to have been their alleged
connection with the immediate past regime of the Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP), albeit without proof. CDEDI is reliably informed that over seven PS’s
have been subjected to such kind of treatment like that of a Kangaroo court
verdict for being suspected to be DPP blue eyed boys.
CDEDI is therefore reminding President Chakwera that Malawi is in a
democratic dispensation and that these civil servants have running contracts
with the Malawi government, implying that taxpayers will continue paying
them for doing nothing.
It is even more shocking to learn that some of these highly trained and skilled people who joined the public service during the Kamuzu regime are being treated unfairly.
Much as we would like to agree with the assertion that for something to work,
some people will have to move, CDEDI would like to caution government to
make proper assessments to avoid a scenario where Malawians will be paying
more than one person on the same position or at worst, the voters will have to
dig deeper into their pockets to pay people that have been unfairly dismissed.
On the other hand, CDEDI finds this kind of behavior a demoralizing factor for
the public servants that are there to serve the government of the day.
Lastly, but not the least, CDEDI would like to remind government that
unemployment among the youth has now reached crisis levels in Malawi.
President Chakwera should, therefore, always have the plight of the youth at
heart every time he is considering making public appointments of people to
serve in his government.
