LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s civil society organisation,Forum for National Development (FND) on Friday called for resignation of the Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima and former First Lady Callista Muthalika for what is “seen as abusing public resources while not working fully for the government”.
The organisation told the news conference in the capital Lilongwe that it was illogical for VP Chilima to continue serving the same government which labeled as a corrupt state.
FND attacked Callista who is serving as a presidential adviser on safe motherhood for keep on receiving monthly salaries with little work output as she operates from home.
Below is the full FDN statement calling the resignation of the two signed by its national coordinator; Fryson Chodzi
CALL FOR VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR ON SAFE MOTHERHOOD TO SAVE STATE RESOURCES OR RESIGN FROM GOVERNMENT
Forum for National Development (FND) has been saddened with politicians who talk like saints but behaves and act differently. The vexing part is that these politicians takes advantage of the deliberate misinformation and public naivety against the Government to abuse the very same system, we have in mind the case of the Former First Lady Madam Calista Mutharika and that of the Vice President Right Hon Dr. Saulos Chilima
To begin with, news that Madam Calista Mutharika has been receiving salary and other benefits as an Advisor to the President for the last four years without going to the office is tantamount to theft, to say the least. It’s a misfortunate that on monthly basis, Calista Mutharika has been raking close to K1,000,000 in terms of salaries and benefits without doing any work. This news is a sharp reminder of what Madam Mutharika did in the past where she influenced and forced late President Bingu Wa Mutharika (MHSRIP) to put her on Government payroll for being the first lady and doing charity work which was only reversed upon protest from the citizens on the issue
We would like to remind Madam Calista Mutharika that receiving a salary and benefits without work is indistinguishable theft and plunder of public resources. As such She has been stealing from the Government and poor Malawians and she can do us a favour by returning the money and benefits she has been receiving if she has to be taken seriously as a person who wish Malawi well.
May we further remind Madam Calista Mutharika that ‘he who comes with equity must come with clean hands’ and in her case the way she has dismissed the issue of being paid without work as just being flimsy, speaks volume to the character and personality of her level of integrity and how we ought to take her seriously as a leader. She has no moral ground to hold anybody accountable when she has been abusing the same system and we find her vile behaviour as not being sincere
FND also finds the continued holding on to the position of the Country’s Vice Presidency by Right Honorable Dr. Saulos Chilima as odd considering how holding on to such position contradicts the message he has been conveying to the public. Notably, Hon. Chilima has persistently talking about performance based reward and remuneration as key for transformation of the country, yet here is a person who will spend the next 10 months being paid and living on state coffers without any performance. (Is that not being hypocritical of oneself?)
Contradictory, Chilima has time and again accused politicians of ‘personification and glorification of leaders’ and as good as that might sound, himself is reveling within the same personification and glorification as evidenced by how the United Transformation Movement has been coined and formed. The whole movement is all about him. The movement is about SKC. The branding is about him and not a single day has he stood up to accuse the Movement of glorifying him. It seems to us that as he is talking against personal glorification, he is at the same time enjoying the same just as any other politician would.
Additionally, Hon. Chilima has expressed discomfort by politicians for letting women dance for them yet in all the meetings for his so called movement, women are dancing in glorifying him and not once has he stood to accuse them. This is paradoxically a huge contradiction on his part.
The most arduous thing is that the Chilima Movement dubs him as the ‘Only Hope for Malawi’ this is strange and highest order of personal glorification and at worst this is dictatorship in making. How will the same people be able to hold such a person accountable in a near future? There is no hope in any person who preaches equity yet does not come with clean hands.
Contrary to the case of former Vice Presidents; the likes of Dr. Justine Malewezi, Dr. Cassim Chilumpha and Dr. Joyce Banda; Chilima has voluntarily resigned from the governing machinery to pursue his political ambition on the pretext that he can do better than the incumbent. Based on the same, we construe that the resignation from the governing party that sponsored him to the Vice Presidency, entails that he cannot sit on the same table with the people he wants to topple hence he will spend the next 10 months getting benefits and salary for doing nothing. This is not a character for a person who is branded as ‘Our Future’ and ‘Our only Hope’
Bearing in mind of the above, we don’t find it surprising that the movement uses the same failed script for a hostile takeover of the DPP and even tried in MCP and is being applied in effect to try and takeover the Government. A closer analysis of the events that have proceeded the movement, one would note that unlike the MCP which is planning for the 2019 elections, the Movement is geared towards taking over the Government before 2019 elections.
There are sequence of events that can attest to this. First the people behind the movement started calling upon the resignation of the President of DPP and for Chilima takeover within the DPP which upon failure took the initiative to parliament.
By virtue that Chilima has never spoken against his own spokesperson ill feted motion in Parliament on Presidential age limit, clearly shows that he was the one behind the failed motion. Ironically, the motion if passed would have put the candidacy of the incumbent, MCP President Dr. Lazurus Chakwera, and PP President Dr. Joyce Banda at stake, meaning the motion was only saving Chilima as a person and not the country.
Similarly, the Movement has been part of the vocal supporter if not sponsor for the Impeachment or resignation of the current President. Ironically the outcome of such process, Chilima would be the notable winner as he will take over the reins of power. This is indeed what we see as the end game of the movement. Paradoxically, the MCP almost felled into Chilima trap by joining the calls for the President resignation of which the only result would have been Chilima getting into the Government through backdoor.
We would like to commend President Mutharika who has handled the case of Chilima much differently than those of his predecessors. We are aware how Dr. Malewezi was treated when he left the UDF, all his security details, vehicles and other benefits were taken away from him. The same fate befallen Dr. Chilumpha and even Dr. Joyce Banda. However Chilima still enjoys the state funding and benefits, and continue to use the public resources for personal glory. This shows that the President is willing to accommodate Chilima in his determination
Our Calls
FND is concerned that the said people would want to stand on higher moral ground and preach equity and sainthood to Malawi yet their actions are contrary. Malawians should not be trapped into blind following but rather put to question the nobility of both Madam Calista Mutharika and Dr. Saulos Chilima. Not on their words, but rather their actions thus far. For both to continue enjoying our hard earned tax while not performing any state duties is tantamount to theft and if they have any semblance of responsibility to Malawi they need to do the needful and act properly.
We call upon Madam Calista Mutharika to act honorably and return all the money and benefits that she has been accumulating over the last four years without working. Further to that, she can do the country much better by resigning from her position as an advisor to the same person she wishes to lose the elections next year.
Similarly, the Vice President, Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima aka SKC would do this country a great service by resigning as the Vice President of the country. By resigning, he will demonstrate that he is willing to walk the talk and not be part of what he calls ‘a rot’ which unfortunately for him to cling on to the same just confirms that he is no different.
There was no immediate reaction from Chilima as Callista on the resignation calls as they are preparing from Saturday’s United Transformation Movement (UTM) launch in the capital Lilongwe.
