By Nenenji Mlangeni
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-As the social media community continues to debate the Sunday Times’ cabinet assessment amidst questions on how Queen of the Lower Shire Abida Sidik Mia got 6 points, her historical rescue of the Kamuzu View from illegal developers comes to mind.
For starters, some officials in the Ministry of Land sold off the Kamuzu View, which is a well known place along the Blantyre-Chikwawa Road.
It is a national landmark as it was a leisure spot for the country’s founding president Kamuzu Banda.
Presently, Malawians from all walks of life go there to have fun during weekends to admire the scenic views and hold parties. And the piece of land was sold to a Blantyre based businessman for a song.
It took the Deputy Minister of Lands, Mrs. Mia to question the transaction and halted the whole process. This, coming on the background of cabinet ministers from previous and current administrations receiving kickbacks from sales of various national treasures, would have earned Mrs. Mia another point or two, so that she be on point 8.
That was not all. On Tuesday, December 8, she went to Mpemba in Blantyre where she successfully investigated reports that some public officers were embroiled in dubious acquisition of plots. She was accompanied by the District Commissioner, Benet Nkasala and Blantyre Council Chairperson Mussa Chikwawa.
Earlier, she intercepted some trucks loaded with Affordable Input Programme (AIP) fertilizer in what is being suspected to be a scheme by some unpatriotic Malawians to manipulate the programme for their personal gain.
This is just an example of how hardworking the minister has been. Abida has been up and down working tirelessly to ensure that all issues concerning illegal land transactions is sorted out for once and for all, in a ministry that is the most haunted when it comes to corruption.
Soon after being appointed deputy Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Mia vowed to fight against corruption and all bureaucratic bottlenecks that hamper effective delivery of services to the public.
She also vowed to serve with honesty, passion, dedication and hard work to make significant contribution in building a new Malawi, leave good legacy and inspire the girl child in the society.
She then consequently beseeched Malawians to support her in any way possible while discharging her duties in freeing Malawians from living as foreigners in their own country.
Abida Mia is among President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Administration cabinet ministers need be maintained or promoted into a full minister in 2021.