Now there is a new boss in town! The Anti-Corruption Bureau -ACB has a new leader; a female boss, who is perhaps the youngest and one of the fewest female bosses to have ever served at the helm of the graft busting body. Her name is Martha Chizuma. Congratulations to her are in order.
The news that Madame Chizuma has grabbed the job at the bureau is not any shocking. The woman is someone else! She is a golden personality insofar as doing her professional job is concerned. No one can question the merit in her. If her performance as ombudsperson is the yardstick by which to rate her, Madame Chizuma is a star performer; and all factors constant, she will move mountains at ACB.
However, moving mountains is not as easy as it sounds. If I am to quote what Professor Patrick Lumumba said to President Lazarus Chakwera, when he was here in Malawi few days ago, corruption is a dragon that is never easily defeated. When one wants to wipe it way, it grows stronger and fight back. The fight against corruption is not for faint hearted people. To me, what this statement means is that the fight against corruption needs concerted efforts. It is not for only one Martha Chizuma or the Head of State but rather everyone from top to bottom.
Recently, the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index ranked Malawi on position 129 out of 180 countries where corruption is the worst. This statistics exposes Malawi as red zone in which transparency and accountability for public resources are a hard dream to achieve.
All the same, with the appointment of Madame Chizuma to manage the affairs of the bureau, hope is once again resuscitated that corruption level in the country will lower to the manageable levels; bearing in mind her boldness towards professionalism. It is equally impressive to note that President Chakwera, too, is speaking loudly about defeating the endemic of corruption in Malawi. Speaking, though, is one thing and walking the talk is yet another!
As much as I would not wish to be the modern day Thomas Didymus, what I certainly know is that the kingpins of corruption in the country are now so bitter with the new ACB appointee; bearing in mind her performance track record and now they are busy devising new mechanisms to loophole the new ACB leadership. But let the fight against the vice be a national battle meant for every well rounded Malawian; not only two people, on the account of bailing the nation.
It is no deniable fact that for so many years, Malawi has failed to register noticeable developments because some few selfish individuals have always tactfully planned on accumulating wealth corruptly at the expense of the innocent poor who are yet heavily milked through shameless taxation systems.
Malawi is not a country for the very same few! This country belongs to all and sundry and so let all of us benefit equally from the national cake through modern health systems, excellent education systems, food security, top notch road networks and state-of-the-art public financial management system.
So, Madame Chizuma, please try nothing but doing your job professionally! All the best!
Martha Chizuma. Congratulations indeed but now make sure you yourself do not get corrupted by the leader who has appointed you. The President has yet to explain his cabinet woes and delays. His Family is implicated in K6.2 billion missing Coronavirus money.
So strap your boots and keep your reputation because the whole country is got its hopes on you
The Write-up points out that ‘Corruption’ is a monster. It is a monster because those who are engaged in corrupt practices are rich, powerful and well connected individuals, hence its taming is always a tall order requiring an upright leader and not substandard performers whose goals and objectives are distorted.
The unfortunate thing in Malawi is that corrupt syndicates start by corrupting the HEAD. As at now the HEAD is already dip in the mix. You can tell from the results of the K6.2 billion missing money, the dilly-dallying of the Cabinet cleansing, the growing number of corrupt cases in the country, the involvement of civil servants/politicians in looting etc. The rot has gripped the head such that the head is suffocated. That is why such occurrences are speedily swept under the carpet and accusing fingers continue pointing to the previous regime as if leadership didn’t change hands. Bluntly, weaning corruption in Malawi will require a dedicated and affluent person who will not be bought with cheap stolen money.