President Lazarus Chakwera says Public Appointments Committee (PAC) has denied Malawians the services of a strong warrior by rejecting the appointment of Martha Chizuma as Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general.
The president made the remarks today when he delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) at Parliament building on Wednesday at the Opening of the 49th Session of Parliament.
According to Chakwera, he is disappointed over the decision to reject his appointee.
“Not only does this decision deny Malawians the services of a strong warrior, but it also delays our plan to empower the ACB to recruit additional prosecutors and implement the National Anti-Corruption Strategy II (2019-2024).
“I therefore call on this House to put political and personal interests aside and do its part in accelerating the change Malawians fought for,” he said.
The president also called for concerted efforts against the cancer of corruption, saying it robbing Malawi should otherwise be leveraged for economic and developmental gains.
He said his administration’s first weapon against any form of corruption is stronger internal controls and consequential regulatory systems within all Government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).
“Madam Speaker, our second weapon against corruption is public accountability through governance institutions that are well-equipped and well-led to probe the integrity of transactions in both the public and private sector.
“Without strong and brave leaders at the helm of oversight and law enforcement bodies like the Malawi Police Service (MPS), the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA), the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA), the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), the National Audit Office (NAO), and the Ombudsman, our declaration of war against corruption will remain cosmetic at best,” he said.
On agriculture, Chakwera said that the Preliminary Agriculture Production Estimates indicate that this year Maize production increased by 18.3 percent over last year’s production from 3.8 million metric tonnes in 2019/2020 season to over 4.5 million metric tonnes in 2020/2021 season.
On Lake Services, President Chakwera said his administration will finalize the construction works on a MK10 billion Port at Likoma Island which will include a landing facility at Chizumulu Island, in addition to improvements of earth roads within Likoma community Island.
He also expressed his aspiration to bring back the glory that Malawi Airlines once enjoyed.
He said his government will recapitalize Malawi Airlines as well as review and correct imbalances in any business relationships between the airline and other entities.
