The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) says President Lazarus Chakwera should decisively act on the plunder of public funds by parastatal board.
In a statement released on Monday and signed by CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, the organisation said that it is very sad to note that parastatal boards are outclassing each other in spending obscene sums of public finances on board meetings outside the country when the poor taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet.
Seven board members of Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) recently blew K 40 Million on a Dubai trip and another K39 Million was spent on a Pretoria trip by the board at the Roads Authority.
Namiwa said Malawians of goodwill are shocked with the sharp increase in the number of Tonse Alliance top government officials implicated in the willy-nilly siphoning of the scarce and hard-earned resources.
“The current administration was ushered in on the cards of correcting the mistakes of the past regime. The impression and tone the President Chakwera administration is sending out there is that ‘it is our turn to eat’,” he said
Namiwa then demanded Chakwera to fire Information Minister Gospel Kazako and Deputy Minister of Transport Nancy Chaola for failure to exercise due diligence and apply austerity measures when approving the obscene allowances and foreign trips.
He said that on top of dissolving MACRA board, President Chakwera should also dissolve Roads Authority, NOMCA and EGENCO boards saying that Malawians cannot entertain selective application of justice.
Namiwa went on to say that Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) and the rest of the boards should be investigated.
He added that the Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) Mr. Zangazanga Chikhosi should be fired for his participation in the looting and plunder of public funds.
“The SPC should immediately stop doubling as board chair for NOCMA and EGENCO for fear of conflict of interest. Failure by president Chakwera to act within reasonable space of time will force Malawians to protests this free for all plunder of public funds,” he said.
