A very renowned natural scientist, Albert Einstein, once said that we cannot solve a problem at the same level it was created.
What this statement entails is that problems and solutions do not have the same domain of reality. This is why nearly all Malawi governments have dismally failed to stamp out corruption in Malawi because they are the perpetrators of the same vice.
The truth is that institutions in Malawi which were supposed to crackdown on corruption have sadly become the promoters and direct beneficiaries of the vice.
For instance, President Chakwera who promised Malawians to combat corruption head-on has shown no political will of doing the needful. He unashamedly pardoned corruption suspect, Bakili Muluzi and corruption convict, Uladi Mussa. This presidential stand has sent a message of tolerance towards corruption by the incumbent regime.
As if this is not enough, President Chakwera awarded former Director of Public Prosecution, Dr. Steve Kayuni with a lucrative post of Principal Secretary for masterminding the unceremonious arrest of the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Ms Martha Chizuma.
The aftermath of this unfortunate incident is that Martha Chizuma has suddenly become so quiet on fighting corruption in fear of her life and also of losing her position.
No wonder that Martha Chizuma has recently succumbed to government pressure by dropping down charges against MCP diehard, Prince Kapondamgaga.
It is therefore not surprising that Martha Chizuma has chosen to exude selective justice by pouncing hard on opposition party corruption suspects while protecting ruling party corruption culprits.
While we don’t expect Martha Chizuma to shield any corruption suspect, Malawians had high expectations of Martha Chizuma of bringing any corruption suspect to book without fear or favour.
One notable form of selective justice is when Martha Chizuma is failing to produce the promised formal official statement on allegations that the Secretary-General of the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Eisenhower Mkaka, received a bribe of a Mercedes Benz from a UK based business magnate, Zunneth Sattar.
As if the toothless ACB is not enough, the Judiciary has become so corrupt that it is able to grant court orders with a view of shielding corruption suspects.
All in all, Malawi, as a country which is gradually drifting towards a failed state, has failed to stamp out on its own. It is against this background that most Malawians are applauding the US government for banning some corruption suspects entry into their country. Such banned Malawians include former Director General of ACB, Reyneck Matemba, former Inspector General of police, George Kainja and two others.
This is not the first time that the US government has taken such action against Malawian corruption suspects. Uladi was once banned entry into the US before Malawian court convicted him of corruptly assisting foreign nationals to get Malawian passports.
When former President Prof Peter Mutharika complained about the US government’s pronouncement, nothing changed. Why does President Chakwera think that the US verdict on his corruption accomplices will change now just because he has complained about it too?
However, there are some people who are questioning the US government that it has found the corruption suspects guilty before they are convicted by a competent court of law.
First, it is their country. As a sovereign superpower nation, the US has its own reliable intelligence network that carries independent investigations on pertinent issues. Therefore the US government does not need to rely on verdicts from the corrupt Malawian judiciary for it to make formidable decisions.
Second, it is their money they are protecting. The US government provides donor support to Malawi for various projects. It is ridiculous for corrupt Malawians to steal such money and invest it back in the US.
Furthermore, we would like the US government to continue carrying out its independent investigations on corruption suspects in Malawi with of a view of banning more Malawian culprits from entering the US.
We also appeal to the US government to ban President Chakwera from entering into the US for pardoning a corruption convict, Uladi Mussa who had already been banned by the US government.
We are aware that the former President of America, George W Bush once said that the US government would not make any distinction between terrorists and those who harbour them.
In the same vein of reasoning, Malawians expect the US government to met out equal treatment to both corruption suspects and those who shield them.
Lastly, we urge all donor partners to Malawi to emulate the US government by banning all corruption suspects and freezing their investments in Malawi’s foreign countries.
