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Zero-tolerance on the mouth alone?
I have said it before and will not be daunted to repeat it now. This is that President Bingu wa Mutharika should walk the talk. He made a lot of promises to the nation during his inauguration ranging from commitment to fiscal discipline, to zero-tolerance for corruption. The tall order for the President now is to materialise those statements.
He may not be able to fulfil the promises to the last letter, but people will only forgive him if they see that he shows real commitment to translate the political rhetoric into reality. And one thing that the President must at all costs guard against is halfheartedness in pursuing his goals.
Already there are growing sentiments from some quarters that Bingu’s talk on zero-tolerance which has seen the arrest of a number of people, mostly UDF top brass, may backfire because they are not done systematically. Bingu's detractors have difficulties understanding why only senior UDF officials should be perceived to have committed offences on corruption and graft. But some people have made this case better than I have time and energy to repeat it. Suffice to say Bingu will do himself and his government a lot of disservice if he ignores sentiments from the other side of the political divide. The criticisms might be coming from a disgruntled quarter, but Bingu would be well advised to treat their feelings with the caution and seriousness they deserve.
The fact is that Bingu is yet to make strides on fiscal prudence. We may have a cabinet assembled on merit or principal secretaries re-employed on the basis of their qualifications and experience. But to call a spade a spade, the sprinkling of professionals in the cabinet can only translate if there is favourable political will.
Unfortunately, in as far as fiscal discipline is concerned, this political will has so far been coming in dribs and drabs. It is well and good that there is a smaller cabinet and that the President relocated to Lilongwe where most ministries, embassies and government's cooperating partners sit. But it is a tragedy the rampant abuse in parastatals—most of which have been posting losses year in year out—ruffles very few feathers at the State House.
It is common knowledge that most parastatal board chairpersons were appointed not on merit but on the basis of the strength of the political strings they pull. And it is no secret that the main reason for their appointments was to reward them and enable them to use parastatal resources in carrying out party work. Consequently, we have seen most board chairs bulldozing chief executives to allocate them parastatal vehicles on a full time basis as if they are executive chairpersons.
This is abuse which could by now have been water under the bridge if the President matched his words with action and if he were serious with his zero-tolerance policy. Why is it taking so long for the President to replace board members some of whom have nothing to show for the perks they are awarded as board members?
And by the way, where is Ishmael Wadi? Why can't he act on these people who are chewing taxpayer money when government is failing to buy ARVs and other drugs and maintain roads? When government is failing to lower the price of fertiliser for the poorest of the poor and to provide starter packs to farmers? For how long shall we cry foul over people who are looting state coffers in broad daylight? No, Mr. President. Act now.
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