ACB boss rues political party capture

Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Martha Chizuma says Malawi’s political party funding system has given rise to “advance capture”.

Speaking at the two-day Dynamic Leaders and Gatekeepers Forum (DLGF) in Lilongwe yesterday, the ACB head said political parties are captured in advance by those who provide the funding such that, once in power, parties feel obliged to extend the favour to those donors and this is a cause for worry.

She said most people who provide funding to political parties do so with an interest to benefit from public resources through the backdoor.

Said Chizuma: “The citizenry should take interest in those who provide support to political parties, which includes materials such as T-shirts and cloths, especially during campaign period.”

The forum attracted a diverse audience, ranging from businesspersons, public officials and political leaders who included Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa and Kamuzu Chibambo, who is one of the leaders in the Tonse Alliance.

In her presentation, Chizuma wondered why corruption is rampant in Malawi when almost 80 percent of the population claims to be Christian.

“Corruption is a sin but why is it so rampant when almost 80 percent of the population is Christian?” she wondered.

One of the participants at the forum, Krishna Achuthan, who is Nation Publications Limited (NPL) director, described Chizuma as a “woman of substance” who deserves support.

Achuthan, while heaping praise on Chizuma for her courage and passion to fight corruption, asked if there is hope to eliminate graft in the country.

In her response Chizuma said there is hope and her approach is to deal with the current corruption before focusing on old cases.

She said: “We are dealing with both cases—new and old corruption cases. We have to balance. We are also dealing with new cases which have the deterrent effect which is crucial to bringing down corruption cases. With this approach, I believe, we will get there. There is hope, we will get there.”

Chizuma also stressed that there is need to depoliticise the fight against corruption because the effects of corruption affect all citizens.

“If DPP leaders commit corruption even DPP followers suffer. The same thing with Tonse Alliance. Thus, we should get to a place where regardless of our political parties we should all hate corruption,” she said.

The ACB head added that despite losing trust in many people, she has hope that corruption will be dealt with in the country.

She said what keeps her going against a strong force bent to bring her down is her “faith in God”.

Said Chizuma: “I still have a deep belief that God has a specific purpose for this country and it shall be fulfilled. What hurts me is that some of the people hurting this country are those who have benefitted from this country.

“I am a beneficiary of this country. My education has been sponsored by government through scholarships. And after all these benefits should I really abuse my position?”

Chizuma is publicly considered an Anti-Corruption Crusader.

When President Lazarus Chakwera appointed Chizuma as ACB director general in April last year, the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament rejected the move, but later bowed to public pressure and confirmed her in the position.

During the last press conference, President Chakwera stressed that he opted for Chizuma because she is a fighter.

Besides Chizuma, other speakers at the conference included Chief Justice Rezine Mzikamanda, who gave a keynote address, and DLGF founder Pastor Zacc Kawalala of Word Alive Ministries.

Reacting to Chizuma’s presentation on political party financing, Nankhumwa, who is also Democratic Progressive Party vice-president (South), said he agreed with Chizuma on the need to strengthen the law for political parties to disclose for their sources of funding.

“It was a wonderful presentation and I agree with her suggested solution that we need to make some amendments to the current law to improve on transparency in political party financing. It is true we have the law, but we need to strengthen it,” he said.

In his address during the opening of the forum on Friday night, Mzikamanda said turbulent times require transformative leadership; hence, the DLGF is timely as it will give participants an opportunity to reflect on how Malawi can surmount the current challenges, which include Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war impacts.

On his part, Kawalala also emphasised on the need for transformative leadership, saying some challenges may seem insurmountable but with integrity leadership and God’s help, it is possible to overcome them.

This was the fifth edition of the DLGF which has returned this year after a two-year Covid-19-induced break.