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JB snubs PAC on assets

Yet to make public her assets: Banda
Yet to make public her assets: Banda

Malawi President Joyce Banda has refused to direct Parliament to make her declared assets public as demanded by the Public Affairs Committee (PAC), saying the law does not oblige the Head of State to do so.

PAC, an inter-faith grouping that also acts as a democracy and governance watchdog, met Banda at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Thursday where they told the President to order the Clerk of Parliament to make her declared assets public for the sake of transparency and accountability.

In a press statement signed by presidential press secretary Steven Nhlane on Monday, Banda also responded to PAC’s concerns about growing corruption levels, saying her government’s commitment to clean up the country of corruption, abuse of office, fraud and proliferation was deepening.

In response to the demand by PAC that Parliament makes the President’s declared assets public, Nhlane said Banda confirmed to the religious leaders that she deposited the documents with the office of the Clerk of Parliament.

He said it was the observation of the President that the law was silent on what happens when officials leave office and that she went further to demonstrate that there was no demand on former presidents Bakili Muluzi and the late Bingu wa Mutharika to declare assets acquired while in office and how after they had left office.

“Furthermore, the public including PAC is focusing only on the President but leaving out other officials including ministers. Her Excellency is of the view that a wider group of public officers should be added to the list including Principal Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers of Parastatals, etc,” says Nhlane.

The State House says there was need to review the law to include the issues which are being raised in the public domain and that the President had directed the Attorney General to begin the process of addressing the shortfalls in the Asset Declaration Act.

“Her Excellency the President assured PAC that she is committed to the rule of law other than rule of opinions. Her Excellency the President is of the view that the Asset Declaration issue is being influenced by government detractors to divert public attention and debate away from the K61 billion (about $152m) scandal which has deprived poor Malawians of medicines, classrooms, notebooks and roads,” says Nhlane.

In an interview on Tuesday, PAC executive director Robert Phiri said the religious grouping raised the issues that were in the public domain because they were of national importance.

Said Phiri: “We believe that what PAC advocated is for the benefit of the State and leadership as well. The public perception is an important factor on issues of national importance. We raised the issues not looking at an individual per se but the office itself and the State machinery.”

“As PAC, we identified issues that were in the public domain to be considered by the Head of State. We are of the view that some issues remain matters of concern to the public. We are aware that legally she may have a good defence on asset declaration issue but what we are advocating is the element of good will, whereby the Head of State may go a step further on the issue,” he said.

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