More pressure on JB’s assets issue
Two more non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have asked Malawi President Joyce Banda to declare her assets.
The Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and the Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) said in a statement issued on Sunday that they supported the call by the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) and other NGOs for the President to declare her assets.
In their statement, CHRR and Cedep said the call goes not only to the President, but also her deputy, Cabinet ministers, members of Parliament (MPs) and other public servants in conformity with the principles of rule of law, good governance and democracy in general.
The Attorney General (AG) recently gave a legal opinion to the Speaker of the National Assembly, advising him against revealing to the public details of the President’s wealth as earlier requested by the Malawi Law Society (MLS).
AG Anthony Kamanga opined that the current legal framework does not empower the Speaker to release or make public the contents of the declared assets.
But CHRR and Cedep said they recognise that all citizens of any democratic State are entitled to access information regarding the assets of their public officials, including the President, whom they put in office on trust to represent their general interests.
Reads the CHRR and Cedep statement in part: “This is [the citizens’] democratic right, which they ought to enjoy without any derogation.
“Government, through the Attorney General, needs to be reminded that public service is no place for the protection of privacy…”
The two NGOs said while subscribing to the fact that there are already other agents such as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) which can access the information on assets in cases of an individual being investigated for accumulating wealth suspiciously, as was suggested by the AG, they said such an existing tactic may only manage to unearth the wealth of few individuals who have been successfully tried and convicted.
Further reads the statement: “We at CHRR and Cedep are further surprised by the continued failure by the Speaker of the National Assembly to disclose the details of the assets of the President despite being reportedly presented to him.
CHRR and Cedep said declaration of assets would not only help in curbing corruption, but will also attract direct foreign investments and improved public and donor confidence in the government.
The statement, co-signed by Timothy Mtambo of CHRR and Gift Trapence of Cedep, reads: “In addition, by declaring her assets public the President would be candidly showing her renewed commitment and political will towards combating corruption and abuse of power in the country.”
I suggest that the civil society and all interested parties who are agitating for transparency of
politicians including incumbent President and her vice,Ministers and top government and political
appointments,regarding how much property/worth including money in the banks each individual has
should start when new terms of office of government begins that is soon after General elections-Presidential/Parliamentary
and Councils results are out.Before the swearing in ceremony of the new members of Parliament,Vice-President and President
and other top officials,there should be a binding law that makes it an obligation and mandatory for new government and parlia
mentary officials to declare and disclose their assets to a chosen/appointed say like-Assets/Estates Declarations body appointed
by parliament.
The job of formulating the policies and requirements should be debated at different forum such as constituent levels,district
levels,school/college and town halls venues where locals could contribute issues that matter to them to be included in the
new legislation and regulations before passing into law.
This can not be implemented now because at the moment the law does not seem binding and strict enough as there are
many loop holes that the current law on Asset Declarations is weak and can not be enforced.
This weakness of the law,i believe was made weak deliberately by the politicians and framers for their own benefit ti get
away with it as is the case now.
The Malawi people should mobilise and campaign and bring in the Law Commission to redraft a new law on Asset Declaration
effective as soon as the new government in 2014 is sworn in.
But to call for the current President and her vice President and cabinet and Members of Parliament to redeclare assets now
is like legally unworkable and is like witch-hunting the incumbent President Joyce Banda.
The Law Commission must do its job before the next election,otherwise this talk about assets and corruption will never be resolved forever.
if she had nothing to hide she would have declared it
A Mdala ndinu otsalira pa zochitika. Ndi anthu aja mukuganiza kuti lamulo limaona nkhope. Why should JB be free to do anything she wants apart from the law? I think some of us Malawians are sick in the mind.