Peter Mutharika

President of the Republic of Malawi, I would realise that Department for International Development’s (DfID) polite rejection of my desperate appeal for the resumption of direct budgetary support from the United Kingdom offers food for thought that perhaps there are still some areas that still need rectified for my country to regain the confidence of the donors.

If I were APM, I would take note that if donors continue to hear about cases of corruption under my government, they will continue to render a deaf ear to my pleas.

Oh yes, Your Excellency, when senior government officials mismanage public funds at the expense of poor Malawians, it is an insult when I gather courage to ask for the resumption of direct budgetary support to meet the current socio-economic challenges.

If only I happened to be the President, I would realise that the indirect message from DfID Parliamentary undersecretary James Wharton was that my government hasn’t done enough to warrant the resumption of direct budgetary support.

If I were Mr. President, I would start cracking down on corruption to prove to my taxpayers and development partners that their money will be in safe hands.

Unfortunately, that remains a mere wish for I cannot be the President of the Republic of Malawi. n