US urges Malawi to increase fight against corruption

The US Government celebrates the role the new Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Martha Chizuma is playing in the fight against corruption. The US also believes that President Lazarus Chakwera has also set the right tone in this fight? SUZGO CHITETE engaged the new US ambassador to Malawi DAVID YOUNG on what he makes out of Malawi’s fight against corruption and other governance issues.

Are there new areas of cooperation the US government wants to embark on with Malawi?

As you know the United States is Malawi’s largest bilateral partner and we invest in Malawi about K250 billion every year which is focused on working with the government of Malawi, private sector and civil society. President Lazarus Chakwera’s visit, Vice-President Saulos Chilima’s visit in the US recently have highlighted a number  key areas of our partnerships and they generated enthusiasm for the so many opportunities for future cooperation. You can see that during their visits they met with Secretary of State, Usaid Administrator, MCC CEO and other agency partners. This shows that there will be continued cooperation in the  kind of work we have been doing in health, education, democratic governance, human rights, Agriculture, roads, wildlife trafficking, security cooperation.

The US government injects about K250 billion in Malawi’s economy every year and this is a huge sum. Poverty in Malawi remains rife, do you really think your aid is making any difference?

It is a mistake not to realise that there are practical impacts. Today, more than 1 million are alive because of the partnership we have in the health sector. The Anti-retroviral therapy program has supported over 900,000 people with HIV. I should share with you an interesting fact; in 2000 average lifespan was 45, today its 65 years old. I will offer that the kind of cooperation we have been engaged in the past two decades in fighting HIV and Aids and other diseases has contributed to raising this lifespan. That is an extra-ordinary achievement.

I know when you make such kind of an investment, one of the issues you are concerned about is good governance.  Corruption, in Malawi, worries many. From where you stand how do you look at the fight against corruption and good governance in general?

Corruption poses a significant threat to Malawi and comes in many forms. We encouraged by President Chakwera by ensuring that Malawi’s accountability institutions are apolitical and adequately resourced. You, know governance and anti-corruption is the centre of our development efforts. We support the government of Malawi across many sectors to strengthen human resource management and we want to see that the fight against corruption is by all Malawians. It is for Malawians and by Malawians. We celebrate the efforts of the anti-corruption champions who are making a difference in the country. President Chakwera and his administration have made this a priority, Martha Chizuma, who is the DG for ACB has been recognised by my government as an anti-corruption champion. So, there are efforts underway to fight corruption.

Ambassador you really seem so optimistic that the current government is doing what is right to fight corruption, but out there the perception is different. The feeling is that the government is not doing enough. Is this some diplomatic language?

We continue to be hopeful in the fight against corruption. We all know the challenges are big, but we have to continue fighting this. It is for Malawians and by Malawians.  It is an on-going fight and it is not an easy fight because corruption fights back.

Previously the US government banned a senior official of the government of Malawi (Uladi Mussa) from entering the US on the basis of corruption charges he was facing. How come the same has not applied to current officials who are facing similar charges?

We urge the government of Malawi to continue efforts to fight corruption by identifying, prosecuting and punishing all those involved in corrupt practices. We want to be supportive of the fight but we want you to be in front in this fight.

But just for clarity sake, why did the US take that position on this particular former official and not these others?

Again, I would focus on your on-going efforts to fight corruption. I do not have further announcements today.

Fine. On the economy, Malawi is going through challenges; forex is scarce which has affected several aspects of the economy. The cost of living is becoming unbearable to many. What should Malawi do to turn around this troubling situation?

We recognise that foreign exchange is in short supply right now. I think there is a recognition as the President reported after the conversation with the director of IMF on Monday that some serious measures need to take place. We support the government as it moves forward to take these steps. It is necessary for the economy to be strengthened and to recover.