Welcome to iDigital: A new accountability platform
Welcome to the iDigital- The Investigator Magazine’s daily news bulletin that will attempt to fill the gap as we work on a more detailed magazine every three months. The new edition of the much-anticipated magazine though will be out on January 1.
It has taken us almost seven months to pull out this magazine to be published on January 1, 2023 and every quarter thereafter.
We have a single mission; to contribute to public accountability, help create a just and equal society and in turn we believe that all Malawians can enjoy their freedoms and democracy while developing their country economically.
We understand development is a relay race as such we have started this journey by scrutinising three major areas affecting our society.
Corruption, as every Malawian knows, tops every other crime that impoverishes the country. It is sad to hear, read or come across information that indicates that corruption is now the bedrock of our society. Almost in every facet of life, from driving on the road to getting medication in hospitals, from government contracts to procurement, individuals and businesses are expected to cough “a little something” to facilitate payment.
This, as you read our first edition, is one of the reasons we are poor. Unfortunately, nobody, from the K187 million education scandal in 2000 through cashgate, cement gate, tractor gate to now fertiliser and MAREP scandals, has been jailed for corruption. In Malawi, white collar criminals are celebrated.
From corruption, we focus on leadership, looking at our political parties represented in Parliament, save for Aford and PPM which have a single MP each. Malawi is suffering from a serious lack of leadership. The crisis we are in requires our leaders to come together to find solutions. But we see our leaders diverging.
Why can’t President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera invite the whole Tonse Alliance, his predecessor Professor Peter Mutharika and his DPP, Dr Joyce Banda, Dr Bakili Muluzi, Dr Cassim Chilumpha and various stakeholders such as religious groups, the private sector, civil society and donors to a crisis summit where, for instance, a 90-day, a 365-day or a three-year economic recovery plan could be agreed upon? It is only when our leaders are in the forefront facilitating a process where everyone has something to contribute that we can start seeing the change Malawians hoped for in 1964, 1993 and in 2020.
We wish to thank everyone who has spared time to read this first iDigital platform. We apologise for our shortcomings as we have had to work with different people across three continents. We hope we meet your minimum standards in quality, design and information.
iDigital will be updated frequently to cover the periods the magazine will not be in circulation and we hope by July 2023 to have launched two more media products to add value to what we are set to do.
Welcome to the new addition, in enhancing public accountability.