The effects of corruption and the erosion of human rights exact high costs on poor nations like Malawi, it hits already poorest communities hardest while perpetrators often evade justice, hiding in plain sight. We have seen it all in Malawi, this ending year, under President Lazarus Chakwera, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), and the other eight parties that make up Tonse Alliance.
Tonse Alliance this year perpetuated poverty, now almost two-thirds of Malawians are said to be worse off than a few ago.
Tonse Alliance this ending year continued its looting of public resources, stealing maize from ADMARC, paying a butchery for fertiliser, the disappearance of 14 trucks of maize, fuel contracts, Nsanje rail deals, and many more coming to light.
Tonse Alliance was quick to arrest, threaten and unleash verbal, digital, and even Police attacks on everyone who tried to reason with them that plundering resources are not among their campaign promises.
In short, President Lazarus Chakwera and his Tonse Alliance can be renamed as Plunder Alliance.
In trying to protect the corrupt, thieves, looters, and plunders, President Chakwera and his Tonse Alliance have managed to damage years of public trust in democracy, rule of law, and a better future for all Malawians.
Malawians today are now split into two, those with connections to the ruling party, and those who do not. Where you come from matters, and reports from the Malawi Police Service where senior officials ask officers where they are from at every turn show the change the Malawians marched from 2019 to 2020 is yet to happen. Nothing about being “Tonse” but “Okha”
The Plunder Alliance stealing of maize at ADMARC, giving MWK750 million to butchery for fertiliser, and naming of the Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba as one pushing for illegal deals and subsequent inaction by President Lazarus Chakwera shows these are sanctioned at the highest level.
Malawians are now buying staple maize and fertilisers at record-high prices. Of course, the money sent to Bakaat butchery will never return to Malawi. Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda knows, the K181 million came from the corrupt barons cut from the deal.
Fuel shortages affect the poor most, with no ambulances to take the dying patients to the hospital, and no fuel for economic activities such as motorcycle Kabaza. Add that no electricity which means Berbers, welders, butchers, saloons, and many others cannot do business.
That is the consequence of corruption and inept leadership.
In trying to cover up, Chakwera and his cronies are now trampling on human rights of everyone who speaks out. In 2022 alone, activists Joshua Chisa Mbele, Sylvester Namiwa, Bon Kalindo, and journalist Gregory Gondwe have all made it to the Chakwera’s legacy of arresting critics list.
The power of those behind Chakwera, or as CDEDI says who is holding him by the wrong body parts, is so immersed as he has publicly repeated what could be Shaggy’s “It wasn’t me” to “I didn’t know” even when a high-level Anti-Corruption Bureau Czar Martha Chizuma was picked by a Police, he is supposed to be Commander In Chief.
2022 was a very depressing year, with corruption taking the centre stage and plunder in the core programme of the MCP, UTM, Peoples Party, Freedom Party, Umodzi Party, Mafunde, PPM, PETRA, and Aford. Add Timothy Mtambos Transformation Movement.
These are the parties who can’t speak against corruption, because they are corrupt.
This is the Plunder Alliance that has sent Malawi back to the age of tribalism, nepotism, poverty, blackouts, fuel queues, arrests of freedom of speech, and selling of public contracts to the highest bidders like Zuneth Sattar.
The Plunder Alliance is working hard to ensure justice for thieves, corrupt, and looters is not delivered, that’s why privately they celebrate people like Dr. Steven Kayuni, the disgraced Director of Public Persecutions (not prosecutions) when he orders the arrest of Gregory Gondwe and Martha Chizuma.
As the esteemed Catholic Bishops rightly observed, unless you are part of the Plunder Alliance, Malawi is fast becoming a failed state.
We at the Investigator Magazine agree, Tonse Alliance and its inept leaders, made Malawi a failed state in 2022.
