…Chakwera is a coward, demagogue, not a democrat- Danwood Chirwa
President Lazarus Chakwera on Thursday said he told the Secretary to the President and Cabinet “to do whatever the law says” in suspending delegated duties to the Vice President and his Chief of Staff.
The Investigator Magazine has interpreted the statement to mean that the President was indirectly making inference to the purpoted interdiction of the Anti Corruption Bureau Director General Martha Chizuma by SPC Colleen Zamba on Tuesday this week.
Meanwhile a Constitutional professor has called for removal of the President for “destroying institutions of accountability and promoting plunder.”
On Thursday, the beleaguered President made two key speeches and avoided the word “corruption” as the public has now lost confidence in his speeches due to his high rate of contradiction in relation to the fight against corruption.
Speaking when he swore in his new cabinet whose news had been drowned by Zamba’s illegal interdiction, the President said he had to make a choice to uphold the oath of office and Constitution in cases where he asked the Secretary to the President and Cabinet to ‘interdict’ the Vice President Saulosi Chilima and former Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamganga.
Describing the decision as “personally painful” Chakwera said the same happened for those that has stolen Covid 19 funds.
The President insinuations, according to our fact check are all wrong, the SPC was not involved in the ‘removal of delegated duties’ which was announced by the President himself along side suspension of Kapondamgamga who continues to enjoys perks as State House Chief of Staff.
The President also lied that the SPC had to do “whatever necessary” as all of the interdiction in the case of Covid 19 were reversed and all the officials continue to work in offices.
Key legal minds have challenged Zambas letter and asked President Chakwera to “man up” and suspend Chizuma himself as the Malawi Public Service Regulations as quoted by Zamba do not apply to the ACB Director General.
Meanwhile Professor Danwood Chirwa has called for Malawians to remove Chakwera from office arguing that he is an enabler of corruption.
“Because of his record of questionable and omissions, Malawians must treat Lazarus Chakwera as criminal number one, and the state house as a crime scene. At the very least, he is an accessory to crime. At worst, he is the architect of the entire criminal enterprise. He is the first President to have obliterated the ACB, the DPP’s office, and the entire Ministry of Justice all at once,” writes Prof Chirwa.
The law professor raps Zamba’s letter that it does not state if she is acting on delegated authority and that Section 6 (3) of the Corrupt Practices Act only empowers the President to suspend Chizuma. He calls President a “coward” whose authority has been ursurped by Zamba.
“This man knows no bounds to pretence, hypocrisy and sophistry. He is cheap and has no shame. He has surrounded himself with individuals of dubious ethical disposition and with downright crooks. He seems to think protecting his gang from justice is his primary job. He must be told he is wrong,” adds Chirwa.
He concludes by saying by asking Malawians to stop President Chakwera from destroying institutions of accountability
” A democrat he is not. A demagogue he sure is. All Malawians have a duty to stop this man from destroying the institutions of accountability, and above all, from facilitating the plunder of state resources. He must be removed from power as soon as possible,” says Chirwa.
Meanwhile the country’s major donors have requested for an urgent meeting with President Lazarus Chakwera on his Anti Corruption strategy. According to an official from Foreign Affairs the President is likely to meet them today or early next week.