Pressure Group Tags International Community On Malawi’s Woes: Full Statement

DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE ADVOCACY GROUPDGA-MALAWI

Pressure group advocating good governance and democracy consolidation in Malawi…

c/o kondwani@theinvestigator.news +44 7572227159

22nd NOVEMBER 2024

Rt. Hon. Kier Starmer M.P

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

10 Downing Street

LondonSW1A 2AA

His Excellency Joe Biden

President of the United States of America

White House

Washington D.C

USA

His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa

President of the Republic of South Africa

Pretoria

SOUTH AFRICA

H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat

Chairperson African Union Commission

Addis Ababa

ETHIOPIA

Executive Secretary

Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)

Gaborone

BOTSWANA

Baroness Patricia Scotland

Secretary General Commonwealth

London

UNITED KINGDOM

Dr. Ursula von der Leyen

President of the European Commission

Brussels BELGIUM

Rt. Hon Olaf Scholz

Chancellor Federal Republic of Germany

Berlin

GERMANY

Rt. Hon Jonas Gahr Store

Prime Minister of Norway

Oslo

NORWAY

Rt. Hon Simon Harris Taoiseach

Republic of Ireland

Dublin

IRELAND2

Rt. Hon John Swinney MSP

First Minister of Scotland

Edinburgh, UK

Rt. Chi Onruah M.P

Chair and Registered Contact

All Party Parliamentary Group for Africa

Lord Oates

Co-Chair APPG

London, UK

Rt Hon John James

Chair Committee on Foreign Affairs- Africa Subcommittee

US House of Representatives

2170 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington DC 20515

His Holiness Pope Francis

Casa Santa Marta

00120 Vatican City

Rt. Reverend Dr. Shaw J Paterson

Moderator of the Church of Scotland

Acting Archbishop of Canterbury

Mr. Daniel Eriksson

CEO

Transparency International

Mr. Alexander Soros

Chair

Open Society Foundations

USA

Dr. Alex Vines

Africa Programme Director

Royal Institute of International Affairs

LONDON

Ms Zainab Bedawi

Royal African Society

London.

Your Excellencies,

URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE MALAWI’S DEMOCRACY AND RESTORE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN ELECTORAL SYSTEM TO AVOID FUTURE CIVIL CHAOS, INVESTIGATE AND BAR CORRUPT POLITICIANS/PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND SPECIAL APPEAL FOR FOOD FOR 5 MILLION STARVING MALAWIANS

We, Malawians in the diaspora and within the country, issue this urgent appeal to address the deteriorating state of governance and democracy in Malawi.

Since 1994, the international community has been instrumental in supporting our democratic consolidation. However, recent governance failures, corruption, and systemic inefficiencies have eroded public trust in leadership, jeopardizing democratic progress.

Surveys like Afrobarometer highlight growing dissatisfaction among Malawians, citing concerns over corruption, inequality, hunger, and rising costs of living. While global factors play a role, internal issues such as executive overreach, weakening of governance institutions like the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), and suppression of dissent have worsened living conditions and limited freedoms.

These failures demand urgent attention to prevent further chaos and restore faith in democracy.

Corruption, Fraud, and Misprocurement

Under President Lazarus Chakwera’s administration, corruption has become endemic, with significant scandals going unpunished. These include:

1. Zuneth Sattar Case: Misprocurement worth $150 million, with ACB investigators removed and ACB Director Martha Chizuma arrested in 2023.

2. Fertilizer Scandal: $300,000 paid to a UK-based butchery, with funds traced to Germany but no independent verification.

3. Dubious Contracts: $250 million offered to East Bridge Estates, involving individuals tied to the 2013 Cashgate scandal.

4. Fuel Bribery: Evidence of bribes involving shell companies in Dubai and Switzerland, presented to parliament but ignored.

5. Offshore Asset Purchases: Public funds allegedly used to acquire properties in South Africa, the UAE, Serbia, the UK, and the USA.

6. A compromised judiciary: The Malawi judiciary has become a conduit of siphoning of public funds through judgements that are very questionable and would not pass in any liberal democracy legal system. The Judicial Service Commission is complicit in its duties to the point judges and magistrates have come to believe they can do anything and get away with it.

7. Increased cases of money laundering: Senior politicians with a criminal syndicate of shell companies are at the centre of laundering public funds through deliberate misprocurement

These cases reflect systemic corruption and the administration’s failure to uphold accountability, further eroding public confidence.

Debt and Finance Mismanagement

1. Irresponsible Borrowing: The government borrowed K145 billion for the Lilongwe-Salima water project, but no substantial progress has been made.

2. Increased Public Debt: Funds are diverted to finance presidential travel, reward opposition figures, and inflate contracts benefiting ruling party affiliates.

3. Luxury Spending Amid Crisis: Amid mounting debt and widespread hunger, the government has prioritized non-essential expenditures like a new presidential motorcade. Government continues to pay in cash equivalent fuel allowances of around 2,000 litres to senior officers every month without officers accounting for it, when it is very clear that no senior officer residing within 5 kilometres of their offices can actually use such an amount of petrol and diesel in a month.

4. Public Hospitals: Most public hospitals are ill equipped with funds lost to corruption. Most deaths are from treatable and preventable diseases.

5 Food Shortages Over 5 million Malawians face severe food insecurity due to climate-related disasters, mismanagement of reserves, and fertilizer program failures. Despite this crisis, the government has offered no substantial relief, leaving vulnerable populations to resort to desperate measures like consuming wild plants.

International support has also been muted, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

2025 Presidential Elections

Malawi’s eighth presidential election, scheduled for September 2025, faces significant credibility challenges. Concerns over the Malawi Electoral Commission’s impartiality, potential manipulation of voting systems, and voter apathy threaten the democratic process. Lessons from the 2020 rerun elections—marked by transparency and public confidence—must be applied.

The international community’s support is critical to ensure free, fair, and credible elections. The National Registration Bureau is deliberately making it exceedingly difficult for Malawians to register in opposition strongholds which is steadily creating an environment of unfair elections and a potential for a very violent election that is likely to be disputed. Despite a court ruling to make registration easy for all eligible Malawians, the National Registration Bureau still acts with impunity by deliberately making it difficult for most Malawians, especially in opposition strongholds to register.

Emerging Violence and Government Silence

Recent violence, such as the November 2024 attacks by ruling party youth against opposition protesters, underscores rising tensions. The police and government’s silence on these incidents is alarming, as is the failure to hold perpetrators accountable. This inaction risks fuelling retaliation and destabilizing the country. Immediate intervention is needed to prevent escalating political violence.

Falling Social Services

Malawi’s poverty rates, cost of living, and lack of access to essential services have reached crisis levels. Food and medicine shortages, school dropouts, and increasing delinquency among children reflect the broader failures of governance. Broken campaign promises have further eroded trust in leadership, undermining the foundations of democracy.

International Community Reaction to Malawi’s Governance Crisis

The international community has historically played a pivotal role in supporting Malawi’s democracy. However, since 2020, key partners like the UK, USA, and EU have remained silent or, worse, offered support amid clear governance failures.

• IMF Extended Credit Facility: Approved despite public corruption scandals, rising debt, and economic mismanagement.

• EU Budget Support: Announced amid fuel and fertilizer corruption cases without transparency safeguards.

• USA Millennium Challenge Compact: Approved despite governance concerns, including arrests of journalists, activists, and opposition figures.

This perceived endorsement of a failing administration has weakened trust in international partners’ commitment to democratic values.

Request for Immediate Action

To safeguard Malawi’s democracy and prevent further decline, we urge the international community to act decisively by:

1. Convene a Governance Crisis Meeting: Engage all stakeholders to address urgent governance challenges.

2. Condemn Political Violence: Demand accountability for election-related violence and ensure security for all citizens.

3. Support Free and Fair Elections: Collaborate with the Malawi Electoral Commission and civil society to build trust and transparency.

4. Investigate Corruption: Launch inquiries into public contracts, freeze assets of implicated individuals, and prosecute offenders like Zuneth Sattar.

5. Restore the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Independence: Demand credible reforms to reinstate the ACB’s impartiality.

6. Redirect Aid: Channel support through independent, accountable entities.

7. Monitor IMF Compliance: Publish detailed performance reports on Malawi’s use of ECF funds.

8. End Impunity for Critics’ Arrests: Advocate for the protection of opposition leaders, journalists, and activists.

9. Demand Accountability from President Chakwera: Insist on decisive leadership to address corruption and governance failures.

10. Travel and financial sanctions on selected individuals and businesses: Financial and travel sanctions should be imposed on all individuals and businesses that steal and launder public finances

11. Financial Intelligence Authority: Make the financial intelligence authority independent and empower it to monitor money laundering which risks being used to finance illegal activities within the country and beyond

Closing Appeal

Malawi is steadily becoming a failed state where criminals are increasingly becoming in full control of state affairs. Malawi’s democracy is at a crossroads. The worsening governance crisis, rising corruption, and suppression of freedoms risk undoing decades of progress. We urge the international community to act with urgency, solidarity, and resolve to restore confidence in democracy, protect lives, and secure Malawi’s future. Malawi democracy is under a huge threat.We are available to meet, engage and coordinate any further responses within the North America, Europe and Africa including Malawi.We strongly believe your engagement and solidarity with the people of Malawi at this critical juncture in our democracy will be of immense value.

Signed:Concerned Malawians in the diaspora and at home.

Kondwani BELL MUNTHALI

Coordinator- International Response

kondwani@theinvestigator.news +44 7572227159

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