CORRUPTION STILL REIGNS MALAWI

CORRUPTION STILL A SET BACK IN MALAWI 

The Malawi government's sale of its country's Air force one (Presidential Jet)comes amid  speculations that the Gupta family business called Apollo procured and delivered a fleet of 50 pick-ups  and four buses worth US$ 76.2 million.

As reported recently  by the Malawi voice the Gupta family business was awarded several million worth of tenders in Malawi by the current Mrs Joyce Banda's ruling Peoples Party.This gesture by Apollo as reported is a form of kick backs.If this is true as reported,then this is high level corruption that will one day Malawians  demand explanation.

Though the news of financial prudence by Mrs Joyce Banda government has taken center stage in the international media,the ordinary Malawians are still living in abject poverty.

The expenditure by the current government in the past one year of office is not only surprising but also worrying ranging from exorbitant external trips to politicians in government getting reach within one year.

The international media on 21st May,2013 praised the Banda  Administration without taking the details such as the above into consideration.

Bohnox Enterprise beat three other bidders for the 14-passenger aircraft used by president Bingu wa Mutharika, who died last year.

"We have accepted their offer and we are waiting to hear from them," Cabinet clerk Ernest Katchetche said in a statement on Tuesday. 

The 15-year-old Dassault Falcon 900-EX had been described as being in "perfect flying condition".

Mutharika's successor, President Joyce Banda, decided to sell the aircraft and a fleet of luxury cars used by the big-spending leader.

The government initially set the price at $20-million.

Mutharika controversially acquired the jet for $22-million in 2009, calling it "an asset" for his impoverished country.

Maintainance and insurance for the aircraft reportedly cost the state $300 000 a year.

The southern African nation relies on donor funding to finance its development budget, with half of its 13-million citizens living below the poverty line.

Britain, which is Malawi's main bilateral donor, criticised the purchase of the jet and reduced its aid budget by £3-million.

Since taking office, Banda has introduced a host of cost-cutting measures and uses commercial airlines to travel outside the country. SAPA-AFP

However this report misses a point that the current government is receiving kickback from such high level contracts.

This is detrimental to the economy of Malawi and an insult to an ordinary citizen expecting to cast their vote in 2014 come the mult-party general elections.

This kind of behaviour seems to be a general trend among a crop of recycled Malawi politicians.