Bungwe la CDEDI lero tsiku Lachitatu pa 19 May 2021 lachititsa msonkhano wa atolankhani munzinda wa Blantyre komwe bungweli limafotokozera atolankhani komanso anthu onse za kalata yomwe bungwe la CDEDI yalembera mkulu wa nthambi yolembatsa zipani za ndale (Registrar of Political Parties).
Mwachidule, bungwe la CDEDI lapempha mkulu nthambiyi kuti auze anthu mdzikomuno pa za ndalama ndi katundu yense yemwe zipani zosiyana siyana zina ulula ku nthambiyi kuyambira mchaka cha 2019 kufika chaka cha 2020. Pempho lomwe bungwe la CDEDI pereka ku nthambiyi, likutsatira lamulo lokhuza zipani za ndale lotchedwa Political Parties Act of 2018; Gawo 37 ya malamulo adzikolino; komanso lamulo lopereka mphamvu kwa anthu kudziwa zinthu zochitika m’boma la Access to Information Act of 2017.
Izi ndi zomwe mkulu wa bungwe la CDEDI Mr. Sylvester Namiwa analankhula pa msonkhanowu. Iwo anachititsa msonkhanowu limodzi ndi a Raphael Naitha ndi a Phalles Mbewe
ZIPANI ZIWULURE MOMWE ZIMAPEZERA NDALAMA
Bungwe la Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) likukakamiza mkulu wa kalembera wa zipani kuti awuze a Malawi njira zomwe zipani zonse za zikulu zandale zimapezera ndalama zoyendetsera zipanizi mogwirizana ndi lamulo loyendetsera zipani la chaka cha 2018 ndime 37 la malamulo a akukulu a dziko la Malawi, komanso mogwirizana ndi lamulo la chaka cha 2017 lomwe limapatsa nzika ufulu wakumva ma uthenga ofunika.
CDEDI likupempha mlembi wa zipaniyu yemwe amasunga ma uthenga ofunika ofunika okhudza mmene zipani zimapezera ndalama kuti awuze a Malawi njira zomwe zipani za Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Malawi Congress Party (MCP), United Democratic Front (UDF), UTM, People’s Party (PP) ndi Alliance for Democracy (AFFORD) Zinaulula kuti zimapezera ndalama zawo. Chidziwitsochi chiperekedwe powulula ndalama zomwe zipanizi zinawulula kuti zili nazo, katundu yemwe zipanizi zili nazo, ndi ndalama zomwe zimalandira kwa anthu akufuna kwabwino a m’dziko lino komanso lino ndipo zipanizi zinapereka umboniwu pakati pa mwezi wa April 2019 ndi June 2020.
Bungwe la CDEDI likufuna liwone ngati zipani zandale mdziko lino zikutsata lamulo 31 la zipani za ndale la chaka chaka cha 2018, lomwe limati “Chipani cha ndale chidzayenera kamodzi pa chaka kuwululira wochitsatirachuma chomwe chili nacho.”
Pakatipa pakhala pakuwoneka kuti anthu a dziko lino akhala ena akhala akulamulira utsogoleri wa dzikoli chifukwa cha chuma chomwe amapereka kuzipani ndi cholinga choti utsogoleri uziwakondera chifukwa amathandiza zipani zolamulira. Bungwe la CDEDI likukhulupirira kuti izi nzikuchitika chifukwa chakuti lamulo loyendtsera zipani makamaka ndime 27 gawo 2 lomwe limati;
“Chipani cha ndale, pazifukwa zofuna thandizo loyendetsera chipanichi lizayenera kupepha kapena kulandira thandizo mdziko lino kapena kunja kwa dziko lino, malingana ngati, komwe kukuchokera thandizoli lomwe lingabwere ngati ndalama kapena njira zina kwa anthu kapena gulu lililonse, pokha pokha ngati thandizoli silikupitilira K1, 000,000 ngati likuchokera kwa munthu mmodzi ndi K2, 000,000 ngati thandizoli likuchokera ku gulu, malingana ngati chipanich chizawulure komwe thandizoli lachokera pasanapitirire masiku 90 kukhokera pa tsiku lomwe chipanichi chalandira thandizoli.”
A Malawi ndi mboni kuti ngakhale zipanizi zinapanga misokhano yachikoka yokopa anthu yomwe idadadya ndalama za nkhaninkhani pa chisankho cha mwezi wa May 21, 2019, ndi pa chisanko cha chibwereza cha mwezi wa June 23, 2020 ndi pakatipa zisankho ziwiri za chibwereza, zomwe zinasiya a Malawi akudabwa kuti ngakhale dziko la Malawi lili losawuka ndi pafupifupi theka la nzika zake zili pa umphawi wa dzawoneni zipanizi zidakwanitsa kupanga misonkhano yokopa anthu ya chikokayi.
Pakadali pano, nkhani ili mkamwamkamwa za momwe anthu a malonda akupikisilana pofuna kuthandiza zipani za ndale ndi cholinga chofuna kupeza ntchito za boma. Anthu wokhudzidwa atha kuwona kuti kayendetsedwe ka boma sikanasinthe, ndipo zinthu zidakali momwe zimakhalira maka tikaganizira momwe anthu womwe amathandiza zipani za ndale akupitilizira kuba chuma cha boma chifukwa adathandiza chipani cholamula pa nthawi yokopa anthu, ambiri mwa anthuwa apatsidwa maudindo akulu akulu ngakhale alibe zowayenereza.
Pakadali pano bungwe la CDEDI ndi a Malawi akufuna kwa bwino akukhulupilira kuti kugwirititsa lamulo loyendetsera zipani ndi njira yokhayo katangale yemwe wazika mizu mdziko lino yemwe malingana ndi kafukufuku amawonongetsa pafupifupi 30 Kwacha iliyonse pa K100 ya chuma cha boma.
Ndime 27 gawo 5 limanena momveka bwino kuti; “Mlembi wa chipani adzakhala wokhudzika powulula chuma cha chipani ndi komwe chipanichi chikupeza chuma chake kwa mulembi wa zipani ndikomwe chumachi chikuchokera malingana ndi ndime yachiwiri ya lamuloli.” Tili ndi chikhulupirilo kuti malingana ndi mphamvu zomwe malamulo amamupatsa mulembi wa zipani ali ndi mphamvu zopereka uthenga womwe tapemphawus.
Bungwe la CDEDI likupereka masiku asanu ndi awiri (7) kwa mulembi wa zipaniyu kuti apereke kwa a Malawi uthenga tapemphawu, apo bi timutengera ku bwalo la milandu chifukwa cholephera kumvera pempho lathu lomwe likugwirizana ndi lamulo lalikulu loyendetsera dziko lino.
English Version
CDEDI held press briefing in the city of Blantyre, today Wednesday, May 19, 2021 to share with the media and the public about the contents of CDEDI letter to the Registrar of Political Parties.
Briefly, CDEDI has requested the registrar to make public all information relating to the funds declared by political parties during the period between April 2019 and June 2020. The request made by CDEDI is in line with the Political Parties Act of 2018; Section 37 of the Republican Constitution; and the Access to Information Act of 2017.
Below is the full remarks delivered by CDEDI executive director Mr. Sylvester Namiwa. He was accompanied by Mr. Raphael Naitha and Ms. Phalles Mbewe
LET POLITICAL PARTIES ACCOUNT FOR PARTY FINANCES
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) is challenging the Registrar of Political Parties to make available the sources of all private funding to the major political parties in Malawi, in line with the Political Parties Act of 2018; Section 37 of the Republican Constitution; and the Access to Information Act of 2017.
CDEDI has requested the registrar who is the custodian of such information to make public the funds declared by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); the Malawi Congress Party (MCP); the United Democratic Front (UDF); the UTM party; the People’s Party (PP); and the Alliance for Democracy (AFFORD). Such declaration should be made in the form of cash, assets and donations in kind received within and outside the country, and were declared during the period between April 2019 and June 2020.
CDEDI would like to ascertain whether or not political parties in Malawi comply with section 31 of the Political Parties’ Act of 2018, which reads “A political party shall at least once every year, make available to its members all financial records of the party.”
Of late, there has been a tendency by some individuals who hold the country’s presidency at ransom in order to gain favours, as a precondition for their political party sponsorship. CDEDI is made to believe that all this is happening due to the lack of strict enforcement of the Political Parties’ Act specifically sections 27 subsection 2 of the Act which states;
“A political party may, for purposes of financing its activities appeal for and receive donations from any individual or organization within or outside Malawi, provided that the source of every donation, whether in cash or in kind and whether once or cumulatively, with a monetary value of at least K1, 000,000 from an individual donor and of at least K2, 000,000 from an organisation shall within ninety days of its receipt be declared to the registrar by the political party concerned.”
Malawians are their own witnesses that the aforementioned political parties put up super campaigns that undoubtedly involved colossal sums of money ahead of the May 21, 2019 Tripartite Elections, the Court sanctioned June 23, 2020 Fresh Presidential Elections (FPEs), and more recently the two sets of bye-elections, that left Malawians’ lips wagging in disbelief to the notion that Malawi is a poor country where over 50 percent survive on less than a dollar a day.
Currently, the public domain is awash with information on how business people compete to sponsor political parties in the country. Those who choose to care have noticed a strange way in the running of state affairs, the resemblance of state capture by those that invested their resources towards the campaign, and have found their way into undeserving positions either in the cabinet, or in top government positions.
Thus far, CDEDI and Malawians that mean well for this country believe that strict adherence to the Political Party Act is the only sure way of uprooting the deep-rooted corruption, which according to studies, claims over 30 percent of the total national budget.
Section 27 subsection 5 is also very clear on this as it states; “A secretary general of a political party shall be personally held responsible for declaring to the registrar the sources of any donation that requires disclosure under subsection 2.” It is therefore, our belief that the Registrar General for the political parties, has in his/her custody all the information we have requested.
CDEDI has since given the Registrar General seven (7) days to provide us with the information, or risk being dragged to court for failure to comply with our demands, which are enshrined in the country’s constitution.
