By Vincent Gunde
One of the country’s good governance commentators Rick Dzida, has commended President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s administration for achieving 2 years of examination leak-free.
But Dzida stresses that despite that improvement, still illiteracy levels remain high and that no deliberate plans to address the issue.
Dzida has however, asked government to implement compulsory primary school education for children of a certain age, to consider helping deserving students who drop out of school due to high fees in universities and secondary schools.
He has also asked President Chakwera to explain to Malawians the progress which have been made in constructing secondary schools in each constituency with funding from the American government and providing solutions to the jobless university graduates.
In an open letter to President Chakwera dated 3rd September, 2023 Dzida has advised President Chakwera that he has the full responsibility to uphold, defend and respect the Malawi constitution as the supreme law of the land.
Dzida says President Chakwera is the driver of the country claiming that all the people he has appointed or appointing in government are there to assist him leading the country in the interest of all saying their failure is Chakwera’s failure and their success is Chakwera’s success.
He has lamented that under President Chakwera’s leadership, government seem to have taken control over the National Assembly where it appears that the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Catherine Gotani-Hara is participating in the election of the Leader of Opposition in Parliament.
The commentator says corruption under Chakwera’s administration has reached an alarming level in virtually Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with him seen as promoting corruption as recently evidenced with the pardoning of corruption suspects Dr. Bakili Muluzi and Uladi Mussa.
“You are being seen involved personally interfering with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to shield MCP loyalists, Eisenhower Mkaka’s Mercedes Benz bribery case with businessperson Zuneth Sattar,” reads the letter in part.
On the Public Sector Reforms Report which was submitted to him by the Vice President Dr. Saulosi Klaus Chilima, Dzida has reminded President Chakwera that Malawians have the right to access the Report wondering why he has chosen to remain silent as if the Report was not made available through taxpayer’s money.
Dzida has expressed fears that corruption in the Judiciary has reached an unprecedented level saying courts are shielding corruption suspects from being interrogated by an institution constitutionally mandated to investigate and prosecute corruption suspects.
