Speaking during a media briefing at Chileka Airport in Blantyre on
arrival from the 12th Summit of the heads of State of the African Union
(AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mutharika noted that corruption was
still very high in Malawi, a development he said was affecting the
delivery of quality services to disadvantaged groups.
Mutharika however said, unlike in the past, where he said some people
could serve themselves to government resources without any sense of
fear, this time, he said, people were very careful when they want to
indulge in corruption.
"We have tried to wage a war against corruption in Malawi, but it has
not been easy to stamp out the vice over night. We are trying in our
fight to rid Malawi of the ‘syndrome’, said Mutharika who touts zero
tolerance stance on graft.
Unlike in the past where people could just abuse state resources, this
time around, one was to be careful before taking part in corrupt
practices. In that regard, we have made tremendous progress. The fear
among people shows that we have managed to create much awareness on
corruption," said the Head of State.
Mutharika’s fight against corruption has been highly criticized by his
critics, because he is said to be using the Anti-Corruption Bureau
(ACB) to silence his political opponents.Â
Since 2005, several senior officials o the UDF, the party he ditched in
2005, accusing it of being corrupt, have been arrested on charges which
have been described as trumped up.
On Thursday, Mutharika will join Malawians from all walks of life
during the launch of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, as part of
the commemoration of this year’s Anti-Corruption Day.