... The politicians are as corrupt as ourselves. Just that we do not have access to what they plunder. That is why everyone is talking about overhauling our government and political systems but nobody is willing to execute the plan once they get into power.
There was a time during the 2014 Malawi General Election campaign when the incumbent president travelled around promising to make the Anti-Corruption Bureau as independent from the presidency as possible once voted into power for example. When he won, and there were calls for the body to be made independent, he shrugged his shoulders. A bill to have the ACB seceded from the Executive arm of the government never passed in parliament. Ironically, the president went to the public and lambasted the opposition, bragging he wasn’t letting the ACB go.
Of course I understand the president. I would do the same if I were him. Here is the reason. Our politics is fuelling resistance to change because of its power-hungry nature. If the president would make the mistake of giving away some of his powers, he fears he would be dead and buried. And that is true. Unfortunately. Independence has cursed the continent with politicians who are determined to do all it takes just to unseat an incumbent regime. They will use all techniques to make a country ungovernable. The aim is for them to be at the helm. It is not about the voter-or the farmer they mention in their daily discourse in the media. Such politics of greed and lust for power are creating mistrust in the people’s desire to unite and combat corruption.
We are always afraid we will be used. By the opposition. By the government. By CSOs. The feeling is ‘everyone has pocketed something to do this.’ Why bother? This is why corruption is far from over. We are always bribing others, being bribed, in our different fields-however small. With that, we have normalized the phenomena. It isn’t a crime to be corrupt. Provided you do not fall prey to an antagonizing political set-up, you are okay.
When scams are reported, we all joke about it on Facebook, point fingers to others and call them names for voting thieves into power. This also contributes to the disunity among the masses in combating the conundrum. If, for instance, instead of asking me on the way forward first, a
friend hurls insults at me for electing thieves, will I listen to what he will say afterwards? I shall be forced into defense-and I will defend my reasoning with all my might.
There are many ways we can defeat corruption and they aren’t new. They range from revolutionizing the political systems to the government systems-with a focus on law. Empower graft-busting bodies through legislations that divorce them from politicians. Everyone wishing their country and future well must join in the lobbying. But we need to re-emphasize change of the self first. We are the people who vote for the politicians -and the politicians who are voted by the people. The relationship between stakeholders in the fight against corruption must also be reworked so that there is trust between the people, the government, the CSOs and the different political groupings. We must all look at each other as enemies against corruption so that when we protest, it must be out of sincerity.
By Beaton Galafa
About The Authour
Beaton is a youth activist from Malawi , whose key concern is bad governance in the country. He is active in speaking out against corruption, nepotism and poor policies, also dedicating a lot of his effort to rallying for improved youth participation in politics.