BY PATSENI MAUKA
President Lazarus Stuntman Chakwera says he has dissolved the Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) board for wasteful expenditure on a useless trip to Dubai. No, they are not board members appointed by the former ruling party, DPP. They were appointed by Chakwera himself.
Who are these board members?
It has been discovered that President Chakwera has been removing some members from board of parastatals and replacing them with MCP members, especially from a women’s group called ‘born frees’. The changes are not being communicated to the public for fear of being judged partisan.
The following are the new unannounced board members of MACRA who went to Dubai to swim in taxpayers money.
New Board
Stella ChuthiMalla Kawale (Wife to MP Sam Kawale)
Alekeni Menyani
Fr Henry Saindi
Isaac SongeaStaff from MACRA
Thoko Chimbe-Director of Legal
Andrew Nyirenda-Acting Director Economic Regulations
The Board Chairman Dr Khaila did not go.
Ex officio members of the board 1. Secretary for Information
2. Comptroller of Statutory Corporations
3. Secretary to the Treasury
4. Representative of Office of President and Cabinet (OPC)According to impeccable sources, all these members went to Dubai to make easy money for their wives, girlfriends, concubines and of course cement for house building projects in town.
So did they just go without anyone in government knowing? No! Here is the procedure for such international trips whether officials are going for important business or moonlighting as these board members did;
As listed above, MACRA board is composed of ordinary board members and ex officio members. When there is an activity of the Board, officials from MACRA participate. In the case of the Dubai trip, ordinary board members, ex officio members and officials from MACRA went.
Ex officio members include PS of Information, Comptroller of Statutory corporation, Secretary to the Treasury and representative of the Office of the President and Cabinet.
Travel for the officials of MACRA and PS Information is done by the Minister of Information at initial stage. For the ordinary board members, Statutory Corporations does at initial stage.
The final approvals for ex officios, who are Controlling officers, plus board members and the senior officials from MACRA who service the boards are done by the Office of the President and Cabinet.
Who’s the ultimate boss at OPC? Of course it’s Chakwera the stuntman! Who’s his cholaboy? Secretary to the President and Cabinet Mr Zanga Zanga Chikhosi!
Remember no matter how this guy embarrasses the president, he won’t go anywhere. Did I say the president is being embarrassed? Well, that’s my mistake. The president is a stuntman who thinks we are all stupid and will fall for his publicity stunts!
Get to work Mr Chakwera! It’s already one year now! You have just three years to prove yourself.
