His Excellency, the President of Malawi, Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika,
Honorable Minister of Justice, Mr Henry Phoya
Mr Alexius Nampota, Director of the Anti Corruption Bureau
Professor Mathews Chikaonda, Chairperson of Blue Ribbon Committee
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, Head of WB, Malawi
All protocol observed
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a great pleasure for me to be given the opportunity to state a few remarks on this important day for Malawi.
In May 2004, His Excellency the President declared a Zero Tolerance stance for corruption. Malawi signed the UN Convention against Corruption in September the same year and it was ratified in December 2007. Exactly two years ago, on the Malawi National Anti-Corruption Day, the State President and representatives of various sectors - supported by the Development Partners - renewed their commitment to the fight against corruption by signing a Declaration of Zero Tolerance on Corruption.
The signing of the Declaration two years ago symbolised the need for a holistic approach in the fight against corruption. It has taken two years to reach where we are now, launching the Strategy under the theme: Fighting Corruption - Responsibility of all. Some may say it took two long years, but nevertheless; we are here today !
Hon. President,
Corruption undermines good governance, hinders economic and social development, and often has the most serious ramifications for the most underdeveloped countries.
In Malawi’s Growth and Development Strategy, the long term goal of making Malawi a corruption free country is an ambitious goal. As it is stated; Corruption retards economic growth and development by diverting resources from socio-economic development activities into coffers of a few. It discourages legitimate business investment, and reduces the public resources available for the delivery of public goods and services especially to the most needy segments of society.
As partners in the fight against corruption, Norway, DFID, the US and other development partners are encouraged by the inclusive process of developing this crucial national strategy. The launch and eventual implementation of the strategy will hopefully bring renewed and even stronger focus to this high priority for development.
Norway - like Malawi - has a Zero Tolerance for Corruption. The Norwegian Government prioritizes anti-corruption efforts in both its development and foreign policy agendas. Corruption drains countries of large sums every year, presenting a serious obstacle to sustainable development and state-building.
Corruption is therefore a major issue that Norway brings up regularly in dialogues with bilateral and multilateral cooperation partners, and corruption clauses are being systematically incorporated into all cooperation agreements, also with Malawi, so that the agreements can be terminated if and when corruption is detected in projects financed by Norway.
Your Excellency,
Norway is participating actively in promoting the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption. Further, Norway is supporting a network of anti-corruption experts, with participation from some developing countries. The network offers a forum for dialogue between prosecution authorities, courts and other similar bodies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also working to increase knowledge and attention regarding illicit capital flows and their effect on development.
My Government has also just presented a White Paper on corporate social responsibility, where anti-corruption is an important element.
We are pleased to learn that the Strategy being launched today is developed in close cooperation with all stakeholders and sectors in Malawi. The fight against corruption cannot be left to the Anti Corruption Bureau alone – it is the responsibility of all.
Norway has been supporting the Anti Corruption Bureau since its early days and we are happy to see the agency improving their performance. Their independence and integrity is of vital importance for the society to have trust in them, and sufficient funding towards their operations should be granted by the Government - directly or indirectly. Human and financial capacity must be adequate for an agency to be effective.
Hon. President,
The anti-corruption Strategy will assist in putting in place a National Integrity System for all sectors; the Executive, the Judiciary, the Legislature, Civil Society, Private Sector and the Media. I would especially like to point out the importance of the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature being aware of their division of powers and their interaction. Passing and updating relevant legislation must be done in order to establish a condusive environment to fight corruption effectively and in transparent manner.
Further, the private sector and their corporate social responsibility have a very important role to play. During the current global financial crisis, which seems gloomier by the day, the image of Malawi’s private sector and their ability to attract serious foreign investors, will be crucial to maintain the positive economic growth and poverty reduction Malawi has experienced during the last years.
Civil Society and Media should be our “watch dogs” and promote awareness and information to the public at large. The forthcoming elections will be one example where sensitizing campaigns will be important. By saying no to all forms of corruption, and showing the world that Malawi is able to conduct free and fair elections which will be of great importance not only domestically, but also for the image of the country abroad. Malawi will show an example for others to be inspired by.
By these few remarks, from a Development Partners`perspective, we repeat our commitment to join forces with Malawi in the fight against corruption.