Debating issues partaining to Ministers who lie and mislead the nation in the execution of their duties is very complex and unyielding. Most ministers in most of the countries are appointed to their portfolios not on merit but as a reward for a job well done during a general election campaign.
The constitution empowers the prime minister or the president to appoint whoever he wishes from a group of his political cohorts or members of parliament to become ministers. It is undemocratic and complicated exercise mandated by our constitution. The prime minister would exercise same mandate and power as the head of government to appoint his executive arm. No election is required to appoint ministers who will take to oversee the performance of the government bodies which includes pertinent issue to our economy.
Ministers would therefore lie, mislead the nation and manipulate the truth in order to protect their positions and the humiliation directed to the head of state.
It is normal now that alot of ministers lie, mislead and manipulate the truth. The destruction of integrity is the legacy that most governments leave behind. Obviously ministers have codes of conduct they follow in the way they hold themselves as such but the nation keeps wondering of the consequencies of these lies.
The majority of people think that if the Minister lies to mislead the nation, he/she is then criminally liable for such a conduct. Ministers and members of parliament are always bound by their oath of office and it is therefore profoundly shocking that the minister would deliberately lie and mislead the nation with impunity.
In the United Kingdom, ministerial codes demand that ministers must not mislead Parliament and if they do so unwittingly, they must return to the House and correct.
While I took to write this blog, with all the good things we have heard in Malawi, smooth transistion, government of national unity, the head of state retaining former ministers from the former ruling party.
This has not paid off though or prevented a government scandal as some of those ministers from the former government stil have skeletons in ther closets.
The Malawi Finance Minister admitted that he lied to the nation that Bingu's Zero Deficit was working and Malawi Revenue Authority had made profits in revenues. He said the truth of the Matter is that MRA borrowed money to cover this up. He was ultimately painting a wrong impression of the whole thing in order to manipulate the truth. It was a pack of lies that was intended to mislead the whole nation.
It is surprising to hearing that Ken Lipenga had no intention of doing what he did or did not know that he was making a false statement in Parliament. I cannot help but agree with those who demand his resigantion, the Honorable Minister should do the right thing and resign honorably.
After this revelation, the nation should be concerned of his integrity and credibility now. How is he going to be trusted when at the end of the day the he is just another DPP guy who helped his late president to enrich himself and amass so much wealth at the expense of this nation. Zero deficit led to the suffering of poor Malawians who committed no crime by electing them in the government.
Supporting Zero Deficit is another thing but lying to cover it up is indeed just attrocius, I just think that he has alot of explanation to make before he goes away.
