The World Economics Business Insider Africa has ranked Malawi among the ten best governed nations in Africa. Mauritius tops the list as the best governed country in Africa, with Malawi coming on position seven.
Commenting on the development, good governance commentator Moses Mkandawire says Malawi is on the right track and calls on the government to sustain the gains made by continuing with its anti-corruption drive.
Good governance
Good governance adds a normative or evaluative attribute to the process of governing. From a human rights perspective it refers primarily to the process whereby public institutions conduct public affairs, manage public resources and guarantee the realisation of human rights.
Interpretation
Firstly, this report proposes that Tonse Alliance Government has demonstrated good governance for the past 4 years. In other words, the report is suggesting that on human rights perspective public institutions are conducting public affairs, managing public resources and guaranteeing the realisation of human rights.
The reports is further proposing that Tonse Alliance Government has the following characteristics of good governance: Participation.
Rule of law. Transparency. Responsiveness. Consensus oriented. Equity and inclusiveness. Effectiveness and efficiency. Accountability.
Secondly, the report motions the citizens of this country that Malawi Government has a participatory approach which is helping to secure the ownership and commitment of the communities involved.
Active participation by local citizens and other stakeholders is aiming to enhance both the quality and relevance of the suggested interventions. The planned interventions are being implemented.
Thirdly, the report submits
there’s rule of law in Malawi. All citizens and institutions within Malawi, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. No one is above the law”. There’s constitutionalism as well as Rechtsstaat.
It refers to a political situation, not to any specific legal rule. We have “the mechanism, process, institution, practice, or norm that supports the equality of all citizens before the law, securing a non arbitrary form of government, and more generally preventing the arbitrary use of power.
Fourthly, the report recommends that Chakwera’s administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government.
We are working together to ensure the public trust and establishing a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness is strengthening our democracy and promoting efficiency and effectiveness in Government.
Government is transparent. Transparency is promoting accountability and providing information for citizens about what our Government is doing.
Information maintained by Central Government is a national asset. The MCP administration is taking appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, discloses information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use.
Executive departments and agencies are harnessing new technologies putting information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public.
Executive departments and agencies are also soliciting public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.
Fifthly, the report advises the people of Malawi that MCP government is a Consensus Government. Shortly after the election, all Members meet as a Caucus to set priorities for Parliament.
National Assembly remains active throughout Parliament sessions as the house of records where all Members of Parliament meet as law makers.
The opposition is responsible, through questioning in the House and the work of standing committees, for holding the government accountable and responsive to the people of Malawi
Compared to the party system, there is much more communication between opposition and government. All bills, major policies, and proposed budgets pass through committees before coming to the House.
This gives Members a chance to make changes and put their “fingerprints” on initiatives before they’re made public, unlike in other systems.
Sixthly, the report exhorts public values in a democratic Malawi. The report implies that Government workforce reflects society and where all socioeconomic and other personal characteristics are represented ensuring:
that the needs, aspirations and experiences of a wide range of citizens are reflected in decision making and
that barriers and gaps in service delivery are better understood.”
Seventhly, the report hints that MCP Government is effective and has a competent civil service; effectively implements government decisions; flexible, learning, and innovative within the political leadership; prevalence of red tape; the degree to which bureaucratic delays hinder business activity; political leadership sets and maintains strategic priorities and the government effectively implements reforms; hiring and promotion within the government is based on merit and performance, and ethical standards prevail.
Finally, the report tips the citizens of Malawi that MCP Government is accountable. Public officials elected and un-elected have an obligation to explaining their decisions and actions to the citizens.
Government using a variety of mechanisms, political, legal, and administrative, designed to prevent corruption and ensuring that public officials remain answerable and accessible to the people they serve. Corruption is reducing and coming to an end. Unfortunately, all the above is not true.
My opinion
I am not satisfied with the report which claims Malawi is highly rated in Africa as one of the best governed countries without proper data because nothing shows on the ground.
The report looks fake and fabricated, probably the author has been paid to do a substandard job. As far as I’m concerned, there is high corruption in government, lack of transparency, tribalism, inefficiency, and compromise to standards of infrastructure construction.
I also suspect that the organization which has released this suspicious unconvincing report has somehow been paid or funded to produce such a report because it doesn’t hold any true reflection on the ground.
Obviously Tonse government is highly condemned of its numerous shortfalls including failing to implement many important programs such as agricultural input program.
Cheap fertilizers intended for poor farmers is never delivered. It is also this very same government which has stolen money from the poor farmers whereby they charged MWK 30,000 per bag as an advance payment before they could even deliver the same up to the end of the farming season. Isn’t this pure broad daylight theft?
The report reminds me of dubious organizations which mushroomed in the country at one point, such as Bridging Foundation. I do not see the originality in the report itself.
When I have tried to reach the main source of the report in question it surprises me that it looks very sketchy brief and in summary form without detail.
I strongly feel and believe that this could be just a face saver by government as the report tries to shift the attention from the pastoral letter by the Catholic Bishops as well as the opinion poll by Afrobarometer.
That’s all I can make out of this report, it is shallow and empty aimed at blindfolding and tricking people who don’t dig deeper.
