2006-07-28 - Corruption in Malawi
2006-07-28 - Corruption in Malawi
This old article below describes how Denmark cut off foreign aid to Malawi because of corruption and a "misuse of Danish and other donor money...".
In 2005 donors cutoff support to an African country due to the same problem. In each case, it wasn't the US taking action, but other countries. In a GAO report on Bosnia in about 2003 (or perhaps earlier - it is probably still on the GAO website), they said that about $400-million was siphoned out of the country due to corruption, which was just about the amount the US gave them in foreign aid. We can give foreign aid to a country and the leaders siphon the funds out, and the US just keeps giving and doesn't implement ground rules or strengthen internal systems BEFORE providing the aid. Until the funding sources like NGO's are subject to a Deputy of anti-corruption reporting directly to the Sec State, I don't think there will be any improvement. In the case of Iraq, I sat in meetings which resulted in all talk and no action. I don't have confidence that many funding NGO's even understand anti-corruption, or how to stop it, much less have the "strength" to cut off funding to corrupt countries.
Additionally, today, the BBC news said that the anti-corruption chief in Malawi was fired after he arrested the past President for corruption. Not enough details exist to know the basis for it, but there are a tremendous number of articles if you google "Malawi corruption".
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Here is the old 2002 article:
Thursday, 31 January, 2002, 21:29 GMT
'Malawi corruption' halts Danish aid
from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1794730.stm
The Danish embassy in the Malawi capital, Lilongwe, has said Copenhagen's decision to withdraw all its development aid to Malawi with immediate effect has been prompted by Malawi's corruption and political intolerance.
No new Danish development or environmental programmes or projects will be initiated in Malawi
In a strongly-worded statement issued in the capital, Lilongwe, Danish Charge D'Affaires Finn Skadkaer Pedersen said "a weak administration" in Malawi since 1995 has made it difficult to implement development programmes.
Mr Pedersen said corruption and misuse of Danish and other donor money has become a "markedly increased issue".
He also said political intolerance by the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) of President Bakili Muluzi as witnessed by politically-motivated violence and what he termed as "systematic intimidation of the opposition" has made it difficult for Denmark to continue assisting Malawi.
Intimidation
Recent ruling UDF-initiated attempts to intimidate judges in Parliament did not help matters, he said.
"On this background, the Danish government has decided no longer to include Malawi in its list of programme countries and to phase out DANIDA's support to development and environment programmes in Malawi," Mr Pedersen said.
"This means no new Danish development or environmental programmes or projects will be initiated in Malawi."
The Malawi Government is yet to officially comment on the withdrawal of the Danish aid but already hundreds of jobs are on the line.
Mr Ted Nandolo, executive director of Council for Non-Governmental Organisations - an umbrella group for NGOs in Malawi, says Malawi NGOs will suffer.
Malawian NGOs, including environmental and good governance projects, get a chunk of its operating funds from Denmark.
Mr Nandolo said that all civil society groups in Malawi have petitioned Copenhagen to reverse the decision.
Sympathisers
Sympathy for Malawians has been expressed by other Danish quarters.
We are poor yes, but we are a sovereign state and nobody should teach me how to run this country
Ms Elsebeth Krogh, secretary general of NGO Churches Emergency Aid in Denmark, told Danish press it was shocking for Copenhagen to cut aid to Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world.
"It's shocking and undue to cut development aid this drastically," she said.
Denmark's move comes just a week after President Bakili Muluzi lashed out at donors, accusing them of meddling in African politics by using their aid money to influence political trends on the continent.
Recently, at a public he told Malawians that western nations have no right to tell African governments how to govern their countries.
"We are poor yes but we are a sovereign state and nobody should teach me how to run this country," he told Malawians at a recent public rally.
Relations between Denmark and Malawi soured late last year when Copenhagen was forced to recall its outspoken Danish ambassador to the country Orla Bakdal after an audit report he instituted, on how Danish money was being spent, revealed some anomalies.
In 1999 Denmark gave $18 million in aid to Malawi, a poor southern African nation of 10 million people. $87 million had been earmarked for the four-year period ending in 2004.
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