Two cashgate convicts, former director of recruitment during the two-year Peoples party regime Osward Lutepo and former Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Leonard Kalonga said in court that they were used as conduits to finance the then ruling People`s Party(PP) from government coffers.
According to chancellor college political lecturer associate professor Blessings Chinsinga the revelations are a wakeup call to come up with reforms that will force political parties to declare their source of funding.
He said there is a need for the country to have a regulatory body that will look at main sources of funding for political parties.
“We have seen parties growing overnight once they get into power which is a sign that money from government might at times be used.” said Chinsinga.
He said Malawians could avoid the same scenarios by doing an audit on how parties get and spend their money.
“It’s a pity that our parties hide behind well wishers while embezzling public recourses to finance party activities but all this can end if political parties start revealing where they get their funding,” added Chinsinga.
Lutepo is on record to have donated over 20 vehicles to the then ruling People`s Party using his `personal` funds but it is until now when Malawians have realised that PP must have hid behind Lutepo to procure the vehicles for its own use.
Another Lilongwe based analyst Patrick Zeus Phambala backed the idea of having a regulatory body saying doing such would widen public interest in the running and the overall ownership of parties.
“In Europe political parties are mandated to observe their funding principles do not accept donations from anonymous sources and even donations that do exceed a certain amount in per year.” said Phambala.
He said luck of the regulatory body is the genesis for monopoly of positions and power by founders which make them to be party demigods.
Currently different electoral stakeholders are reviewing the election management system which will among others, toughen guidelines used when registering political parties.
Malawi has over 40 political parties.
