Assets Declaration A Must

 When the government established the Office of the Director of Public Officers’ Declarations (ODPOD), the idea was to promote transparency in public service delivery.

It was also hoped that, through the office, those who acquire wealth suspiciously would be made to account for their actions.

And, as if to express confidence in the office, some public officers have been doing the needful; that is, declaring assets in a timely manner.

As at now, there are 18,815 listed public officers who are required by law to declare assets. There are also interests from 206 public institutions.

According to the latest report, 15,553 officers submitted declarations for the 2024-25 financial year, representing 83 percent compliance rate, while 3,262 officers defaulted.

Those who are required to declare assets include Cabinet ministers, members of Parliament, councillors, staff in government ministries, councils, the Malawi Prison Service, Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, the Malawi Revenue Authority, education divisions, among many others.

We must commend those who have been declaring assets. This is a manifestation of their commitment to ideals of transparency and accountability.

Unfortunately, there are some laggards who have been trying to test the system by not complying with what the law says. This is counterproductive.

However, we feel that ODPOD can deal with errant public officers if it were given prosecutorial powers. That way, instead of referring ‘bad apples’ to other ‘relevant authorities’, the office, which reports to Parliament, would become the relevant authority.

We would, therefore, like to implore the Ministry of Justice and lawmakers to do the needful: initiative the process that will culminate in ODPOD having prosecutorial powers.

That is the most effective, and sustainable, way of dealing with those that play with the country’s laws.

After all, no one is above the law.