Analysis by Wongani Chipeta for Avant
The trend that Examinations are being leaked at Malawi National Examinations Board, MANEB, is not a new phenomenon in the 21st Century. In 2000 examinations were leaked and were rescheduled. The same case also happened in 2007 whereby few papers were rewritten. Apart from these years, there were some other years when examinations were leaked but not to the extent of being cancelled as in 2000, 2007 and 2020.
This leakage has been experienced in different administration and is uncalled for. During Peter Mutharika’s administration, the leakage also took place to the extent that different stakeholders asked MANEB and the Ministry of Education to cancel the examinations. The Malawi government refuted to the allegations that the examinations were leaked despite massive evidence of the leakage. Innocent students who had no access to the leaked examinations were in jargon on punishment
Today, different quarters have described that the leakage is due to the people that are in the board but are pro DPP. Such quarters are calling the Tonse Alliance administration to punch out all DPP cadet from top positions whether at MANEB or other government machineries.
These calls are unfortunate as Malawi is for everyone, whether Tonse Alliance supporters, DPP or UDF supporters. Removing someone from the position without tangible justifications is not a way of building our nation.
The idea to remove someone from positions should be based on the performance of an individuals and not political affiliation. For example, should we say that the leakage of examinations that took place in the years listed above was done by people to sabotage the regimes who were in top opposition? If so, it was unfortunate and unpatriotic.
If the 2020 examinations were leaked to sabotage the Tonse administration then its very unfortunate. This is not being patriotic. Serving political parties at the expense of the nation is treasonous. Again, there might be other people who work to sabotage the MANEB chief executive who is said to be pro DPP. This is again punishing innocent students at the expense of party politics. Its not being patriotic to sabotage someone’s administration just for the reasons to pave his or her way out as he/she belongs to different political party.
It should be stated that whether it is the chief executive and his party functionaries or those of Tonse Alliance just because they don’t want a cadet to be on top there, it is sabotage to Malawians and the perpetrators should not be left scot free.
What is required as His Excellency the President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera has put it, is serious enquiries that are not partisan and those who are found guilty should face the arm of the law. But as the attorney General instructed the government, firing individuals should not be done for the sake of just creating positions for ruling party loyalists. Those in positions should remember that they are not to serve their parties but Malawians through the government of the day. With this in mind, we shall all build a better Malawi.
www.avantmalawi.com🇲🇼