Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Parliament George Chaponda has called on the Ministry of Homeland Security to come clean on passports crisis and replace ‘questionable’ supplier.
The remarks come a few days after Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) executive director Sylvester Namiwa slammed what he called a growing passport crisis in the country, following a two-week suspension in passport printing.
“The assertion that “everything is under control” is not only false but also an insult to the countless Malawians who have been stranded, delayed, or denied urgent travel due to the non-availability of passports for the past weeks.
“Let me state it clearly: Malawi is in a passport crisis. Like I have said in Parliament before, this crisis did not start today. It began when this government decided, without proper justification, to terminate the contract with Techno Brain, a company that was providing passports. efficiently and without the current chaos.
“Since then, the issuance of passports has been marred by irregularities, long delays, and now, a complete standstill.. At first it was E-Tech and now the centre of this problem is the new supplier Madras Security Printers, a company with a troubling international record.
“This company, which now supplies. Malawi’s passports, has been involved in numerous scandals and corruption allegations in other countries. A simple Google search reveals that this company has left trails of controversy wherever it has operated.
“The question every Malawian should ask is: How did such a company secure this contract in Malawi? The answer, sadly, points to a lack of due diligence and questionable procurement processes.
“This is a betrayal of public trust. Malawi deserves better. We cannot entrust our national security documents to a company with a reputation in tatters and expect smooth service delivery,” reads a statement by Chaponda released on Thursday.
Chaponda has therefore, called on Minister of Homeland Security, Ezekiel Ching’oma to tell Malawians the truth about the state of the passport system and what led to the current collapse and immediately suspend the contract with Madras Security Printers, and launch a fresh, open, and transparent tendering process.
He further said the ministry should ensure that only reputable, globally trusted companies, with no record of scandals or corruption are considered for such sensitive national assignments.
“Government must stop gambling with the lives and dignity of Malawians. It must stop awarding contracts to companies with well-documented scandals that are easily accessible to anyone with internet access.
We need leadership that protects the interests of citizens not one that enriches itself through questionable deals,” he said
In March this year, Government signed a five-year contract worth about USD 29.9 million (around K52 billion) with Madras Security Printers Private Limited for passport production.
