President Lazarus Chakwera on Tuesday went to town telling Malawians why he will not publicise the public reforms.

Chakwera, in indirect attack on media reports that the reforms were gathering dust, a year after they were commissioned using tax-payers’ money, flamboyantly said the reforms were not for entertainment and public debates which yield nothing but noise.

It is strange that Chakwera is only coming out now to say the reforms are for his reference and not necessarily for public consumption. It is strange because the commission used public and not personal money from Chakwera or his political party. It is, therefore, only prudent that the President makes the report public.

It is rather ironical that Chakwera calls public debates noise that yields nothing. This is laughable. Chakwera has on several occasions made decision based on what the public has said.

This attitude is not that strange though. This is what leaders that do not want to be held accountable do. They will do everything in books, including telling the same public that financed a project that they don’t owe them any explanation on how the money was spent.

Usually, this happens when they have failed to achieve the intended goal. Chakwera, a man who based his whole campaign on servant leadership, should be the last person to refuse the public information they require to make informed decisions.

An advocate for open government, the President should be working towards ensuring transparency in everything he and his government do. There was so much pomp when the reforms project was launched, one would expect that the same energy and pomp should have been replicated in publicising them. Malawians want to know what the reforms commission found out and suggested as solutions in solving some of the public sector malaise.

The media as fourth estate, will continue to do their work and the public must push for transparency and accountability. It is an insult to use public money and come back and tell the public off. Basically, Chakwera was sent on an errand by the public and he, therefore, must report back. This is not asking too much from you Mr. President.

The reforms are not just for your own reference, they are also for public reference so that Malawians are able to hold you accountable. In the absence of the contents of the reforms, it is very easy to lie that what you are doing is part of the reforms when that might not be the case.

The post Chakwera running away from accountability first appeared on The Nation Online.