Dausi elected chairman of PAC
Mwanza Central parliamentarian Nicholas Dausi has been elected chairman of the Public Appointments Committee (PAC), Speaker of Parliament, Henry Chimunthu Banda disclosed on Friday.
The Speaker in a communication to the House said Dausi will chair PAC to be deputized by Prof David Mphande.
Women parliamentary caucus also new leadership which the Speaker announced that Thyolo North DPP parliamentarian Anita Kalinde will be its chair while Nsanje west lawmaker Vera Chelewani is her deputy.
After the communication from the Speaker, members continued to deliberate on the National Budget.
In his contribution, Lilongwe North independent legislator, Jolly Kalero asked government to consider to provide enough fertilizer coupons for the subsidy program to ensure that every needy farmer access cheap fertliser.
UDF’s Kenneth Kamu pointed out that the involvement of ruling DPP politicians in distributing coupons make the whole subsidy programme ineffective.
Kamu’s contribution attracted a point of order from Symon Vuwa Kaunda who down played the remarks saying it is not true that politicians from ruling DPP were involved in the distribution of coupons.
The coupon system has been at the centre of controversy for a long time. During the last growing season, many people were arrested for allegedly selling the coupons.
President Bingu wa Mutharika who also doubles as agriculture ministers has been accredited for the country’s record bumper yields due to the fertiliser subsidy programme.
This year’s growing season, price for the subsidized fertilizer has been reduced K600 to K500.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislator for Salima North, Kaphamtengo Yona also questioned the abuse of the coupons system,
“In my constituency, Mr. Speaker Sir, there is likely to be hunger this year. My constituents were denied access to the coupons, because they refused to join the DPP to benefit from the coupons. While the intention is not to woo support from people towards the DPP. The idea behind the coupons is a good one, but it is being abused,” Yona told parliament during deliberations of State of the Nation address by President Mutharika.
He asked the President to consider abolishing the system because it is discriminatory.
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