2 MPs obtain court injunction, blocks Malawi govt from selling agriculture machinery
Two opposition members of parliament have obtained a High court injunction, successfully blocking the government from selling farm machinery it bought using a K76.6 billion it obtained from a bank in India.
Dedza east MP Juliana Lunguzi and Lilongwe South West MP Peter Chakwantha, both opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislators argued that past experience has shown that the government sell such items to the rich, the powerful and influential politicians And other people with connections to the ruling elite.
The loan was obtained from Import Bank of India for OVOP project but the government now says the machinery is not ideal for small scale farmers hence the need to sell them off.
“These people are lying. Before a loan is obtained, experts were supposed to make a feasibility study on the need for such machinery. They were convinced that the machinery was right for smallholder farmers through OVOP,” Lunguzi said angrily after successfully obtaining the temporary order for government to halt the sale of the machinery.
She said this was another form of “cashgate” when government was selling off government property to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cronies at give away prices.
She said just a few months ago, the government sold 177 tractors which it bought with a loan from a similar Indian Bank.
“The tractors were sold off at very give away prices, very cheap to the ruling party elite or those with connections to the ruling party elite,” Lunguzi said.
Chakwantha said the two legislators have risked their lives for the good of Malawi in order to force the government be transparent and accountable to its people, the people they govern.
He said this is the exact reason a section of the society is demanding Access to Information Act.
Government conceded it sold the tractors to the rich, the powerful and influential people including minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Kasaira, Mulli Brothers and Speaker Richard Msowoya.
The late President of Tanzania Mwarimu Julius Kambalage Nyerere once told the late Dr H K Banda that he was ruling the dead………. here we are. The whole Government deciding to sale the machinery which is meant to transform our Mother Malawi into a house full of food and the surplus should bring income but eeeeesh nzeru ziri ndi agalu!!!!!!!
Juliana and Chakhwantha are patriots. If Malawi had just 50 people of this mindset Malawi would have been somewhere.
A tractor is a tractor. It can just do anything. People are tired using hoes ndi msana wao wonse kutipula! Where I stay, there is one businessman who has a tractor and is available for hire to who ever wants their land cleared in just two days. Iam of the opinion that these tractors can help in the villages at Cooperative Society Level. I thank these two brave MPs for stoping this scam. We need those tractor; we will use them. It’s even cheaper and quicker to use them than hiring people to clear one’s land for growing seeds.
Well done, Juliana. Well done Peter. You make us fell very proud of you…Something to smile on for a while after that sad and shameful day when some MPs voted for Corruption… to keep appointing powers under the control of the elite. Thanks
number 6, you are a big fool and a sleeping idiot. Can’t you see the connection between people and what these Honorable MPs have done? Kodi amakupatsani chiani nkhalamba yanuyi that you even fail to think independently. You can go to hell if your brain can not be used the way God created it.
Bravo Lunguzi, you are one of the very few best in parliament. Malawi needs more MPs of your calibre
@22: Amweleni
It is for the same reason that we need well informed MPs in parliament. MPs who are well versed and objective will easily bring out pertinent issues associated with such mediocre bills. For example, by the mere fact that the presenter mentioned that the loan intended to purchase farm machinery, MPs would obviously start linking the structure of our smallholder farms (average of 1-2ha) and think about the nature of equipment being considered. Secondly, the MPs could then think about the implementation arrangements in place for such equipment including ownership type (tractor per farm or group ownership), loan repayment mechanism by the beneficiary farmers, etc. Obviously ardent MPs (sadly, not the majority present in the current crop of parliamentarians) would question the significance of such loans/bills. Once again shame on the government officials who championed this loan; shame on the MPs who passed the loan authorisation bill; shame on you Amweleni for supporting mediocrity.
Madzi akatayika sawoleka anatero akulu akale. We have Mbuzi ku Parliament zomwe zinagwirizana kutenga loan asakuziwa chochita nayo. At the end, they bought Farm equipment which cannot be used by local farmers and they are now stranded on what to do. Anthu anzeru zanu musakhalenso mbuzi ngati za ku Parliament. It is better for you to advise these goats on what to do now with the equipment. Do they have to burn them? Donate them to the blind? Put them in the museum or hospital? I want intellectuals with wisdom to advise the nation on what to do with the equipment so that the benefits reach the intended people. Shuppiitt!
Nkhani iyi ndi yaiku lu kwambiri. ngati di a malawi tikufuna kusitha zithu poyambira ndi pamenepa. Tonse tikanagwirana manja ndikutenga action yomwe inapereka uthenga kwa a ndale kuti enough z enough. Koma ngakhale kuona momwe anthu aku comment la ,ndizachibwana and a ndale Sa ngakhale ndi matha ,ndi anthu a dziko lino. This issue is more serious than what Jacob Zuma did. Koma a malawi Tili ndwiii kugona pa mvula. Shame. Loan imeneyi tikubweza ndife not politicians. And in the first place we were cheated pomwe loan yi imatengedwa. Malawians let’s stand up and fight against this evil. Where are the NGOs , religious readers, chiefs. Dziko lino ndi lathu, si la a ndale. WAKE UP! Malawi!!!!!!!!!
“Sillymalawiani” please don’t expose your ignorance to the public on how loan bills are passed in parliament. For your own information the presenter of the bill does not bring a list and specifications of the equipment and is under no obligation to do so. What is brought to parliament is the idea on the usage of the loan only. specifications are known at implementation level where parliament is not involved. pleeeeease take note.
This issue shows how useless our parliamentarians are. They just support what their political party and masters want without objectivity. It was the same DPP-led govern that obtained the loan; some years down the line, these masters feel the equipment is not suitable for smallscale farmers. Really? If the MPs were objective in they deliberations, these are the issues (loan justification, who are the targeted beneficiaries, and the suitability of the equipment) they would be raising before approving the loan. Indeed if the explanations were/are not convincing it would be good not to approve the loan. Shame on all MPs who supported this loan.
You are 100% right. The wrong we do today will surely come back to haunt us! Shame on those MPs who supported the bill without due diligence and again shame to those who are shamelessly proposing the sale of the same equipment to the well -to-do citizen at the expense of the poor who continue to pay for the loans.
thumbs up for julid&chakhwantha adzudzuleni amkhwitiwa asadzolowele
Bravo Lunguzi, & Chakhwantha
So Richard Msowoya, MCP Vice President and Speaker of Partliament is now a DPP crony?
At last we now able to see who is standing for the poor in this country.Well done more fire
Kusiyana pakati pa olemera ndi osauka sikungathe chifukwa cha moyo odzikonda ngati umeneu. Inu mumakondwera mukamaona ana azanu akugulitsa agalu ndi aphaka mbali mwa njira. NBS munagulitsa mwa chinyengo. Pano anthu akuchotsedwa ntchito. Anthu ena ndi awa akumapereka chiopsezo kwa abale Albino. Ena afika pomakafukula manda inu osadabwa. Mchitidwe uwu wayambanso liti? Kusowa pogwira azanu. Manyazi abwere kwa inu mumati DPP yomweyo kuti wawa! 2019 boma! Anthu oyipa inu. Funso mkumati Ngongoleyo mumatenga kuti mutani? Anthu osauka dzabweze basi. Shame on you!
Ngongoleyo munatengeranji? Abale azanga athuwa akutibera kwambiri. Ulova utha chomchi? Ndichifukwa cha ulova anthu afika pomakafukula mafupa anthu omwe adafa kale kumanda, ena kumaima mbali mwa miseu kugulitsa agalu ndi aphaka inu ndi okondwa kwambiri. Azanthu achi Albino akhala pachiopsezo. Mwaiwala kuti umbava ndi Umbanda ukhala ukukwela chifukwa anthu ambiri akusowa ntchito. NBS munagulitsanso mwachinyengo. Anthu pano akuchotsedwa ntchito. Kusiyana pakati paosauka ndi olemera kukhala kukulabe. Mwatani aboma? Moyo wanu ndi woyipa kwambiri. Tifika zaka 100 anthu aku Hewe alibe mseu wabwino ndi moyo umenewu. Zachisoni kwa inu mumati ife ndiye wakuba yemweyo wa DDP ndi UDF.
May the Lord bless you 2. We are begging for alms when we can use these tools for Agricultural development in this country. Why not use these in the Ministry of Agriculture kuti apange zakudya??????? Ministry imeneyi onse apatsidwe makasu wakumunda akalime asatibowe ngati kuti we are fools. Muli busy kudya ma allowances mmalo mopanga zazakudya.
Asagulitse ndipo Malawians let stand together and say no to bthis. Let us force them to use the equipment is developing the
Too late. Equipment already gone! Go and check at PVHO etc. Ine nilibe purobulemu with the selling of these pieces of equipment as long as it will be used in Malawi by Malawians for Malawians.
God have mercy on malawians, give them a patriotic leader please , please these people are been robbered. In the name of your son Jesus i pray amen.
Richard Msowoya woyeeee!
Chakwera fast asleep! Achoka ali osauka abusa!
Kondi mumachita izi kapena kuti munasayita kuti olo mukapsye kunjahena palibe pokomera mmmmmmm mizimu ya wanthu ikukudandaulani
MCP WOYEEEEEE!!!
Thumb up
Oh! my God! What leadership Malawi has? Organize farmers in groups to enlarge the fields and assist with tractors. Hand cultivation is debilitating, outdated and hunger associated. Why should Malawi slide backwards because of clue-less, selfish politicians and rich individuals and government bosses? Nowhere in the world does a government trade in farm machinery when the country is agriculturally poor and citizens hungry.
Kusowa zochita a chakwatha ndi a juliana zomwe mumalimbirikila zosakhudzana ndi anthu a dera lanu omwe a kungovutika ndi umphawi basi
Juliana and Peter that’s the way to go and you really represent MCP known for honesty not mbava za alomwezi zikungotikhaulitsa ndi njala. They can not even learn from last year’s escapades. Agriculture is a Chewa thing and needs a chewa to make sense. Fortunately God will answer shortly and MCP will bring back dignity to Malawians
Kufuna kutchuka ndi za ziii, pali nkhani pamenepa?
I would have been happier if it was possible for the people who bought the tractors be ordered to pay the real cost of the tractors!
APM wasowa kosola. siku likuza uzaba pant WA Gertrude ndikugulitsa kuti upeze ndalama.
Galuwe ndiwe wamisala. Mavuto azanimuwone a njala iwe kufuna kugulitsa zipangizo za ulimi.
Why did you buy at first if you new that you can’t use them? APM ndalama zakuba zikasowa gulisa ziwalo zako kuti ukhale billionaire mwasanga. ziwalo za pulezidenti zikhoza kudula mtengo.
APM mbava yotheratu iwe.
Big up Chakhwantha and Julie! This country wont develop cause of wanton thievery! Mpaka a Richard Msooya mommo! Ndiye adzikalipira bwanji boma mu parliament? Shame!