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… Read more »
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… Read more »
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… Read more »
“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.