Budget committee chair Ganda urges emergency Parliament meeting on K6.2 bn Covid-19 fund plunder

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Member of Parliament for Nsanje Lalanje, who is also chairperson of Budget and Finance Committee of Parliament, Gladys Ganda, has said parliament must step up and play its oversight role to ensure that public funds are not being abused by people with ulterior agenda.

Ganda: Urges an emergency Parliament meeting on K6.2 billion COVID-19 fund

Ganda said this in reaction to revelations that the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) is failing to account  for money amounting to K6.2 billion meant to fight  the Covid-19 pandemic that it received in October last year.

In an exclusive interview  with Nyasa Times, Ganda said in as much as she applauds President Lazarus Chakwera for ordering Dodma to submit its expenditure report to the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 within 48 hours, she is disappointed with the slow pace at which government is resolving the issue and said it is important to extend this  responsibility to parliament so that Malawians know what is happening to their taxes.

“I am disappointed with what government is doing on the K6.2 billion matter because people voted for the Tonse Alliance government based on its promises that it will be transparent in its work for Malawians. I believe this is an opportunity for government to demonstrate that transparency by accounting down to the last penny of this K6.2 billion meant for Covid-19,” said Ganda.

She added that government must borrow a page from the  citizen initiative for Covid-19 co-founded by France based Stanley Onjezani Kenani  and social media activist, Thandi ‘Wa Pulumuheya’ Hara, which is doing a splendid job in accounting for every donation that it is receiving.

Said Ganda: “The citizen initiative is being transparent by publishing its donors and donations plus its expenditure report. I have not seen anywhere where these private citizens are claiming huge meeting allowances out of these donations. Allowances for what? This tendency of claiming huge allowances on anything must stop, because we need this money to buy hospital equipment and other essentials critically needed to fight this pandemic”

The Nsanje Lalanje legislator said she is aware that parliament cannot meet in the plenary because members may be exposed to the risk of catching the coronavirus.

She, however, advocated for a meeting of parliamentary committees notably the Budget and Finance Committee; Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Health Committee to discuss  reports from various government clusters, and to map out the way forward as well as providing accurate information to Malawians.

The parliamentarian said currently “the world is laughing at us based on the way we are managing our public funds”. She added the K6.2 billion fiasco shows that the mismanagement and chaos that characterised the Affordable Input Subsidy (AIP) was not just an isolated incident but more of a character of this government.

“Parliament must, therefore, not bury its head in the sand but to step up to the plate and bring sanity to how public funds are managed in this country.  Apart from parliament just meeting  for the K6.2  billion misappropriated funds, there is also a K17.5 billion funding which the President announced on 17th January, 2021 that he had ordered the Ministry of Finance to release towards the fight against this deadly pandemic.

“We also as parliament need to scrutinise how those funds are being utilised to that the public is left with no doubt as to whether the money is serving its purpose or not,” added the Budget and Finance Committee Chairperson.

In his latest televised national address, President Chakwera ordered Dodmato submit an expenditure report to the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 within 48 hours or face unspecified action. The 48 hours have elapsed and the public is waiting anxiously to know what has transpired.

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Ngombwax
Ngombwax
3 years ago

In the grand scheme of things, K6.2b is just a drop in the country’s corruption bucket. Laz can become an instant hero by quickly and decisively getting rid of this corrupt lot. This should be a low hanging fruit. But if he plays games to buy time, Tonse can kiss the next elections goodbye.

Timothy Chikopa
Timothy Chikopa
3 years ago
  1. MUNGOFUNA MUKADYEKOSO MA ALLOWANCE KU PARLIAMENT INU
Wakwiya ndi kadeti
3 years ago

Ungofuna allowance iwe Gladys Kachere. Inu ma MPs ndinu anthu akubanso. Mwadziwonjezera ma salary. Mumagula galimoto duty free. Simukhuta olo pang’ono.

Mdala
Mdala
3 years ago

Madam Ganda, what a big hypocrite you are, talking about allowances like this!
Who are the biggest receivers when it comes to allowances and who have toppled just their allowance in full awareness of the situation we are in! You MPs will not meet for commitee meeting without them, even not online! Since the sitting of parliament is postponed it might become a welcome source of income for some of you?

Charles Chaplin
Charles Chaplin
3 years ago

This is a confused government, governed by a Fraudster (Sheep in a Hyena’s skin). Was it not Chakwera who read to the nation the expenditure of the same money on TV this other day; was he just parroting or he was drunk with excitement after pocketing a whooping K6.2 billion yabure!! The interesting part is that the Ministry is under him, hence he should be aware of all the shenanigans involved. In a sane, civilised, rational and normal country, such a thing shouldn’t be accepted, but being Malawi, this will go just like water under the bridge. Has the public… Read more »

nafundo zalo
nafundo zalo
3 years ago

Jappie ndi BOTOMANI mulipo???
If we had convicted all who have embezzled the public funds then Malawi would have less or no corruption

Anzanufe
Anzanufe
3 years ago

This is none other than sleeping on the job. Stealing Infront of the self claimed wise men. They made a lot of noise while out of government saying they know how to deal with this problem.
Now that they are in government, they seem clueless. Disgusting bunch!

Timveziti
Timveziti
3 years ago

The questions we have on the Covid funds should make us all think deeply. We need several issues sorted out in this country. 1. Allowances. So what are their salaries for if they get an allowance for doing their jobs. Given they are some cases where they deserve allowances but it cant be for even sneezing. 2. We ordinary citizens who are the taxpayers, actually employ everyone that draws a salary, perks and allowances from the public purse. Isnt it our right to know the salary, allowances and perks that these people get.? They are paying themselves obscene salaries and… Read more »

Concerned citizen
3 years ago

So this is how our government is run.

I would urge the government to immediately dismiss all these thrives.

A private selfless individual delivered tangible results, where as these crazy crook have virtually done nothing but plunder.

Immediately dismiss all these FOOLS. All these theiving controlling officers must be dismissed immediately. No time to waste and all funds must be recovered from these unscrupulous service providers. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Heads must roll. We need names and answers.

Timveziti
Timveziti
3 years ago

Madam. I applaud you for bringing up the biggest problem that we have in Malawi. Allowances allowances and all kind of allowances for every little thing. Never ending meetings and travel to meetings with no resolutions. One meeting after another on the same subject. All that just to collect allowances. You will find at the end of the audit that a huge some has been spent on allowances. If you take the number of Ministries, committees, Boards etc and now Clusters as well (we have even run out of names)this country has, then it should have been the best run… Read more »

nafundo zalo
nafundo zalo
3 years ago
Reply to  Timveziti

yeah ma allowance ongosainila koma no ncito yake kuigwila. olo kusainila basi kukakhala kunyumba. cilope

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