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 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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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.
Ungofuna allowance iwe Gladys Kachere. Inu ma MPs ndinu anthu akubanso. Mwadziwonjezera ma salary. Mumagula galimoto duty free. Simukhuta olo pang’ono.
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?
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 appointments committee ceased to operate? I am surprised because Chakwera has developed a tendency of freely appointing friends, family/church members into government posts without following the normal procedure as if the salaries for those appointees will come from his pocket and not our taxes. Is this how a democratic managed state goes? This guy is taking things too far; even Kamuzu Banda used to adhered to protocol. Is this man normal or he is mad or demented just like DJ. Trump? This is very worrying when you come to think of the capacity of our economy. Nothing is going right in the country, even a child is able to notice the dysfunction of the state apparatuses under the Tonse Alliance crooks.
Jappie ndi BOTOMANI mulipo???
If we had convicted all who have embezzled the public funds then Malawi would have less or no corruption
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!
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 perks. Yet when it comes to retrenchment etc its the least paid to go.
How come the Ministers and Mps salaries and perks are known but not the rest.
It’s long overdue that we the employers know how much we pay our employees in every sector.
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.
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 country. This country should have been ticking with all systems going. But alas all that is for individuals to collect allowances on top of allowances
Anyone that has abused the Covid funds has committed a serious crime. The deaths and suffering of our loved ones should be on their heads.
Completely heartless. No iota of humanity in them.
Please let’s not waste time on more meetings. Surely these “Clusters” are able to do simple maths on their expenditures. The in depth audits can follow later as it takes longer. For now all we need is simple maths. So much was used for such and such and here are the documents.
Please.
yeah ma allowance ongosainila koma no ncito yake kuigwila. olo kusainila basi kukakhala kunyumba. cilope
Its sad that the money that was intended for Covid 19 was diverted to individuals pockets.. Let me remind you that no matter how much wealth you accumulate, by the end of it all ndizotsala. Think of Sidik Mia.
That’s the way to go because the Presidential Task force on Covid 19 pandemic may include some of those involved in the shady dealings just as was the case during DPP Government. Remember Japie Mhango and Botoman saga?
Dpp tiwomboleni tasochela pa Ulendowu. Ku kanani sikukasiya.
Wakuba sangakuombeleni baba , kubaku adayamba ndiwo a dpp , amene akusolora ndi anyamata awo a dpp amene adawalowetsa ntchito mu dodma , Ndichimodzimodzi kuyita fisi kuti akusungileni mbudzi zanu,
ena kumalandila ma k10 million
kukaombera mmanja acina gelezeda akamalalata anthu omwe akugwila ncito ndalama yake kumulipila gelezedwa amweyo.
k10 million kupatsa bangwe 1 ntopwa1 cifukwa coti apha onyoza dpp..
I MEAN K10 MILLION YABULE KOMA YA MAGAZI.
dausi ya truck iija plan anakhoza kuti vote registra ya SKC ikapezeke ku Likoma. WHAT AN INSULT DAUSI DID.. Wicked man. what i mean is driver anagundisa ka car kamene kaja analandilso K10 million. ziyan’ganeni kae
Even the Covid Taskforce should be audited iwowo nde amene ali pa top of the chain ka. Wasokonezayo abweze and achotsedwe pa position yake ena alowe. Anthuwa akutifinya each and everyday kt iwowo aziba.
Very true , kukufunika indipendent body ifufuze osati ,afyfudzane okha okha ndiye bodza leni leni
The 48hrs lapsed without any report to the president….
Whether the report comes or not we were supposed to see a reaction from the president on Wednesday morning …..
Panopo basi kwantele dala….