DPP keeps widening gap between rich and poor – MCP
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for keeping the gap between the rich and the poor widening.
MCP’s Divelias Zaipa MP for Mchinji South Constituency told parliament during his contribution to the 2015/16 budget statement that the proposed financial which Minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe presented in Parliament on May 22, has nothing to offer to the poor.
He expressed worry that inequality is a threat to economic growth, saying it is “very pathetic” that government has reduced money on subsidised farm inputs.
Zaipa said the DPP government continues to widening the gap between the rich and the poor.
“How can the Minister increase allocations to the presidency and reduce those for the poor?,” wondered the MP and asked Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development to reduce the President’s Budget and increase allocations to those of the poor.
Zaipa said when it is an austerity budget “there is always a need for everybody to tighten the belts and those in the driving seats should be exemplary.”
He said: “How can the Minister of Finance increase allocations to the Presidency while teachers are serving under very poor conditions of service which needs immediate attention by the government.”
Zaipa called for an increase in the allocations to the law enforcement votes.
“I think the Judiciary, Police, Anti-Corruption Bureau and National Audit Office need a lot of money to carry out their duties efficiently,” he said.
Leader of the House, Fancis Kasaila rising on a point of order accused Zaipa that he misinformed the nation that Minister of Finance has increased resources only to the President’s Vote.
“I want to inform him that if he goes to his Budget Document under the Ministry of Youth; that budget line has been increased from K266 million to K5.4 billion, Education from K8.4 billion to K10.1 billion, RFA from K15 billion to K29.4 billion. This is just an example and therefore it’s not true to misinform the nation that it’s only the President’s Vote that has been increased,” explained Kasaila.
But Richard Chimwendo Banda MP for Dowa East (MCP) challenged Kasaila, saying he was out of order “to lie” that the Ministry of Youth Vote has been increased.
First Deputy Speaker Esther Mcheka Chilenje asked go use a better word, noting that “lie” is unparliamentarily word.
Banda said: “I will give you three words: misinformed, lied and not telling the truth. But the point is, on the Ministry of Youth Vote; the K5 billion which is there it is a loan from the Chinese Government and it is for construction of a stadium. You have not increased funding to the Youth Vote. The Minister sitting close to you actually is looking at you and is he surprised.”
Kasaila said figures that he mentioned are in budgets voted for the House to approve.
He protested that it was “unprocedural” for Chimwendo Banda to be allowed to make a point of order out of another point of order which Mcheka-Chilenje agreed.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
these so called honourables needs a kick in their fat hindquarters pretendng to discuss the budget while in reality they are just making necessary noises to justify the heavy allowances they are getting I hope you choke when eating the taxes of ultra poor Malawians
Indeed,poverty has been a thorn in our flesh since independence 51 years ago.There is a vital reason for that.The crucial reason is that the Malawi Congress Party had no vision atall and therefore,Malawians had to cling together in building Hastings Banda in journey to build personality cult around himself.hence,our present predicaments.Malawians had no time to think for themselves,Banda did absolute thinking for us.By the time we woke up to realize our blunders,it was too late the despot had already built gargantuan financial and economic empires around himself.After his first brilliant and highly educated Ministers tried to reason with him to… Read more »
The choice of 36.4% voters, Allan Ngumuya and Friday Jumbe’s injunctions, the corrupt Blantyre high court and Mr Mbendela of MEC have brought us these problems. Malawi in a wrong direction
What is most surprising is that at the end of the day, after tearing the budget apart, these misfits we call honorable MPs will still endorse and pass the very same budget. Why are you wasting our time and money pretending to debate these budgets at all. It has been the same since time immemorial.
The so called “president” lies in parliament on key financial issues, issues that affect the very same budget and our MPs sit phwii.
What a sorry people we are, us Malawians.
Leaders are chosen by God, remember.
Goodal ndi mnzako pitala MULUNGU AKUKUWONANI
ZOONA IFE TILIBE MAWU KOMA
MILUNGU NDI YANKHO
MISOZI NDI NKHAWA ZIZACHOKA LITI MMASO MWA A MALAWI ???
INUYO MULI PHEEEE ???
A M. Mbendera adatiwonongela dziko potipatsa Peter yemwe anthu ambiri sitidamufune ata.
stop these idiotic claims stupid MP. Like all ignorant MPs this time around u rose up on a baseless issue.
When I was Wilberforce Private Secondary School 1996/7, this was the time of His Ex-President Bakili Muluzi, money was coming from all over the worlds, be they west/east for roads, industrialisation, schools, poverty alleviation and many other developments, in the form of grants and loans which some of those loans are being paid today by other governments. At one time – we were siting outside the class – with our hot chips in hands, we discussed the Chinese grant which was enough for the government to give every Malawi a Million kwacha for personal development in waiting for general development.… Read more »
Baseless argument I feel the poors are being attended by various budget votes like those for education, subsidy, health, road networks etc etc etc are targetting the very same poors . Almost everything. What matters is that still white collar officers are the controllers of the budget.