Dump ‘mbyofo mbyoyo’ subsidy to fund education sector, MP Lunguzi tells Malawi govt

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Dedza east MP Juliana Lunguzi has made a frantic plea to government to suspend the Decent and Affordable Housing (Cement and Malata) Subsidy  programme and relocate resources to the collapsing public education sector.

The youthful parliamentarian made the plea on Tuesday in the National Assembly during question time, when legislations ask ministries for state funded public services for their respective areas.

Lunguzi and other legislators had asked the Minister of Education Emmanuel Fabiano what the government is doing to improve the education in community day secondary schools.

However, Fabiano continuously said the government has no resources and asked communities and other well wishers to come in and bail out the government.

This prompted Lunguzi to suggest to government to dump the malata and cement subsidy programme in order to relocate the resources to the ministry of education which is facing severe financial problems due to the economic woes the country is facing.

There was no immediate reaction from the government on the suggestion but a few weeks ago President Peter Mutharika alleged some opposition members of parliament were planning to move a motion in parliament to force the government discontinue the malata programme.

Mutharika said his administration cannot discontinue the programme because it is benefitting the poorest of the poor.

He  further said the project is based on the principle of equity to ensure that 79 percent of the country’s population as revealed by the 2008 Housing and Population Census who live in grass thatched houses can have a decent house.