Mwanamvekha commits ‘substantial amounts’ to governance institutions: ‘The devil is in implementation of Malawi budget’
Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph Mwanamvekha on Monday delivered a masterclass in modern budget delivery when he presented the 2019/20 National Budget which has been widely touted as “inspiring” fiscal plan and he pointed out that “substantial amounts” to governance institutions.
Presenting his maiden national budget in Parliament, Mwanamvekha said government remains committed to the fight against corruption and promotion of good governance and the rule of law.
“In this regard, this budget has allocated substantial amounts to governance institutions such as the Anti Corruption Bureau, Malawi Human Rights Commission, Office of the Ombudsman, Law Commission, Auditor General and the Judiciary,” said Mwanamvekha.
The Finance Minister also said government will also support the NGO Board “for it to undertake the oversight functions.”
“I humbly wish to reiterate that the fight against corruption is the responsibility of every Malawian not government alone. I therefore call upon all of us to be united to fight against this evil,” said Mwanamvekha.
In its extended coverage of the budget presentation, the leading daily newspaper, The Nation on Tuesday said in its editorial comment that ‘Budget success hinges on fighting corruption.’
The paper pointed out that from experience, the devil is always in implementation.
“All effort to improve people’s lives will come to naught if government does not clamp down on its perennial problem – corruption which eats up 30 percent of government’s revenue. If it will be business as usual on this vice, the national budget will continue to be a leaking bucket,” reads the comment in part.
The comment said if government can contain corruption through implementation of the measures the Minister of Finance mentioned in his budget statement, among others that Treasury will work more closely with the Office of the Director of Public Officers Declaration, then “well and good.”
It said doing so will enable government to channel more resources to more deserving areas.
ACB yokhayo ayi. It is a toothless bull dog. Give the money to education and close this institution which does not add vale to Malawi
My question goes to Carbon emmission tax on vehicles. Most of the cars in Malawi are second hand from Asian countries. Tax on these cars is based on year of make for the same purpose of Carbon emmission. So if another tax is imposed on the same vehicles is it right?