Members of Parliament (MPs) Tuesday passed K4.8 billion vote for Office of the Vice President amidst concerns on plans to purchase 16 new vehicles for the office as well as supposedly gray areas on resources for disaster management.
Opposition MPs asked for a reduction of the VP’s convoy of six vehicles considering the prevailing economic hardships while others took to task the Finance Minister, Goodall Gondwe, to shed more light on the purchase of a new fleet of vehicles for the office.
According to Gondwe, the new vehicles are not meant for the convoy only, adding that they are a number of departments and offices that fall under the VP’s office who also require cars.
“Officers do not use their own vehicles. They need vehicles too and it’s not just for the convoy. The money to buy the vehicles will come from Malawi Revenue Authority when they collect enough tax,” Gondwe said.
Rumphi East MP Kamlepo Kalua who seemed unconvinced with the responses by the Minister kept pressing for answers arguing that there was need for clarifications on funds for disaster management considering that another K2 billion allocation has been set aside for the same purpose under vote on unforeseen expenditures.
But Gondwe explained that the funds are earmarked for expected disaster next year as government is not sure whether development partners will come in to assist as they did this year.
“That money has nothing to do with public events. Last year World Bank assisted us with K3.3 billion for disasters and we are not sure if World Bank will also give us that amount next year when we have disasters. We have to prepare and that is why we have set aside the funds,” explained Gondwe.
Leader of Peoples Party in the House Uladi Musa also added his voice to the debate saying the setting up of vote on unforeseen expenditure and another one on disaster management under the VP vote was a duplication which he said smacked of abuse of resources.
Other MPs including Lilongwe Mpenu’s Makala Ngozo sarcastically faulted President Peter Mutharika for giving his vice Saulosi Chilima what he termed “donkey work”.
However Independent MP for Mwanza Central Davis Katsonga came to the rescue of Mutharika saying Malawians need to be thankful and understanding when someone has been delegated to do a duty.
Said Katsonga: “The job that the VP is doing is not donkey work, when the President doesn’t give the VP anything to do you blame the President for not delegating duties to his vice and when he does you call it donkey work, that’s so wrong.”
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