Goodall offers apology over delayed salaries

Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe was yesterday forced to make a public apology to civil servants in the country over delayed June salaries.

Gondwe made the apology in Parliament after being pressured by opposition members of Parliament (MPs) to explain the reasons behind delayed salaries despite the House having duly passed the 2015/16 National Budget last week.

He said: “I must apologise for the delay and it is important that people are made aware that the situation is as a result of improvements being made to the Ifmis [Integrated Financial Management Information System]. But we are trying to fix and make enhancements, thus it has not been possible for us to process the salaries.”

Gondwe, while disclosing that salaries for the Ministry of Health have been processed, assured Parliament that the rest of the civil servants will be paid “immediately”.

But this explanation did not go down well with opposition MPs who demanded he states clearly when the salaries will be paid and further warned him that paying them beyond yesterday, June 30, would be illegal.

“The minister should clearly state what he means by immediately. Ambulances in many hospitals are grounded because there is no money for fuel,” said Dedza East MP Juliana Lunguzi (Malawi Congress Party-MCP).

Rumphi East MP Kamlepo Kalua (People’s Party-PP) said the opposition will not tolerate any breach of the law by the minister.

Said Kalua: “Last year’s budget ends on June 30 and our understanding is that the salaries we are talking about here were supposed to come from that budget, but now we are faced with a situation whereby, from Wednesday, July 1, the new budget becomes operational and if the minister draws last month’s payments from the 2015/16 budget he will contravene the laws according to the Public Finance Management Act.”

In an interview, Lilongwe Mpenu MP Watson Makala Ngozo (MCP) described withholding of civil servants’ salaries by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development as unfortunate.

He said: “I don’t understand why he is not spending; we suspect that government is playing tricks here, but we will not allow that to succeed. Teachers, health workers, judiciary staff and many others are suffering.”