Got it wrong, why am I not surprised?
Hon. Folks, Finance minister Goodall Gondwe has admitted government grossly underestimated the devastating impact of Cashgate and the resulting freeze on budgetary support.
“We miss budget support,” Goodall said. By “we” I hope he meant government. How come then its head, APM, has on several occasions claimed that his government is managing just fine without direct budget support?
Didn’t he say the other day that weaning ourselves from aid is what all patriots ought to welcome as proof that we’re on course to economic emancipation?
May be it’s time someone told APM to stop patronising. Economic independence is what we’ve longed for since independence in 1964. It’s why we changed the political system, believing that the multiparty dispensation is better poised to bring out the best from each one of us for the development of our country.
Vision 2020 attests to that! It also specifically states where exactly we wanted to be: a middle income economy and a land of milk and honey.
The vision was rolled out in the second term of Bakili Muluzi’s tenure. Save for the two years we’ve been under JB (2012-14) it’s DPP, first with Bingu and now APM, on the steering wheel for more than 10 years now.
It’s only four year to 2020 and what’s there? Income per capita that’s probably the lowest in the world and half the population may starve to death unless they are reached with food handouts?
This is what our award winning President should’ve been addressing instead of bragging about surviving without donor aid which isn’t true, especially this year when even the 20 percent we allocated to the development budget has been reduced by a further 7 percentage points.
Now, Goodall say: there’s need to cut spending by 30 percent. My God, what does that entail?
Probably folks serving time in our crammed jails will end up going without a meal on some of the days, won’t they? Or will it be patients in public hospitals starved as was the case last year? Will the chop land on the allocation for drugs? Will it be on the education budget?
The Finance minister parried those fears by saying the 30 percent savings will be from “wasteful spending areas.” Does that sound believable?
Here’s a man who, while presenting the national budget few months ago, urged folks in the public sector to bite the lower lip and avoid making demands with inflationary consequences on the economy.
Did they listen? It started right there in the august House, MPs demanding hikes in their areas of interest, thereby bloating the budget by billions of kwacha. Teachers, university of Malawi students and others made their own demands and government granted them!
If wasteful spending can’t be contained in the lower echelons of government, can it be contained in the higher echelons? Will the President reduce spending on domestic and foreign travel, foregoing chartered flights or reducing the motorcade? Can some of those smartly dressed police officers who decorate the entire presidential route when he travels by road, be spared to serve the rest of us?
How about Ministers and senior government officials—they fly business or first class at twice the fare for a seat in the economy or more. Back home they get 1000 litres of fuel for a five-minute journey between Area10 and Capital Hill. Will they forego that?
Our leaders have for much too long basked in their comfort zones when the rest of us are left out in the cold. Now the roof is curving in and if they don’t wake up and realise now isn’t time for opulence, they will be forced to change by forces stronger than their arrogance. n
