Smooth sailing for 25 budget votes
Parliament on Monday passed 25 of the votes in the K2.84 trillion 2022/23 proposed national budget wholesale, although some members of Parliament (MPs) felt some allocations are under-allocated.
The budget debate entered Committee of Supply on Monday from 2pm and by the time the House rose at 5:03pm, 25 votes had already passed without amendment.
One of the votes which received sympathy from MPs was Vote 050 on State Residences which was allocated K14 532 969 140, but the MPs felt the amount is not enough considering renovations that need to be done in the facilities.
Nkhata Bay South East MP Noah Chimpeni (People’s Party) said Sanjika Palace is in bad shape and needs renovation work which require more resources.
“We have neglected Sanjika Palace for long. The fence needs renovation as do other structures within the palace. I don’t know if that has been taken into consideration,” he said.
However, other votes such as Vote 170 on National Unity narrowly went through after some MPs expressed reservations on the K1 197 886 881 allocated to it.
Blantyre City South East MP Sameer Suleman (De,ocratic Progressive Party-DPP) said the ministry did not require such an allocation as its functions have not benefitted Malawians.
“We have serious issues which need resources in the country. We have been hit by the two storms and people need assistance, they need food, blankets and other resources,” he said.
But defending the vote, Minister of Finance Sosten Gwengwe said the Ministry of National Unity is key to ensuring that Malawians are at peace all the time.
“We need this vote for the ministry to perform its functions better. Within that allocation, we have allocated funds for trainings of technocrats in the ministry so that they can offer good guidance to the ministry,” said the minister.
Gwengwe, however, thanked the MPs for showing interest and contributing to the votes.
Other votes which passed on Monday include Vote 160 for the National Audit Office which got K2 322 666 842, Vote 160 for the Judiciary which got K14 449 781 207, and Vote 180 for the National Assembly which got K25 386 322 239.
Others were Vote 081 for the Office of the Director of Public Declarations which got K1 026 630 005, Vote 082 for Independent Complaints Commission which was allocated K359 588 480, anf Vote 090 for the Office of President and Cabinet which got K22 348 050 621.
Additional ones include Vote 093 for Department of Human Resources Management and Development which got K33 993 384 253, Vote 097 for Civil Service Commission allocated K723 763 969, Vote 100 for the Ministry of Defence which got K2 853 258 425, and Vote 101 for Malawi Defence Force which got K108 300 137 787.
The House also passed Vote 120 for Ministry of Local Government with a K12 705 587 976 allocation, Vote 121 for National Local Governement Finance Committee at K494 068 204 116, Vote 130 for Ministry of Lands with K21 013 661 707, Vote 180 for Ministry of Youth and Sports which got K15 196 338 775 and Vote 190 for Ministry of Agriculture allocated K274 722 144 814.
Other votes passed were Vote 210 for Water and Sanitation which got K151 271 282 419, Vote 240 for the Office of Vice-President allocated K3 707 325 024, Vote 250 for Ministry of Education at K115 457 838 756, Vote 260 for Ministry of Foreign Affairs given K26 680 110 763, Vote 270 for Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs got K34 066 454 511, Vote 271 for Accountant General’s Department which got K14 526 417 828 and Vote 273 for Malawi Revenue Authority at K45 550 078 932.
According to Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda, the Committee of Supply will continue today when other votes will also be scrutinised one by one.
