Veep for transparency in bus, truck inspection

Vice-President Saulos Chilima has asked the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services to prioritise establishment of a special vehicle service inspection bay for buses and trucks to ensure transparency in revenue collection.

Writing on his Facebook page yesterday after meeting Minister of Transport and Public Works Mohammad Sidik Mia and officials from his ministry as part of updates on Public Sector Reforms he heads, the Vice-President said establishing the special facility would ensure that revenue is properly tracked.

He said: “It is this administration’s goal that sources of revenue must be efficient if we are to develop this country.”

Chilima, who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms, said his office has since asked the ministry to resubmit a proposal to recapitalise Central Materials Laboratory and establish it as a treasury fund.

But the Vice-President, who also championed the reforms from 2014 before he was stripped of the functions after falling out with then president Peter Mutharika and Democratic Progressive Party, said he had noted that some gains made at Road Traffic had backtracked.

He said the relaxation in implementation of reforms at the directorate had led to resurgence of congestion, which was nearly eliminated.

He implored Road Traffic to ensure that the system handovers from the consultant to the department are expedited and completed by September 2020.

While saying he has welcomed a proposal for devolution of the transport sector and was ready to support concrete plans to be put forward, Chilima expressed satisfaction that progress on improving rail transport has been registered.

In his capacity as political champion of the public sector reforms, Chilima is this week meeting Cabinet ministers—three daily—to orient them on the reforms drive.

In an interview on Saturday, in the Public Sector Reforms Department spokesperson McCarthy Mwalwimba said it is expected that at the end of the meetings, the Vice-President and the Cabinet ministers will be on the same level of understanding the purpose of the reforms.

The meetings follow similar ones held between the Vice-President and heads of parastatals as well as the private sector on the agenda.