National Assembly Approves K769.2 billion:

Appropriation Bill Expected This Afternoon

The Malawi National Assembly’s Committee of Supply has approved the Supplementary Budget of 2014/2015 Financial Year which the governement was seeking additional resources amounting to K32 billion.

The house in the morning of Tuesday has approved sum of K769.2 billion to be part of the Consolidated Recurrent and Capital Accounts for the purpose set out in the Revised Recurrent and Capital Estimates.

Afternoon of the day the house will convene to pass the Supplementary Appropriation Bill of 2014-2015 financial year.

The house approved 57 votes with two amendments on votes which were deferred on Monday; Directorate of Public Prosecution and State Advocate (DPP office) and Legal Aid Department. This follows a reversal of what Finance Minister said on Monday evening that he is not going to change figures for the deferred votes. However, The Road Fund Administration vote which was deferred on last week Friday has been passed with same figures which members had protested against.

Before passing the two amended votes, some parliamentarians expressed dissatisfaction that the Minister of Finance had announced the change without providing the House with Supplementary Order Paper to indicate the changes that were made.

This subsequently saw the Lilongwe Mapuyu-South Parliamentarian, Hon. Joseph Njobvuyalema and Former vice President of The Republic of Malawi who is also the legislature for Mzimba South-West, Khumbo Kachali standing on point of order, expressing that government has flouted procedure.

In an interview, Njobvu yalema said: “Fortunately government has admitted that indeed that, it flouted  procedure of Section 57 of the constitution, which states that, any amendment of to the budget figures or activities has to be in writing by the Minister of Finance himself”

“This time around he did not do it and am not happy that the Minister did flout the procedure.”

Njobvuyalema said, since the decision to continue with the verbal approval of the budget resources was a consensus of the whole house, which “is supreme” he is impatiently waiting to see that the Appropriation Bill to be presented this afternoon has all the two amended votes.

 

Goodall Gondwe

“I didn’t broke procedures,” Said Gondwe, justifying that this is why the supplementary budget has been approved.

On changes made to two votes Gondwe said: “I could have said the let things stay as they are. But I found that probably we should maintain the figure for the Director of Public Prosecutions by returning it to its approved figure and not reduce it by K50 million. Similarly, the Legal Aid Department, which its allocation was being reduced by K16 million has also returned to its approved figure.

“The total amount is K67 million and I am reducing the Statutory vote of compensation by that amount and increase the K67 million on the two votes and I reduced the Compensation amount and that’s how the whole budget balances” he said.

(Munthu Wakuda Leo contributed part of the information in this story)