Mw Govt Partying As Some Public Services Remain Unfunctional

Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace bemoans of what it called 'Misplaced Priorities' by Government of Malawi. 

In statement A Quest for a Better and Descent Malawi CCJP says Government continues to spend unnecessarily yet almost all Government Ministries and departments  continues to receive lessened financial disbursements. 

The statement signed by CCJP Secretaries from all eight Dioceses noted that the diminished funding to government departments and ministries have led to compromised public services in most sectors 

The statement says even in public hospitals there is accute shortage of drugs and that in some hospitals ambulances are not in operation while the executive continue spending money for less important issues. 

The statement cited the recent banquet to celebrate the passing of the national budget as a signal of misplaced priorities and worse still, such bad signals in the face of growing poverty and frustrations among people continue to be a sad trend in Malawi.

“We are noting in view of that to say there are some trends and practices that are not helpful from this country” said Chris Chisoni, national secretary for CCJP in an interview 

“We are saying, probably the little resources would have been used for much better things but we are not saying celebrating is bad”

He added “Whether the justification or any explanation made by government on such celebrations are justified or not, but the signs that are put across by such type of activities would signify in part in other people’s eyes, those that are suffering that probably there is some sort of insensitivity.”

CCJP in its letter which is touching on social-ecomomic and political issues and need for transformative leadership further calls Malawians, political leaders to make Malawi a better and a happy nation for all. 

“WeWe need every sector of leadership in Malawi to be transformed because we have spend 51 years and where we are a now is not where we would have been.” said Chisoni

The letter further urge development and cooperating partners and the private sector to provide their unwavering technical, financial, moral and intellectual support. 

“Malawi Government cannot do without cooperating partners despite the fact that we all agree today that we must be looking for economic sovereignty. Economic sovereignty and independence is very important but we need stepping stones to arrive that level of independency we can’t just grow independency in a day” he said  

Contractor Mis-Procurement for the Upgrade of Machinga, Chingale-Lilangwe Road Leading to More Sufferings: CCJP Urges Current Regime Not To Repeat Similar Decision

• Dr. Joyce Banda Govt misprocured contractor for the road

• Continued deaths enroute to hospital are among challenges

Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of Zomba Diocese says government choice to mis-procure contractor to upgrade the Machinga, Chingale-Lirangwe road to tarmac has not solved any long and increasingly sufferings of people from districts of Machinga, Zomba and Blantyre, rather another journey of misery.

The construction works for the road was stalled immediately when Peoples Party (PP) led Administration launched the upgrade of the road in March 2014, as Kuwait Fund withheld its resources after observing that Malawi government had flouted procedure by hiring a European contractor ‘Mota-Engil to do the upgrade works, tangent of the Loan agreement that ‘the contractor should be sourced from Arab country.’ 

The withheld money was a bill passed by the National Assembly in 2013 ‘Kuwait Fund Loan Authorisation’ valued at $10.2 million for the upgrading and rehabilitation of approximately 62.3km Machinga, Chingale-Lirangwe road to a tarmac by 2014 and then Deputy Minister of Finance hon Cornelius Mwalwanda signed the Loan agreement on 19 November, 2013.

Director for Zomba CCJP office Raphael Yusufu, says the stall, is continuously leading to frequent death among patients on their way to referral hospitals of; Zomba Central Hospital, Mlambe Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre. 

Yusufu, further said Public as well as private servants are shunning away from working in the area; lack of viable markets even though the area is the food basket for Zomba, Machinga and Lunzu towns; and people are experiencing untimely delivery of materials such as school materials, agricultural commodities and FISP inputs when it rains because the road becomes impassable. 

While expressing disapproval of the decision made by then government and caution current government to refrain from committing such unjust procedure any time in future he said “Times for politicking is over and let us develop our nation by making sure that we respect all the due process required as stipulated in contracts signed with the cooperating partners.” 

“We have seen leaving of Mota-Engil from their designated camping site in Chipini without any explanation to the community. In addition, the road was to commence as soon as it was launched in March, 2014, however nothing has materialized on the ground.” observed Yusufu

Others who spoke to this reporter from Chingale Constituency, explained that in 2014, they had to cough in extra money to hire for a vehicle to carry their FISP inputs after the truck which was meant to deliver the same got stuck in Lirangwe and Pregnant women are still delivering along the way and patients dying on their way to referral hospitals. 

But in a recent interview, Minister of Transport and Public Works hon. Francis Kasaila acknowledged the problem but was quick to mention that current administration is in talks with Kuwait and that it has already removed Mota-Engil on the road site so that new procurement of Arab world contractor begins as per agreement of the loan. 

He said officials from Arab bank of Kuwait would be in Malawi by the end of March to finalize deal negotiations and within 90 days the Ministry would have all due processes finalized and by July latest the contractor could be on the ground.

“We are meeting with Kuwait Fund on how we move forward because they need to give us a go ahead, a no objection to procure another contractor. That process will definitely start as soon as we meet and agree on the way forward."

Kasaila equally expressed grief over the decision made by then government "It was a costly decision we have lost time, we had our relationship to save between us and the donors, because when you do mis-procurement you are putting yourself in bad light with donors as a country" 

The Minister, then said "Our colleagues in Lirangwe, Chingale and Machinga they have been expecting this construction works to start long time ago but nothing is on the ground”

“We should endeavor not to do that because it becomes sad, if that happens it is the country that loses resources, we have lost time as well. Therefore it is something that as government we have learned and we hope we will not repeat in the future." He assured

However, Zomba CCJP Director further reminds Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government to live up to its promise of upgrading the road “Machinga-Chingale-Lirangwe is one of the priority roads promised in the DPP Manifesto and is high time they rise to the occasion by fulfilling their promises through ensuring that the socioeconomic rights of people living along this road is respected by giving them a tarmac road.”

Concerned people from areas along the road have gone to the extent of warning that if their road is not upgraded into tarmac by this regime, then they will campaign against voting for DPP and its candidates come 2019 elections.

CCJP Asks Mutharika To Add More Women In His Cabinet

CCJP Asks Mutharika To Add More Women In His Cabinet

The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (CCJP) has asked government to live up to its promise of putting more women into decision making positions.

Out of 20 Cabinet Ministers in current administration has three female; Jean Kalirani Minister of Health, Grace Obama Chiumia Minister of Youth and Sport and Patricia Kaliati Minister of Gender Children, Disability and Social Welfare.

The commission in its statement which is outlining number of problems that Malawi is experiencing says is not happy with the current cabinet of only three female ministers.

The statement which has been signed by Mr. Chris Chisoni CCJP National Secretary on December 6, 2014 has asked President Prof. Peter Mutharika, to commit himself to promise made in his inaugural speech that his government will promote gender equality.

“It is sad that only few women have been appointed in leadership positions. For example out of 20 cabinet ministers 3 only are women. We think there must be a deliberate affirmative action for women leadership in various governance systems and structures than it is the case now.” Reads the statement

Mutharika asked to put women in his cabinet
and stop making appointments without consultations

“We therefore implore the state leadership to proactively consider social inclusion, women participation, and maintenance of the doctrine of the separation of powers and roles in sustaining the consolidation of democracy in our country.”

The statement is also asking government to stop appointing people without making consultations because this leaves people with questions of the seriousness of the appointing authority as well as its legitimate expectations from the appointed people.

CCJP in the statement also consider recent appointments of advocates on development and human rights and faith leaders to have crippled the conscious of the civil society and faith based movement in Malawi.

CCJP has further requested government to stop redeployment of people because it is causing cases of two people being paid on the same post when the other one is just doing nothing. The commission further also bemoaned that some are being redeployed to departments which do not match their skills or career path and this is resulting in wasting tax payer’s money and misallocation of human resource.

Noting numerous labour related strikes currently under way and others in the offing, CCJP while acknowledging the right of employees to a just and fair wage, encourages engagement and dialogue between employers and employees to resolving their differences.

But CCJP says as government is riddled with acute shortage of financial resources, striking staff should realise that government has a weaker capacity at the moment. However, CCJP asks government and its other departments like state houses, and judiciary to be exemplary in their appetite for spending and living in luxurious life as it is “unfair and unjust” to deny increments of salaries elsewhere and in another approve rapid changes to salaries.

CCJP comprising of CCJP National, CCJP Chikwawa, Arch diocese of Blantyre, Zomba, Mangochi, Dedza, Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Karonga gathered on 2^nd, December 2014, at Msamba Pastoral Centre in Lilongwe to reflect numerous challenges being experienced by Malawians today.

During the reflection CCJP on socio-economic and living context of Malawi noted that the lives of most Malawians 6 months after the tripartite elections is a mixed bag of joys and sorrows that CCJP seeks from various stakeholders to take a correct and proactive interventions to ameliorate the suffering and the agonies of the people.

The statement has also asked Malawi citizens to exercise patriotism and responsibility in among others curbing corruption and ending deforestation.