Maravi

Post editorial on corruption in roads sector irks Mulongoti

Post editorial on corruption in roads sector irks Mulongoti
By George Chellah
Sat 24 July 2010, 04:01 CAT

WORKS and supply minister Mike Mulongoti is irked by the editorial comment carried in the Monday edition of The Post on corruption in the road sector.

Contributing to a debate on the third report of the Public Accounts Committee in parliament on Thursday, Mulongoti complained over the editorial comment and the matters it raised.

“On Monday, there was an opinion written about me in some newspaper where they were saying that because I am at works and supply I wear suits,” Mulongoti said.

“Suits, even messengers wear suits. I was chief spokesperson for the government of Zambia, was I expected to wear rugs?”

Mulongoti said as a minister he also deserved decent wear.

“In the paper they were quoting this report and making statements as if we are thieves. They say we are arrogant. When you are considered to be contemptuous its also arrogance,” said Mulongoti amidst heckles and laughter from Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kabwili, who was reminding him that he was also recently cited for contempt in the George Mpombo case.

Mulongoti said the Road Development Agency (RDA) audit generated a lot of interest. He said an audit is not intended to be a war.

“At no time have we said we will not rectify mistakes. The public where unleashed on us I was not there the years that are quoted in the report. But as a responsible minister I have to defend my government,” he said.

Mulongoti said RDA needed support and that he did not know whether the mistakes committed were so grave that they required people to be hanged.

“Those of you who were angry we have taken note of what you said. Do not think we take what you say lightly these are serious matters,” he said.

On donors, Mulongoti said to express disquiet when things were not going on well does not mean disrespect.

He dismissed perceptions that the government was at war with donors.

And UPND Bweengwa member of parliament Highvie Hamududu surprised his colleagues when he took an almost similar line of debate as renegade Namwala member of parliament Major Robbie Chizyuka in defence of the RDA.

Hamududu, who bragged that he was just donated to politics by his family and that he did not want to be part of jokers, stressed the need to protect institutions like RDA.

He also took an indirect attack on Sinazongwe UPND member of parliament Raphael Muyanda, who just debated before him.

This was after Muyanda raised concern over certain points in Maj Chizyuka’s debate.
“…This is not a debate contest,” Hamududu said in apparent reference to Muyanda’s earlier debate, as the MMD parliamentarians laughed and heckled: “Balelwa bekabeka! they are fighting amongst themselves.”

Hamududu said the government has more responsibility than the opposition and urged them to resolve the issues at RDA.
But Kabwili disagreed with Hamududu’s line of thought on RDA.

“What I have seen today if it continues this country is going nowhere. I totally disagree with the previous speaker saying ‘we must protect our institutions’.

Government must not be seen to be defensive. People must believe in calling a spade, a spade. RDA has failed and we must tell them,” he said.

He wondered what the purpose was in defending RDA.

He said the government must be responsive to the queries from donors.

“They gives us money, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the donors querying where e have gone wrong. There is a lot of corruption and the corruption must be fought,” Kambwili said. “This mistake by RDA must not be repeated. There should be no excuse in over committing this country.”

According to the report, the committee observed same anomalies.

“Your committee, after detailed scrutiny of various submissions from witnesses, observes the following, the Road Development Agency Board of directors, which is defined as the Agency, has not been performing all its functions as specified in the National Roads Act No 12 of 2002 specifically on the preparation and awarding of contracts which partly led to some of the issues raised in the Audit report such as over commitment on road projects; section 4(2)(l) of the National Roads Acts provides that the Agency shall prepare and award contracts and certify works for public roads,” it stated.

The report stated that there is a conflict between the Public Finance Act and the Public Procurement Act with respect to multi year contracts.

The Auditor General’s report revealed financial irregularities in the country’s road sector. This consequently resulted in donors withholding funding to the road sector.

Labels: MIKE MULONGOTI, PAC, THE POST

posted by MrK @ 3:56 AM