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(NYASATIMES) JB storms Ntchisi, trashes ‘zero-deficit’ budget

JB storms Ntchisi, trashes ‘zero-deficit’ budget
By Nyasa Times
Published: June 5, 2011

State vice president Joyce Banda on Sunday addressed a public rally for her yet-to-be registered People’s Party at Ntchisi Boma, starkly criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led government for formulating a zero-deficit 2011/2012 national budget, arguing it would only further disadvantage the poor majority.

Finance minister Ken Kandodo presented the budget on June 3, 2011 entitled “Zero Budget Deficit: A Road to Economic Autonomy or Futile Exercise” and it is pegged at K307.7 billion.

The zero-tolerance budget comes fast on the heels of decisions by some major donors including Britain and Germany had indefinitely suspended donor aid to Malawi due to alleged worrying deteriorating human rights and governance situation.

“Government has no money and yet the officials are adamant insisting that Malawi can stand on its own without donor support and go on to present a zero-deficit budget,” said the Vice President.

“ I fear that implementation of such a budget would hugely rely on taxes to be borne by an ordinary villager who will have to pay painfully much more on exorbitant necessities of life such as salt, bread meat, literally all essentials,” said Banda.

Banda, who is Malawi’s first woman vice president, observed that the sorry situation is exacerbated by the worsening low tobacco prices on the auction floors where sales have been severally suspended owing to poor prices.

She wondered why farmers who have toiled had all year and later be given a “raw deal” by buyers who will have to go on to bear huge taxes on essential life commodities “just to cushion the zero-deficit budget”. Ntchisi is among the few major tobacco-growing districts in Malawi.

On the tobacco prices, the Vice President wondered why Malawian farmers are offered the “raw deal” when in the neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe and Zambia are getting “much higher prices” for the same kind of tobacco.

“Government has to seriously work out a lasting solution to this problem,” she said, suspecting that the worsening relations between Malawi and its traditional bilateral donors may also have a bearing on the status quo on the tobacco auction floors.

She suggested that the government of Malawi should “eat a humble pie” and apologize for whatever wrong may have happened to prevent ordinary Malawians from bearing the brunt of the worsening relations.

The VP informed the gathering that she had learnt “with sorrow” that some “misguided” people had been gagging the chiefs in the district against attending her rally, saying they must appreciate that Malawi is a multiparty dispensation where chiefs are supposed to be apolitical.

Banda reiterated that she respects chiefs as custodians of the tradition and culture, saying they were also “chief” counsellors in social, traditional and cultural disputes.

The vice president also questioned the poor administration of last year’s fertilizer subsidy programme where the number of coupons distributed to the would-be beneficiaries did not tally with the fertilizer on the market.

“What went wrong; where did the money to buy enough fertilizer go when it was duly provided for in the national budget? Malawian farmers deserve an explanation,” she said, adding that her concern is motivated by her oath of office she undertook upon being elected vice president “where I swore to defend and uphold the constitution.”

“Being concerned with the plight of our people is my constitutional obligation, which I shall never negate as a leader,” the PP leader declared.

On politics, Banda expressed concern that since the DPP government came into place, little or no political space has been offered to other players, particularly when it came to registering a new political party, most people have been refused that constitutional right.

She observed her PP is also facing similar problems, but she was optimistic that the party would soon be registered and be allowed to participate in the political life of the country.

According to PP’s publicity secretary Stephen Mwenye, a case is coming up on Tuesday for hearing before the Lilongwe High Court where the PP is challenging the registrar of political parties’ decision to reject the party’s registration papers.

Other PP officials that spoke at the public rally included national campaign director Filipo Ngopi and central region provincial governor Kizito Ngwembe, who pledged “unfaltering support to the vice president and the People’s Party”.

Earlier in the morning, Banda attended an Anglican Church ‘Paper Sunday” service where she donated K300 000 towards the construction of a new spacious prayer house and new uniform for the church choir. – (Reporting by Lusubilo Sichali, Nyasa Times)

Labels: JOYCE BANDA, KEN KANDODO, NEOLIBERALISM

posted by MrK @ 4:58 PM