Maravi

Extend mealie-meal handouts ban, Mangani urges govt

Extend mealie-meal handouts ban, Mangani urges govt
By Moses Kuwema
Thu 13 Oct. 2011, 13:30 CAT

LAMECK Mangani says the government's ban on mealie-meal handouts to defence and security personnel should be extended to water and electricity. In an interview, Mangani (left), the former home affairs minister, said the proposal to give the defence personnel money instead of mealie meal was good.

"The best is to give them money for water bills, electricity everybody should manage things on their own and in the long term it will be relatively cheaper to run these things. The concept of Niva Boma public property will die, everybody will feel responsible," Mangani said.

He said currently, very few people cared even if they left taps running in their homes because the government was responsible for paying their bills.

"That's why we have a lot of bills that have accumulated which are very difficult to dismantle in all these institutions, the police, the army. The soldiers can buy mealie meal or whatever they want to buy on their own and eventually we have to look at issues of water and electricity, they have to pay on their own," he said.

And Mangani said the country needed to be told what the Salaries Commission came up with during its sittings as disparities in salaries for defence and security personnel had continued.

"You remember there was a salaries commission that was appointed. I think it would be a good idea that we try to find out, what did that commission do because there are a lot of disparities in the way salaries are given out particularly with the servicemen.

What did they do because a lot of money was spent on that commission? This is important so that we harmonise the salaries. For example when you look at an equivalent of a captain in the army versus the police, the disparity is too big so those are the issues. The salaries commission what did they come up with? Did they just use the money and throw the report away? What did they do?" said Mangani.

On Monday, President Michael Sata advised defence minister Geoffrey Mwamba to harmonise the conditions of service for defence and security personnel.

"Mr GBM let me know because we know the cost of mealie-meal. I don't mind giving the soldiers that increment instead of giving them handouts. Don't give soldiers, don't give the police, don't give prisons...don't give all these people handouts, give them the money they deserve and there's a very big gap between the police, the army, the air force and ZNS," said President Sata.

Labels: GBM, LAMECK MANGANI, MEALIE-MEAL, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 4:46 PM