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Government in its 2006/07 budget proposal has transferred budget allocation for the former president to the Accountant General’s office, effectively curtailing State House control over funding made available to a former Head of State.
Over the past months this issue had been a bone of contention between government and the United Democratic Front (UDF) which has been accusing State House machinery of deliberately withholding money to victimise its national chairperson Bakili Muluzi.
In previous budgets the allocation for former presidents, which caters for both a previous head of state and vice presidents was under Vote Number 050 for State Residences with State House Chief of Staff or Comptroller of State Residences being the controlling officer. This set up did not amuse the UDF which claimed that it put the funding for Muluzi at the mercy of President Bingu wa Mutharika and also turned the former leader into a beggar.
The allocation in the proposed budget currently under debate, has been moved to Vote 271 for the Accountant General whose controlling officer is the Secretary to the Treasury.
Commenting on this development UDF chief whip in parliament, Leonard Mangulama, said when the allocation was under State Residences it was only a small fraction that was being released because whenever the accountant “went there he would always be told that there is no money. It was like Dr Muluzi amakalongerera ngongole (chasing debt) or begging.”
The cheques were being issued by State Residences and signed by State House Chief of Staff.
Mangulama said the UDF complained because the stress to get the funding has been forcing Muluzi to pay his own bills even when travelling.
“We said let a neutral office handle the funding,” he added.
Asked whether this arrangement would not open the funds to abuse, Mangulama ruled out such a possibility.
“The Accountant General’s office is not a walk over. It is under Ministry of Finance and it would be the Treasury controlling the finances,” he added.
Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe said the change was not due to pressure from the UDF.
“No, that is not the issue. We have just decided it to be like that. It is a routine [matter] that just like any other pension the funding has to be controlled by the Accountant General,” said Gondwe.
In the proposed budget the former president has been allocated K55 million which is K15 million more than what was approved last year.
Parliament started debating on the 2006/07 proposed budget after a protracted wrangle over government’s failure to give the MPs budget document number 4 which gives detailed draft estimated outline of both recurrent and capital expenditure per vote.
Government indicated that it would not bring the five-volume document because at K20 million it was expensive to print enough copies for each member of the House.
Ministry of Finance, however, managed to bring only the first volume of the document containing votes 010 to 200 after pressure from the opposition members who said they would not ably analyse the budget in the absence of the said document.
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