Call it extravagance at its best! Revelations have shown that between Tuesday and Friday this week only, the government, under President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, blew MK386 million to bribe the 193 members of Parliament (MPs) to pass the 2025-2026 National Budget.
Recommended Stories
The intention: bulldoze lawmakers to pass the budget without scrutiny. As if this was not enough, the government also spent an undisclosed amount of taxpayers’ money to host MPs to two dinner parties where MPs were given K500, 000 each at each of the two dinners, translating into K1 million each.
The dinner parties were held at the Bingu International Convention Centre (on Tuesday night) and Capital Hotel (on Thursday night) prior and after the passing of the budget.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda, could not be reached on his mobile line when we sought his comment.
However, our reliable sources, who included MPs from both opposition and governing sides, confided in us, revealing that all the legislators got the money whose purpose was not disclosed.
“On Tuesday night, we got K500, 000 each, following by another K500, 000, which we received at the Thursday night dinner at Capital Hotel. And on Friday, each lawmaker carted home K1 million as a token of appreciation for cooperating with the government to pass the budget without much scrutiny,” said a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator who asked for anonymity.
MCP’s vocal and outspoken parliamentarian for Rumphi West, Yona Adadawiza Mkandawire, confirmed to have attended both dinner parties, but was evasive on the money shared amongst them.
Without directly responding to our questions, DPP lawmaker for Blantyre North, Francis Phiso, on Friday afternoon complained against the tendency by MCP administration to force MPs to pass financial bills under duress.
Phiso’s remarks followed revelations that Chithyola Banda was earlier whisked off the United States-bound flight to present financial bills in parliament.
“Why can’t they give us enough time to debate and pass these bills? Yesterday, we spend the whole day debating not-so useful things, only to be bombarded with work today so that we don’t scrutinize. This is very unfortunate,” he grumbled.
Social and political commentators have condemned what he has termed as “an extravagance that deprives the poor of their right to development”.
The commentators said what was most painful was that fact that the government does not disclose the source of the money distributed to the lawmakers.
“As we approach the September 16 General Elections, it is up to Malawians to decide the kind of leadership they would want for the next five years,” they said.
