Persons with Disabilities
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government is committed to improving the welfare of persons with disabilities to enable them live fulfilling lives as well as contribute to the socio-economic development of our country.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me take this opportunity to, once more, outrightly condemn the recent spate of attacks on persons with albinism which our country experienced. Let me say, in no uncertain terms, that the long arm of the law will not spare any one found to be responsible for the attacks. Government has, therefore, taken a strong multi sectoral approach in order to protect and promote the rights of persons with albinism in the country.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, during the year under review, Government continued to implement programmes aimed at improving the status of persons with disabilities. These included:
- training of 220 persons with disabilities in various skills across the country;
- in collaboration with the University of Malawi, hosted the fourth African Network for Evidence-to-Action in Disability conference;
- provision of 500 assistive devices such as wheelchairs, clutches and walkers to persons with disabilities; and
- completion of a female hostel at Mulanje Vocational Training Centre for the Blind which will increase girls’ intake from 15 to 50.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the 2015/2016 financial year, Government will continue to provide assistive devices and other rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities. We will also commence construction of a male hostel at Mulanje Vocational Training Centre for the Blind with a view to increasing enrolment.
The Elderly
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government regards the elderly as a group among our citizenry that deserve special care and attention. It is for this reason that Government continued to implement programmes aimed at improving the status of the elderly.
During the 2014/2015 financial year, Government provided support to 20,000 elderly persons in the form of food, blankets, and targeted medical services. Government will continue to provide the necessary support to older persons to ensure that they live fulfilling and dignified lives.
Disaster Management
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government is committed to providing responses to disasters in a timely, efficient and effective manner and mitigating disaster risks. As you are aware, Mr. Speaker, Sir, our country experienced unprecedented flooding which resulted in 106 deaths, 172 people missing and 230,000 people displaced. Overall, up to 1.15 million people were affected by the floods. May I, therefore, request that we observe a minute of silence in remembrance of people who lost their lives due to the floods.
[1 minute silence]
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I immediately declared a State of Disaster as a result of the massive flooding in 15 districts of Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe, Zomba, Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje, Balaka, Machinga, Mangochi, Ntcheu, Salima, Rumphi and Karonga. Following the declaration, foreign Governments, United Nations Agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, Civil Society Organisations, the Private Sector, individuals, and other well-wishers came forward with donations which amounted to MK492 million and US$642,000 as emergency relief assistance to the flood victims.
Government also provided 14,000 metric tonnes of maize from the Strategic Grain Reserves for distribution to the affected people and disbursed MK650 million to ministries and departments to enable them respond to the floods.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am pleased to report that during the year under review, Government launched the first ever National Disaster Risk Management Policy which will guide effective coordination of disaster risk management programmes in the country.
In the forthcoming financial year, Government will, among other measures, relocate communities that are affected by floods every year to upland areas in order to reduce the impact of disasters on the population, infrastructure and the economy.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government recognizes that good governance plays a critical role in the attainment of sustainable socioeconomic development. It is for this reason that Government continues to safeguard and promote good governance, respect for rule of law and human rights.
Human Rights
Mr. Speaker, Sir, as a result of Government’s commitment to the observance of human rights, Malawi participated and contributed to the State Party Report on the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and has been implementing the recommendations of the report.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the 2015/2016 fiscal year, Government will continue to promote human rights issues, by among others, enhancing awareness of human rights, promoting equitable access to opportunities, strengthening legal protection and equitable treatment for marginalized populations.
Rule of Law
Mr. Speaker, Sir, in order to develop a strong justice system and rule of law, Government has undertaken reforms that include reviewing of the law in order to promote principles of democracy in accordance with the Constitution and international practice.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, during the year under review, Government prosecuted over 987 criminal cases out of a target of 1,000 cases that included homicide cases. Furthermore, Government managed to reduce default judgements by 70 percent. In order to promote the welfare of women and children, Government administered deceased estates to over 2,000 beneficiaries in the course of the year.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the 2015/2016 fiscal year, Government will review the Citizenship Act in order to, among others, consider dual citizenship and eliminate discrimination based on gender.
The Fight against Corruption
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government will not relent in the fight against corruption, fraud and theft. It is against this backdrop that Government is pursuing and prosecuting suspects in the theft of public funds and abuse of other public resources.
Government is currently prosecuting over 70 cases of theft of public funds popularly known as cash-gate.
I am pleased to report that Government has made considerable progress in these cases. At present, five cash-gate convictions have been secured in our courts. Government is also resolute to recover the stolen resources from the people involved.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, as a result of our efforts in the fight against corruption, Malawi scored 33 points in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index in 2014. This is a record high for the country. Going forward, Government will consolidate its efforts in ensuring that all cases involving corruption, fraud and theft of public resources are successfully prosecuted by making available adequate resources.
Public Service Management Reforms
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government is committed to foster and sustain a public service that is results-oriented, accountable and transparent in order to ensure efficient and effective public service delivery. It is for this reason that Government instituted reforms in the public service in order to strengthen and improve efficiency and effectiveness of the public service. Let me report, Mr. Speaker, Sir, that notable progress has been made in our quest to reform the public service. The achievements made so far include the following:
- the establishment of a Public Service Reforms Commission;
- restructuring of the Office of the President and Cabinet by relocating some of its functions to relevant ministries to enable it focus on its core business;
- creation of a One-Stop-Centre for investment at the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre;
- decentralisation of printing of passports to Lilongwe and Mzuzu;
- decentralisation of payment of salaries for teachers to Education Divisions;
- restructuring of the civil service salary; and
- a ban on attending political functions by Principal Secretaries and other Government Officers not directly related to their core mandate so that they concentrate on their core duties.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, some of the specific reform issues which are in the pipeline for implementation include:
- establishment of a Malawi School of Government to facilitate development of identified key competencies;
- depoliticization of the Public Service whereby officers will be appointed to senior positions on merit;
- harmonization of remuneration and conditions of service across the public service;
- effective implementation of a Performance Management System by linking organisational performance assessments to individual performance contracts;
- decentralizing service delivery for efficiency and effectiveness in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to facilitate full devolution of service delivery to some districts on a pilot basis;
- establishment of One Stop Citizen Service Delivery Centres through Post Offices throughout the country to enable citizens to access various public services and information from a single point at their convenience;
- rightsizing the Public Service to make it more efficient and effective in public service delivery; and
- introduction of a Civil Servants Health Scheme.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, with regard to the performance of parastatal organizations, I am pleased to report that by midyear, 18 of the 24 commercial parastals had registered surpluses. These surpluses will, among other things, enable the parastals to invest in capital projects and improve their operational and financial performance. In the forthcoming financial year, Government plans to further improve the performance of parastals, including the Blantyre Water Board and the Lilongwe Water Board, with a view to addressing the water problems being faced in the cities.
National Peace and Security
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government is determined to provide adequate safety and security to all persons, property and investments in the country for the enhancement of sustainable national development. During the 2014/2015 fiscal year, some of the achievements made in the security sector were:
- procurement of 50 police vehicles that has improved mobility of police officers;
- enactment of the Trafficking in Persons Bill;
- development of migration profiles to make data on migration readily available for stakeholder use;
- completion of Phase 1 of the National Registration Programme which involved sensitizing traditional leaders in all the 28 districts on national registration and registering all births, young persons and deaths; and
- identification of a site for a transit shelter for refugees and asylum seekers in Karonga and another site for relocation of Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government is determined to increase the number of police officers in the country. In this regard, I am pleased to inform this august House that, later this week, I will preside over the passing out parade of 1,874 police recruits, which is the biggest number of recruits in the history of the Malawi Police Service.
In the 2015/2016 financial year, Government plans to:
- procure an additional 100 police vehicles;
- build capacity in crime investigation through acquisition of appropriate equipment, training and recruitment of criminal intelligence gatherers;
- enhance border management system by providing necessary resources and tools to prevent illegal and irregular immigrants from using unchartered routes;
- commence issuance of national identity cards to all Malawians of 16 years of age and above; and
- decentralise the passport issuance system to 6 new data and documents collection points namely; Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mangochi, Salima, Mzuzu and Mzimba using post offices.
Defence
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government continues to remain alert in order to defend and uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Malawi is committed to global and regional peace initiatives. In this regard, Malawi continued to serve in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as part of the UN and SADC Intervention Force Brigade.
In order to improve the welfare and living conditions of our Defence Force, Government continued to develop infrastructure in the Malawi Defence Force establishments, including the rehabilitation of Camp Hospital at Cobbe Barracks; the connection of Changalume Barracks water system to the Southern Region Water Board; and the rehabilitation of Kamuzu Barracks water supply systems.
These are on-going projects which will be finalized in the forthcoming fiscal year. Other projects that will commence next financial year include the rehabilitation of some structures at the Malawi Armed Forces College in Salima and Cobbe Barracks in Zomba.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government is also planning to establish a National Service whereby young men and women will be enlisted to undergo basic military training.
International Relations
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to report that Government continues to maintain cordial relations with all countries and international organisations with which we share a common vision and aspirations. In this respect, we extended our circle of allies by, among other things, establishing non-residential diplomatic ties with several countries.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government also participated in Election Observer Missions in the SADC, the AU as well as the Commonwealth. During the year under review, we fielded election observers in Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Nigeria.
As a Government that believes in democratic values, Malawi will continue to participate in election observation missions in African countries.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, on a very sad note, and as most of you are already aware, there have been xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals, including Malawians, living in the Republic of South Africa. These attacks started on 31st March, this year.
The situation is very worrisome, as six Malawians are reportedly killed, with over 3,000 affected. Government made timely interventions to repatriate all those willing to return home. In this regard, I am pleased to inform the nation that Malawi was the first country to repatriate its citizens from South Africa. The first 390 evacuees arrived in the country on 20th April, 2015, and todate, 3,590 Malawians have been repatriated. This process will continue until every willing Malawian is repatriated.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government is actively engaging the Government of South Africa in order to find a lasting solution to this unfortunate development. Government will also seek to resolve this issue through regional and multilateral organisations, such as SADC.
Conclusion
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have outlined the various strides we are making in fulfillment of our manifesto promises and the plans for our country. I wish to guarantee Malawians that my Government has a clear vision aimed at addressing the various challenges currently being faced by Malawians, within and outside the country.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I believe that as a nation we have enough reasons to celebrate the gains that we have achieved in the past twelve months. With the strong foundation we have laid, I can confidently say that the agenda to transform this country is on course.
I, therefore, call upon all Malawians to be fully involved and take part in our efforts to take this country to greater heights.
As a nation, we must unite and join hands to accelerate the gains that we have made so far as we work to transform our beloved country.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, at this juncture, allow me to thank cooperating partners, Non Governmental Organisations, Civil Society Organisations, the Private Sector, religious and traditional leaders and all Malawians for the role they play in the implementation of Government programmes.
Let me also thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Leader of Opposition and all Honourable Members of this august House for the critical role that you play in the development of our country.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is now my singular honour to declare the 2015/2016 Budget Meeting of Parliament, officially open.
God bless you all
God bless Mother Malawi
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.
