Public-tax collectors, the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) have impounded three vehicles from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) director of the youth Lewis Ngalande for non payment of import duty but Ngalande has described it political.
The MRA team accompanied by heavily armed police stormed Ngalande’s residence in Chigumula and towed away a mercedenz benz, a five tonner truck and a Toyota fortuner.
But Ngalande described the whole move as political meant to silence him following his decision to abandon President Peter Mutharika and champion the candidacy of vice-president Saulos Chilima.
“I bought these vehicles long time ago, I even used them during the Mutharika campaign in 2014, so why now? The DPP is just using the MRA to victimise us,” he said.
Ngalande said there many DPP officials driving uncleared vehicles yet they are not targetted.
But MRA officials said the impounding of the vehicles was not political.
Ngalande insisted that some have chosen to drive vehicles without registred number plates or number plates bearing the name of President Peter Mutharika.
Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) said such acts are against the Road Traffic Act but there has been inaction.
Malawi flagship newspaper, the Daily Times voiced concern on the development recently in its editorial comment, saying vehicle number plates are a must all over the world and they need to be properly registered and not be personalised for political gains as in the case of DPP operatives who drive around in cars with number plates such as ‘Adadi 1’, ‘APM 2019’ or ‘APM BOMA’.
“One thing we are very sure of is that such vehicles do not belong to Mutharika.
They belong to personalities who wish to take advantage of the President to break the law.
“It is obvious that such vehicles cannot be stopped by our traffic police for routine checks for obvious reasons. In the case of vehicles without number plates, they cannot be identified in the case of a crime or a road accident,” the paper observed.
Malawi should not entertain lawlessness, the paper pointed out, adding “impunity is a disease that is killing us. It must not be allowed to continue living in our midst.”
