Presidential press secretary Cathy Maulidi says there is no problem with President Peter Mutharika using his personal vehicle on the presidential motorcade because it is not costing taxpayers a tambala.
Maulidi was responding to The Nation following queries from some legal, security and governance experts who wondered why the President is still using his vehicle since his inauguration on October 4 following his triumph in the September 16 General Election.
The observers queried the safety and legality of the decision.
National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said Section 4 of the Presidents Salaries and Benefits Act under Part 1 schedule entitles the President to official vehicles. He said it is not merely a perk, but a legal and security requirement.
He said official presidential vehicles are specially built to meet strict standards of protection, communication and emergency response for a Head of State, as such, when a President opts to use a personal vehicle, the State is compelled to upgrade that vehicle to the same security specifications prescribed under the law.
official function. | Nation
Kondowe, a lawyer, said: “Relying on a personal vehicle also blurs accountability lines. Unlike government-registered vehicles, which are subject to auditable controls on fuel, maintenance, insurance and repairs, a private vehicle used for official duties risks weakening transparency and creating opportunities for unintended or deliberate abuse.”
Similar concerns were also raised by security expert Sherif Kaisi who in a separate interview said much as the decision may be in the interest of saving public resources, the security of the President should not to be compromised.
“When you become the President, there are other things which you have to bid farewell to and one of them is the vehicle. I believe the security agencies have done a good job to assess the fitness of that vehicle. We might assume this is one way of protecting the resources, but there is need to balance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willy Kambwandira said while the austerity argument sounds appealing, it should not override legal entitlements and accountability safeguards.
“The Presidency is a public office not a private arrangement. Therefore, there is a need to maintain the institutional integrity, and protect taxpayers’ money. Let the President use officially designated State vehicles where every cost is traceable, auditable and governed by law,” he said.
But Maulidi, in a written response to our questionnaire, said the President should be commended for the gesture which is for the good of the country.
“The President’s use of this vehicle poses no issue. Since the government is not allocating any additional resources for its use, the President should, in fact, be commended for maintaining the use of this vehicle” she said.
Mutharika uses an American-made Escalade which has since been fitted with the lion symbol, the official emblem for the President of the Republic of Malawi.
