APM rejects new ministerial perks

Malawi President Peter Mutharika has rejected seven proposals from the revised terms and conditions of service for ministers and deputy ministers, saying their current dues will remain the same.

The proposal include amendments on salaries, loan facility, housing rental entitlements, mobile phone airtime allowances, local travel, foreign travel allowances and hotel accommodation while awaiting permanent housing upon appointment.

According to a document sourced by The Nation, the memorandum, which was addressed to the President on August 20 2014 by the Acting Chief Secretary to the Government, Willie Samute, was based on “several price adjustments of goods and services which have contributed to the dwindling of the value of almost all benefits and other official entitlements for ministers and deputy ministers”.

Responding to the memo, three days later, Mutharika, without giving an explanation wrote in ink: “proposal rejected, no revision or amendments to the present conditions.”

The President’s response is accompanied by his signature and date.

But in an interview on Monday, press secretary Fredrick Ndala said the President found no ethical reasons to support the ministers’ proposal, hence his rejection.

“His Excellency President Mutharika finds it to be unethical to raise ministers’ salaries when the cost of living is not only high for them, but to every Malawian. The President would rather focus on improving the living standards of the civil servants than the ministers.

“Besides, we are passing through very difficult economic times as a country and as such his appeal to the ministers is to be good leaders and lead by example and forego the salary review which was being proposed. You might also wish to know that the last time the President’s salary was raised was on 1st July, 2009 and President Mutharika has no intentions of raising his salary any time soon,” said Ndala.

On salaries, the memorandum seeks an upward adjustment from the current K 600 000 (about $1 500) to K3.5 million ($9 200) for ministers and from K428 000 (about $1 126) to K3 million (about $7 894) per month for deputy ministers.

“This will in turn increase the gratuity of a minister and deputy minister who serves for a continuous period of five years from K9 million (about $24 000) and K6 420 000 to K52 500 000 (about $16 800) and K45 million ($118 000) respectively,” reads the memo in part.

On loan facility the ministers asked for K24 million (about $63 000) which they claim has been introduced following a similar loan facility for members of Parliament.

This, therefore, would have meant that the old loan facilities of motor vehicle, general purpose and emergency advances which were amounting to K8.5 million ($22 000) for ministers and K8.2 million (about $21 500) for deputy ministers would be abolished, according to the memo.