Dear judge Mbadwa,
My lord, you know now how critical Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is to every member of the Nyasaland Native Assembly and aspiring legislators.
Any prospect to remove the reins of CDF from legislators as ruled by the Constitutional Court will definitely anger most of our Native Assembly members.
My lord, not long ago, they were celebrating the increase of the CDF allocation, following the devaluation of the kwacha, claiming they would finally implement projects that Nyasaland had never seen before.
But we all know the true beneficiaries of CDF — the largely underperforming legislators—who hide under the guise of the fund to fool the masses that they have the wherewithal to bring development.
Such calls for increasing CDF allocation were in part motivated by the desire to impress poor and gullible constituents that they are the true architects of development in their areas.
My lord, if one were to follow the CDF money, they would realise that the legislators have always fed constituents dog meat of development; hence, they hardly have an impact.
Those who argue that the councils with councillors can handle CDF better than the legislators, my lord, have all along been right.
The recent Afrobarometer survey, which showed that 91 percent of the Nyasas do not want politicians to be managing CDF, buttressed the already held view that it is the legislators, rather than constituents, who benefit more from CDF.
Though this is the case, my lord, I am convinced that this battle is not yet over as signalled by the Office of the Attorney General. I am not ready to spell out what has motivated this reaction, but one thing is clear, government all along supported this CDF madness because i t s l egi s lators, who include ministers, were direct beneficiaries of the unconstitutional business.
CDF has in the past been used as a bribe the members received to close their mouths and eyes where it mattered most; hence, there was unity in the House when an increase in allocation to CDF was announced.
My lord, it was like the CDF allocation was the necessary opium that dulled their thinking and justified the prioritising short-term goals that will only endear them or the establishment to the voters at the expense of issues that matter.
My lord, I remember at one time, a Finance Minister in his presentation on increasing allocation to CDF said the fund would be used as a “direct and catalytic vehicle” that would bring development to the rural masses.
But search me whether CDF indeed became a catalytic vehicle of development.
My l o rd , a s t h e government and supporters of CDF seek ways to sustain it regardless of its visible failure at the hands of politicians, let us not relent in fighting for councils to be at the helm of the fund.
Till next time,
Regards,
John Citizen.
