Govt directive angers stationery suppliers

A Malawi government directive that all stationery should be bought from the Central Government Stores has angered the National Association of Suppliers of Stationery and Office Equipment (Nasso).

Nasso chairperson Baxter Kitha and executive member Lovemore Matabwa told journalists in Lilongwe on Wednesday that the move will benefit few members of the association.

Reads in part the directive from the Chief Secretary to Government Bright Msaka dated December 7 2012 and addressed to all principal secretaries: “All stationery should be bought centrally from the Central Government Stores. Drugs and medical supplies should be sourced from the Central Medical Stores. Where the goods are not available from these two institutions, the two institutions will arrange the purchase on behalf of the government ministry or department.”

But the association claims the directive will force government to buy stationery in large quantities from few suppliers.

“As suppliers, we have always depended on government as our number one market. Now if they say that only Central Government Stores supplies government, what will happen to our businesses? We will be forced to close and fire over the 15 000 employees that we have,” said Kitha, adding that his association has over 6 000 members.

He said their association was formed after they met former minister of Finance Ken Kandodo in 2009 because government then wanted to flush out illegal suppliers.

He said they are surprised that even after forming an association, government is still interested in using archaic procurement laws which are trampling on its own citizens.

“The government is talking of the Economy Recovery Plan and yet it does not want to empower its citizens. Where are we going to go? We need this reversed as soon as possible because this administration is a listening government,” said Kitha.

Matabwa said buying stationery centrally will disadvantage districts far away from Central Government Stores; hence, government will lose more money.

This is not the first time government has made the directive. In March 2009, the late president Bingu wa Mutharika’s regime also demanded that stationery be procured centrally and the group fought for the decision’s reversal without success.