Malawi army rescue mission cries foul over subsistence allowances
The 2019 Marine Rescue Teams in the Lower Shire have taken a swipe at their employer ‘ the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) – for paying them field allowances instead of subsistence allowances.
The team argues that the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) had budgeted for subsistence allowance, which is higher than field allowance.
“The teams has been receiving K1 500 and K1 000 per day for officers and soldiers, respectively instead of the budgeted allowances as per rank structure.
“The arrangement (to pay them field allowances) has been made without the knowledge of the MDF Commander as the Commander has always emphasised that allowances should not be compared and treated as such,” one of the soldiers on the rescue mission in Nsanje told Nyasa Times.
He explained that border allowances are different from allowances for soldiers involved in protection of forest and those in rescue operations spearheaded by Dodma.
The concerned serviceman further stated that field allowances need to be treated differently from subsistence allowances.
“Field allowances should be paid to operations within the MDF and subsistence allowances to operations with a civilian element. The teams were deployed on 8th March 19, but until today, 26 March, they have been paid an equivalent of 7 days (K7 000) despite living in harsh conditions where they required to meet their personal needs,” he said.
He added that since 2012, rescue teams were being given subsistence allowancse to fend for themselves.
“That’s the arrangement of allowances in 2019 is quite new and suspicious, which needs investigations by the sponsoring department (DoDMA) or else issues of alowances should from now own be handled by DoDMA itself. The past years where payment of allowances was handled DoDMA, there were no issues of underpayment.
“Junior NCOs were getting K10, 000 while senior NCOs have been getting K15 000. On the other hand, junior officers were carting home K20, 000 and K25, 000 for senior officers. The rates above reflect subsistence allowances per rank structure,” explained the source.
But MDF spokesperson Paul Chiphwanya said in a brief interview on Tuesday night that his office is not aware of the development.
“No! That’s news to me. I am not aware of the development,” said Chiphwanya.
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Useless MDF. You swore to protect civilians and now you want money? There has never been war in Malawi but we keep on feeding you. Our lake has been taken by Tanzania while you are busy drinking. If you don’t want to be a soldier, then leave that work.
The government should abolish the entire culture of getting allowance should be abolished. The government should revise salaries and salary schemes. I can get my life, the government shall save a significant amount of tax money.
CHILIMA IS FOOLING YOU MY BROTHER……. DoDMA is using our money which we contributed… We left aside our problems and shared the little we had with our vulnerable sisters and brothers thru DoDMA…
So?
TO HELL WITH YOUR SELF ENRICHMENT…..LEARN TO BE PATRIOTIC…..
ARE YOU REALLY SOLDIERS…?
Do we need allowances on emergency ¿Do doctors called on emergency in the hospital need money?Now which is normal job for soldiers? What are yòu paid for every moth?
This means we have a lot of dumb and senseless people in this world. Do yourself know labour laws? Do you know that labour law says when an employee is out of duty station must be compensated accordingly? These moneys were budgeted for by Parliament and its about K65 billion and the sad thing is than senior officers and other government gurus are benefiting from this. Do you know that homeland minister and his deputy including the big man himself gets allowances once they visit those affected areas???? When this officers take a portion of these aid items to have… Read more »
Nde azigwira ntchito osadya?
Ku usilikali ku ntchito zambiri. You civilians don’t understand any of it. Upang masamu pa K80,000 yomwe ili monthly salary ya ena.
Stupid thinking.Which work are you talking physical exercises?
My brother, please cool down. These our brother went to do a noble operation in harsh environment outside of duty station and they need our support based on the budget made by Government for the exercise. It is unfortunate that MDF management acted to the contrary. You may wish to know that the money they are asking for is an entitlement as employees. Besides, the Mk10,000 or MK25,000 they are crying for is way below what their colleagues from the UN agencies or International NGOs are getting. Please be considerate.
Ndalama zomwe DoDMA ikugwilitsa ntchito sizinachoke kumwamba…..we have put aside our problems and contributed money to help our sisters and brothers…..SO DON’T MAKE RICH out of our sweats………..
Zikuchitikazi ndizogwetsa ulisi anthu akufuna kwabwino…..BE PATRIOTIC ….
UN peacekeeping allowances akupondeni apanso mwapondedwanso! Basi idyani discipline ma soja.
Matsiku ano zikumandibvuta kusiyanitsa pakati pa army ndi wa foresiti. Koma awa ndikuona apawa kukhala ngati ndi a foresiti olanda matabwa ni makala aja
That’s bulshit you are stealing from our bravo men and women. You must back pay them and apologise. What can someone do with that small amount of money. Allowance less than £2.00 two pounds a day. This government should go
Alonda inu musatinyase
This allowance syndrome is very disheartening in our country.