Malawi govt must not be guided by politics in handling land ‘barter’ deal
There is a raging debate with regards to viability and legality of the barter deal that was agreed between Malawi government and an investor.
For the starters, we understand that, to address shortage of housing among police officers, Worldwide Construction Company was awarded a K9.9 billion contract to construct 160 houses (i.e. K62 million per house) at Area 30 in Lilongwe.
In exchange, the government entered into a gentleman’s agreement to give 25 hectares of land in Lilongwe to the Worldwide Construction Company in exchange constructing the 140 houses for police officers.
The Company also agreed to use the given 25 hectares of land for construction of a modern multi-purpose one stop town that aims at bringing products and services at one place to maximize consumer satisfaction.
This was agreed by the previous government.
It is interesting that the Tonse Alliance government wants the deal quashed because, according to Home Affairs Minister Richard Chimwendo, they will not allow that land to be offered for development through what he called “barter”.
It’s undisputable that, in the drudgery of this deal, some illegalities ensued. In 2020, it does make sense for government not to be involved bartering land. It looks suspicious.
However, on the other hand, there is an issue of police officers’ houses and, again, the construction of the shopping town.
So, should government quash this deal? We don’t believe.
Much as the means may be problematic, we believe the end is very important. What this deal intends to achieve is more critical and important than the means used.
As such, we believe government can rectify the noted anomalies in this deal without reversing it. We can’t manage to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It doesn’t make sense especially when President Lazarus Chakwera elected in May after the Constitutional Court nullified the results of an earlier election that had declared Peter Mutharika as winner, is touting his Hi-5 political matra which include rule of law.
One, with government move to create 1 million jobs, the construction of the town will help create employment to many people. Secondly, constructing of police officer’s houses is timely as most of our law enforcement officers lives in sorry sights.
It is our submission, hence, that government needs to see the larger good in this without being misled by political inclinations.
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I think the deal was good. Which GVT can build 160 houses for our men and women in uniform? And that land pali police paja doesn’t look good for our city. Then Tonse GVT must build the houses for the police and develop the land. U just say public land yet it has been idle for ages…
Wrong is wrong and it cannot be justified by its end. Yes we need houses and yes we that trade centre but let’s do it the right way. It is not always true that the end justifies the means. Some crooked investor took advantage of the greed of the just gone government and swindled Malawians of prime land right in what would become a morden trade district in the near future. The problem with the DDP government is that they concentrated in fire fighting to creat bottle necks that benefited themselves financially. There was no vision. That investor new them… Read more »
Koma anthu sindiwavetsetsa.Boma liyera kuunika bwino bwino ma deal amene amapanga anzathu anyekwe.Anthu ameneaja ndi madolo pa kuba ndi chinyengo.Nkutheka kuti company imene imange manyumbayi iwo ali momo.
I am here to read your comments…
Malawi for sale the government won’t bargain. Police house project another mirage. DPP failed this isn’t the hour to list the DPP failures get to grips with the house project for the police. There were certain projects which were the fruit basket for DPP functionaries however there is need to thoroughly overhaul their necessity and long term benefits for our nation revamp them. The police house project clearly must start today all Malawi Housing structures were sold by Bakili to his comrades in the name of the Holy privatisation it was done by a clueless administration
In as far as running a democratic and legally constituted government is concerned, any illegal transaction irrespective of the intentions has no legal basis to be allowed to proceed. If it proceeded it has to be reversed. If this is set as a precedence, we will struggle in the future when similar deals are done in the name of the ends justifying the means when in actual sense the ends themselves are lies. Furthermore, who will be in charge of qualifying these means to be good? a country ran on unclear rules or laws is bound for self destruction, anyone… Read more »
Muona apanganso za AIP
Government could use the technical college students to build the police houses
good point……