Parking of new govt fleet purchase welcomed
JEMIMA BEUKES
WINDHOEK
President Hage Geingob’s directive that no new vehicles will be bought for Cabinet ministers and senior government officials for the next five years has been widely welcomed.
Geingob yesterday announced that fuel expenditure will also be capped for public office-bearers, saying this decision will ultimately save government about N$200 million.
In a statement, the presidency yesterday announced that this is part of the Geingob’s undertakings to deal with declining government revenue as a consequence of an unprecedented global economic downturn, falling commodity prices and exchange rate fluctuations.
Leader of the official political opposition party, the Popular Democratic Movement, McHenry Venaani said it is a good thing that Geingob is starting to listen to calls to change government spending.
Reduce motorcades
Venaani, who is on record for saying ministers should be given Toyota Corolla sedans instead of Mercedes Benz vehicles, repeated his call that Geingob must reduce his official motorcades.
“It has been my consistent call over a number of years. It is a good move and will really divert resources to where it is needed most,” he said.
Political expert Ndumba Kamwanyah commended Geingob, saying the decision was long overdue.
“The corona lockdown has and will affect the economy negatively, including the government coffers. There is no way the country will recover economically if government spends as usual.
“Therefore, the directive is an attempt to offset the negative impact of the lockdown on the economy. More needs to be done as the country is headed towards a severe recession,” he said.
Answer to many prayers
Economist Omu Kakujaha-Matundu agreed that this is a move into the right direction and an answer to many prayers.
“We have been calling, for the longest time, for government to reduce wasteful spending. This indicates that there are basically vehicles in good running condition and can still be used for senior officials and I am sure there are still new vehicles in the fleet which can be used for newcomers,” he said.
He also said it should not stop here and should extend to other unnecessary expenditure as the next five years will be a difficult time for the Namibian economy.
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WINDHOEK
President Hage Geingob’s directive that no new vehicles will be bought for Cabinet ministers and senior government officials for the next five years has been widely welcomed.
Geingob yesterday announced that fuel expenditure will also be capped for public office-bearers, saying this decision will ultimately save government about N$200 million.
In a statement, the presidency yesterday announced that this is part of the Geingob’s undertakings to deal with declining government revenue as a consequence of an unprecedented global economic downturn, falling commodity prices and exchange rate fluctuations.
Leader of the official political opposition party, the Popular Democratic Movement, McHenry Venaani said it is a good thing that Geingob is starting to listen to calls to change government spending.
Reduce motorcades
Venaani, who is on record for saying ministers should be given Toyota Corolla sedans instead of Mercedes Benz vehicles, repeated his call that Geingob must reduce his official motorcades.
“It has been my consistent call over a number of years. It is a good move and will really divert resources to where it is needed most,” he said.
Political expert Ndumba Kamwanyah commended Geingob, saying the decision was long overdue.
“The corona lockdown has and will affect the economy negatively, including the government coffers. There is no way the country will recover economically if government spends as usual.
“Therefore, the directive is an attempt to offset the negative impact of the lockdown on the economy. More needs to be done as the country is headed towards a severe recession,” he said.
Answer to many prayers
Economist Omu Kakujaha-Matundu agreed that this is a move into the right direction and an answer to many prayers.
“We have been calling, for the longest time, for government to reduce wasteful spending. This indicates that there are basically vehicles in good running condition and can still be used for senior officials and I am sure there are still new vehicles in the fleet which can be used for newcomers,” he said.
He also said it should not stop here and should extend to other unnecessary expenditure as the next five years will be a difficult time for the Namibian economy.
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