MPs out of order over their protest on CDF

Our power-hungry MPs are yet again up in arms to defend their cash cow – Constituency Developemt Fund (CDF) – after the court declared the fund unconstitutional.

Whereas the benefits of CDF cannot be totally overlooked, with the devolved government, there is no more defence for CDF which has all along undermined the principle of separation of powers as provided in our Constitution.

Apart from usurping roles of the Executive, the fund has created confusion and loopholes for corruption in the country. In a new form of misappropriation of the fund, virtually all CDF projects come with a banners that conspicuously display the portrait and name of the responsible MP.

As envisaged in the Constitution the MPs have the very crucial oversight role to ensure that all monies received by the government are well spent. For this reason, the Parliament has powers to hold Government officials to account for all funds they receive. Even with compelling evidence, misappropriation of CDF has not received any meaningful attention in Parliament.

Now with the looming loss of their cash cow, the MPs have already started threatening and arm-twisting the other arms of government.