The committee on Transport and Public Infrastructure has today 11th May 2023 sent back officials from Malawi Bureau of Standards as the committee observed that there was no prior apology from the Director General who has failed to appear before the committee for the second time. The issue that the committee is enquiring is on the quality controls of vehicle number plates and why is that only one supplier has been monopolising this business
The Committee Chairperson, Enock Phale said they will reschedule the meeting and this time it shall be in the form of a public enquiry where all the concerned parties shall be involved as the issue on hand has dragged for so long.
” we have at hand a complaint that there is a monopoly of supply of number plates and one complaint has submitted to the committee that MBS has been failing them unfairly. We want this matter resolved amicably but MBS Director General has twice failed to appear before the committee without any apologies. The committee feel this tantamount to arrogance and disrespectful act by the public office which is supposed to fairly serve the public. Said Phale.
What is so painful is that some of these applicants and players are Small and Medium Enterprises who need to be well guided and supported for growth to level the business play ground. We therefore indeed sent back the officials whom we felt failed to represent the Bureau well. We have always wanted to meet the Director General in person but has twice now failed to meet the committee despite the committee going all the way to Blantyre to hear his office’s side of the story. The first one was on 26th September 2022 and this one today was the second invitation. Chairperson Hon Enock Phale added.