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| National |
| Bingu defends new cabinet |
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by
Ephraim Munthali, 13 May 2007
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08:49:41
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The man who three years ago promised a lean and meritorious cabinet of less than 20 on Friday admitted that he brought in the nine extra deputy ministers because they have been supporting government.
President Bingu wa Mutharika also defended his expensive collection of mostly political cheer leaders, saying Malawi needs to have more ministers to serve the local population which he said was 15 million.
During the swearing in of 12 of the 42-strong cabinet, the President also told the new members to be loyal to him if they are to remain in the elite club.
“You must be loyal to the government of the day. You cannot serve two masters at a time. There are those who serve the DPP [the ruling Democratic Progressive Party] during the day and other entities during the night. You cannot outsmart me at all,” said Mutharika.
Expanding from 36 to 42, the bloated cabinet (the president, by the way, denied it is bloated) reinforces the general consensus that African leaders start so well as heroes but stumble a long the way as they get drunk from too much power.
When that happens, political survival starts to override economic considerations, especially for an incumbent who is vowing to return to the New State House for another term come what may, at whatever cost.
“Come 2009, I will come back and sit here and I want all of you [the new ministers] to return,” said Mutharika.
The nine deputies include: Lewis Kadammanja (Finance), Yunus Mussa (Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly), Felton Mulli (Health), Boniface Chimpokosera (Labour), Roy Chizimba (Economic Planning and Development), Gift Mwamondwe (Transport, Public Works and Housing), Billy Kaunda (Tourism, Wildlife and Culture), Ellock Maotcha Banda (Industry and Trade) and Olive Masanza (Education).
Ted Kalebe and Callista Chimombo were also sworn in as full ministers of Economic Planning and Development; and Tourism, Wildlife and Culture respectively.
Ernest Malenga, now the minister of Home Affairs missed the event because he had travelled, said chief secretary to the President and Cabinet Bright Msaka who conducted the swearing in ceremony.
Critics have since accused Mutharika of failing to honour his pledge of a lean cabinet of less than 20. They also say the President picked the political heads on regional lines.
The Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation said yesterday the fatter cabinet is a “misuse of the Malawian tax payer who must continue to shoulder a considerably heavier financial burden for remunerating this top heavy administration.”
Main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) told Weekend Nation yesterday that the cabinet lacks merit, is based on regional lines and is meant to prepare the ruling party for the 2009 general elections at the expense of the local economy.
MCP spokesman Nicholas Dausi was as blunt as ever in his attack: “The President has moved away from meritocracy to mediocrity. This is simply an appeasement aimed at buying support in Parliament.”
UDF spokesman Sam Mpasu used the same tone. “Just look at his cabinet material. He has not considered the merit aspect. The size of the cabinet is ridiculous and the regional balance is a disaster. Over half of the cabinet is from the South.”
Nation on Sunday’s rough calculations show that 66 percent (28) of the cabinet is from the South, 15 percent (six) originates from the Centre and 19 percent (8) are Northerners.
During his three-year stint in power, the incumbent has won praise for fiscal prudence which saw donors writing off Malawi’s US$3 billion unsustainable foreign debt last year, inflation retreating to single digits, interest rates plummeting to record levels of 20 percent, the kwacha stabilising and the country marching towards becoming the region’s bread basket.
But Mutharika, it seems, is willing to toss aside all this just to realise his second term dream. It is an African disease.
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