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| National |
| Aleke unveils UDF failures |
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by
Gedion Munthali, 01 September 2003
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12:04:28
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Staying away from heckling and name calling — the trademarks of Malawi politics — People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) national advisor Aleke Banda showed on Saturday that a political rally can be held successfully, with engrossed people sticking around, by talking about issues throughout.
It was also proven in volatile town of Ndirande, Blantyre that while some politicians are quite gifted at unleashing criticism, others can criticise, pointing out specific shortfalls and show how they would deal with situations if given responsibility.
“If there are some people who came here to see how I am going to scorn and insult our political opponents, I think they will leave this meeting disappointed,” Aleke told his first meeting in Blantyre, since joining PPM a couple of months ago.
The people anticipating vitriolic speeches, if they were around, must have indeed gone home down-hearted because Aleke just went about his two-hour speech pointing out UDF failures and what, if elected into office during next year’s tripartite elections, the PPM will do.
He said the UDF regime has registered failures in almost all areas of government — economy, agriculture, health, education, security, rule of law etc.— because of lack of patriotic, visionary and committed leadership, urging the clergy, who he described as the conscious of society, not to relent in their criticism.
Aleke, who boasted that Malawi’s economy only registered remarkable growth when he was finance minister, said PPM has programmes that will clamp on financial maladministration and win back donor confidence to resuscitate the economy.
He said the PPM administration would focus on an economic recovery programme, realising it will offer answers to the current instability in the private sector where industry is not growing and companies are closing down resulting into unemployment.
“To stop financial wastage PPM administration will make sure the President, his or her vice president and ministers, stay in Lilongwe where the seat of government is, unlike at the moment when most ministers stay in Blantyre and commute to Lilongwe.
“The PPM administration will separate between State and party functions. We will cut back as much as possible on presidential travel, local or external. But even when he travels, entourages will be sensible. The business of a president travelling abroad with 40 people will not be condoned.
“The farce of a cabinet of 46 people will not be allowed. This country can run with people not exceeding 20, so long they are committed and visionary.
“We will make sure the civil service is professional, and not politically motivated. We advocate for a civil service that will be loyal to the State not the ruling party. We want a civil service that will serve everyone across the political divide
“We will maintain only those embassies that are strategic to Malawi,” said Aleke.
He promised a government that will have pro-poor priorities, ensuring quality education, agricultural productivity and a health delivery service that will offer hope to the public.
He said that PPM will ensure that all institutions that have been set up to promote democratic principles of human rights and transparency, among them the Anti Corruption Bureau, are well funded and equipped.
A PPM administration, he said, will make sure chiefs are not used as political implements of the ruling party, promising a professional police service.
Aleke attacked the enactment of Section 65 of the Constitution and the Public Procurement Act. He noted that the former is being used to deal with UDF critics, while the latter is prone to abuse having put the President as the ultimate supervisor of implementation.
“The PPM administration will have Section 65 repealed. I also wish to call on opposition parties to press for amendment of law on procurement before the end of the year,” he said. “The President of a PPM government will concentrate on soul-searching for the country, not supervising things like procurement.”
But why criticise policies of the very government he served since 1994?
“Yes, I was in the UDF government since it took over power from the MCP in 1994. But my record is there for all to see. The economy of this country only registered remarkable growth when I was minister of finance. When I was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture, that is when you started hearing of starter packs, which led to tremendous a crop production.
“Before I finished turning around this in the Ministry of Health I was sent back to the Ministry of Agriculture where there were problems. The problems were sorted out. The maize that some people are boasting about today is one of the results,” said Aleke.
He pointed out that government, like a football team, is collective responsibility, saying only single hard working person cannot succeed achieving results for the whole administration.
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