Aford for federal system of government

Alliance for Democracy (Aford) president Enoch Chakufwa Chihana says he will push for members of Parliament to adopt a federal system of government in Malawi once the House resumes sitting next Tuesday.

Chihana, the party’s sole legislator, said in an interview the country requires such a system because the one in use is very expensive to the country.

However, a political analyst Chris Chisoni has warned the Aford president to tread carefully on the matter.

Chihana said a federal system of government would be ideal for the country to free it from political crises because it will strengthen democracy as well as political parties.

Currently, Malawi uses the first-past-the-post system which means the winner takes it all.

“Our political system has to change to suit the Malawian environment. We adopted a system which is very expensive to Malawians. If we adopted a proportional representation as is the case in other countries like South Africa it would be better,” said Chihana, a former minister under the Joyce Banda administration.

He said the proportional representation should follow the federal system of government which is better because the electorates vote for leaders in power who directly deliver the services and are accountable to the voters.

Chihana said what was currently happening in the country was that people vote for someone but end up being ruled by another.

“Basically, Malawi is being ruled by a person who has not been accepted by the majority, which is a very big weakness to the country,” he said.

The Aford president said he believed the system could effectively work in Malawi because the country is under democracy and follows multiparty system of government.

Commenting on the matter, Chisoni said Chihana needed to properly sell his idea before taking it into Parliament to avoid facing resistance.

“He needed good grounds for his agenda and engage the right stakeholders otherwise in the absence of that he is likely to face compelling challenges.

“But since democracy allows that, let him go ahead and try,” said Chisoni, who is national coordinator for Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice (CCJP).