APM faulted on Appointments

President Peter Mutharika has been faulted over yesterday’s appointment of former National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) chief Nicholas Dausi as Minister of Information and Communications Technology replacing fired Ntcheu Central legislator Malison Ndau.

Reacting to the announcement, political and social commentator Boniface Dulani of the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College faulted the President for making a number of appointments for the same post, saying it reflects badly on him.

He said: “When you have a President appointing three or four people to fill the same position within a span of two to three years, it reflects poorly on the appointing authority. If these people have not delivered according to his expectations, it also means that he has been selecting wrong people for these positions.

“And for Ndau to just be dropped out of Cabinet like this, it is also rare and something must have happened. Unfortunately, we are so used to living in an era whereby it is the President’s prerogative to hire and fire.

“But I think we need to start challenging some of these rules, especially when we live in a democratic era where we want to promote a culture of transparency and accountability. I think the President needs to explain to Malawians, publicly, why he felt it necessary to dismiss him just so suddenly.”

Ndau was appointed Minister of ICT on September 6 this year, replacing Patricia Kaliati who was deployed to the newly formed Ministry of Civic Education, Culture and Community Services in a minor reshuffle.

Since ascending to the presidency in May 2014, Mutharika has hired five Information ministers, including Kondwani Nankhumwa (now Minister of Local Government and Rural Development) and Jappie Mhango (incumbent Minister of Transport and Public Works).

In a statement issued by the State House Press Office, the President has also elevated High Court Judge Lloyd Muhara from the position of Deputy Chief Secretary to the Government to Chief Secretary while his former boss, George Mkondiwa, has been demoted to the position of High Commissioner to India.

On the other hand, Isaac Munlo has been recalled from Malawi’s High Commission in India to serve as Chief Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

In his reaction in an interview with The Nation, Dulani also questioned the basis of appointing Dausi as a minister as it departs from the record the President set soon after being elected into office.

He said: “So, someone who is apparently knowledgeable in intelligence, now he is at the core of communication? If we recall, at the beginning of his term when the President was appointing ministers [he] requested for CVs.

“He promised to be appointing people based on their expertise. Now, it seems that has fallen down the road because if you look at the recent reshuffles, it moved people into ministries that they certainly are not experts in.

“The Dausi appointment falls into that category as one wonders if it is based on expertise or mere political experience. We seem to be moving into the direction where there are presidents that have started well but very quickly get caught up with political experiences.”

Dausi, a long time Malawi Congress Party (MCP) stalwart who at some point closely worked for founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda, has previously served as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson. In June 2014, Mutharika appointed Dausi as director of the NIB, replacing former police chief Joseph Aironi who was engaged by his predecessor Joyce Banda.

On the other hand, Mkondiwa was given a new three-year contract in October last year, a month before his expected retirement.

But Dulani sees his appointment as diplomat as a demotion.

He said: “I would look at this as a demotion because as a head of the civil service, all diplomats, ambassadors were answerable ultimately to the chief secretary. Now, he is finding himself in a position where as an ambassador, who has to report back to the new chief secretary.

“But again, it is to do with the whole culture of secrecy that no one wants to tell us really which he is being redeployed. He is a long time career civil servant, well versed in the affairs of the civil service.”

Muhara served as commissioner general of the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) until 2014 when then president Joyce Banda appointed him judge of the High Court of Malawi. Mutharika then hired him as Deputy Chief Secretary in August this year in a move widely seen as positioning him to take over from Mkondiwa.

Muhara was at the helm of MRA when the public tax collector was accused of doctoring revenue collection figures by borrowing from commercial banks to paint a picture that then president Bingu wa Mutharika’s zero-deficit budget was a success.

In its reaction to the Dausi appointment, Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Malawi Chapter said a tough job lies ahead for Dausi.

Misa Malawi chairperson Thom Khanje said: “There are insult laws which are contrary to the Constitution, archaic laws that date back to colonial days as well as the one-party rule and we expect the minister to champion a repeal of those laws by influencing the President to sign the Table Mountain Declaration which can commit this government to start repealing these laws. That is a huge task. n