January ends,Cabinet intact

When the clock struck midnight to welcome February 2023, it was a frustrating moment for Malawians who waited with bated breath for President Lazarus Chakwera’s promised new and “leaner” Cabinet.

The President failed to stick to his own deadline as expressed in his New Year’s Address that he will “this January” name a new Cabinet focused on maximising the country’s limited resources to improve service delivery and fast-track public works projects under construction.

He said: “My fellow Malawians, as you may recall, two months ago I announced that I would be making changes to my Cabinet.

“Today, I wish to inform you that the new configuration is at an advanced stage, and so as was the case last January [2022], my office will be announcing a new configuration of Cabinet this January.”

His promise generated interest from a nation that has wondered why he maintains a 30-member Cabinet when the economy is on its knees. In contrast, his predecessor Peter Mutharika maintained a 20-member Cabinet from 2014 to 2019.

Section 94 of the Constitution empowers the President to appoint ministers, deputy ministers and fill vacancies in the Cabinet.

Presidential press secretary Anthony Kasunda was not available to comment on the status of Chakwera’s promise.

But a political commentator and a governance expert yesterday warned the President that his unfulfilled promises erode public trust as he would be viewed as someone who does not live by one’s own words.

In an interview, political commentator and strategist Humphrey Mvula said there was no need for the President to promise appointment of a new leaner Cabinet by end of January.

He said: “The appointment of Cabinet falls into the armpit of his prerogative. There was no need to promise.  There was absolutely no need to create expectation. He set undue expectation.

“Once the President makes a promise, the expectation is that he would live by his word. But as the case is, people begin to question the President’s morality. People cannot trust him anymore.”

Mvula said the President owes his ministers nothing and there was no need to inform them the reshuffle was around the corner.

Governance expert Makhumbo Munthali said in an interview last night that the President’s failure to name his Cabinet within the timeframe he set, reflected badly in as far as his leadership is concerned.

He said Malawians expected their President to be responsive and make timely decisions.

Munthali said: “As it is, it only shows the President is slow in decision-making, and always not sure about his decisions. When he spoke of the leaner Cabinet, he created impression there were gaps and that reshuffle would help him resolve some problems.

“By failing to come up with the Cabinet reshuffle, or taking long, it shows he is somebody who cannot keep his word. This has serious implications on trust levels. It appears he takes the public for granted.”

He further said it was worrying that Chakwera keeps on breaking promises, arguing that when he appointed his first, he told the nation the Cabinet ministers would be going for public assessments every five months or so, which has not happened.

Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa earlier observed that government needs to effectively implement austerity measures to save resources and called for a reduction in travels by the President, ministers and other government officials as well as reduction of benefits for Cabinet ministers.

Chakwera’s maiden 31-member Cabinet released in July 2020  was heavily criticised for  having family members, unequal gender representation and the Central Region particularly Lilongwe, his home district, dominating the numbers contrary to the Tonse Alliance campaign promise of making the Cabinet and other appointments based on merit.

The President later reshuffled the Cabinet in January 2022 in piece-meals.

This is not the first time Chakwera has failed to meet his own deadline on Cabinet as he has also did not make the periodic Cabinet assessments public as promised. He also did not review his Cabinet within six months as he had stated.