Reforms, yes but wait…

Honourable Folks, the power-point illustration was poignant: a flock of birds flying home in an orderly formation, following the leader.

Vice-President Saulos Chilima, speaking at the launch of the Public Service Reform Programme in Lilongwe on Wednesday, couldn’t have used a sharper imagery to drive home his point about the flying pattern—Malawians will make progress if they pull in one direction, following the leader, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.

On his part, APM stressed the need for collective ownership of the reforms by all Malawians of “goodwill”, saying the private sector, the “engine for growth” of the economy needs oiling by the public sector.

APM fully embraced the challenge of providing leadership for the reform agenda while, in the same breath, repeating what he had said many times before that the presidency itself needs reforming by stripping it of excess powers.

There’s no denying APM understands how averse Malawians are to elected leaders who try to play God. He was there when dictatorial tendencies led to an overnight reversal of the fortunes of his late brother, Bingu, after his resounding victory in the 2009 presidential election.

But it’s not clear what exactly needs reforming in the presidency. Had it been shared within the Cabinet, Chilima-led Public Service Reform Commission probably wouldn’t have groped in the dark on the issue of aligning the tenure of some key officers in government including the Inspector General of Police, the Army Commander and the Director General of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation to the tenure of office for the President.

It’s only when the Commission consulted the public that it realised Malawians won’t have any of that. Why? The public may loathe the use of taxpayer’s money to compensate victims of politically-motivated dismissals whenever a new administration assumes office but the alignment only helps to serve the interest of a president by politicising public offices.

Even before the advent of the multiparty government, Malawi Public Sector Regulations (MPSR) did not allow civil servants to be involved in active politics. A Police IG who comes and goes with the President of the day owes his allegiance to the President of the day.

In the past, we’ve seen roughnecks from the ruling party beating up people with dissenting views while the police watched indifferently in the name of serving the government of the day.

From Kamuzu’s Banda Youth League, Bakili Muluzi’s Young Democrats to Bingu wa Mutharika’s Young Cadets, they all committed atrocities with impunity. I shudder to imagine what can become of multiparty Malawi if the Police IG is a certified crony of the president with a partisan agenda to boot!

Interestingly, the Chilima Commission announced the suspension—not outright tippexing—of the agenda to align critical offices in the public sector to the tenure of office of the President.

If APM is serious about reducing powers of the presidency, let him declare that all persons responsible for the exercise of power of State, especially those in offices which are constitutional or statutory, owe their allegiance to the people of Malawi and be guided by the Constitution, statutes and professional ethics in carrying out their duties.

Again, if APM is serious about reforming the presidency, let him be the first head of State and government in the multiparty era to respect Sections 89(3)(c) and 89(4) of the Constitution which require of the President to answer questions in Parliament.

Will the public service reform agenda survive APM’s administration? That is the wish of the President, the Vice- President and probably those Malawians said to be of “goodwill”.

The problem with Malawi is careless partisan branding of the national agenda which leads to each new administration ditching the agenda of its predecessors.

APM abandoned JB’s Economic Recovery Plan (ERP).  What will stop another administration from trashing and abandoning APM’s reform agenda? Is it enough that government intends to facilitate the setting of a Parliamentary Committee of Civil Service Reforms?

Here’s my take. What needs to come first is the de-politicisation of the development agenda. Otherwise, we’ll continue moving in cycles instead of moving forward.