Vice-President Michael Usi, who is also Odya Zake Ali Mlandu presidential candidate, yesterday agreed with President Lazarus Chakwera’s stance that some top technocrats in government can sabotage an administration’s agenda.
Speaking during a whistle-stop campaign at Chingale in Zomba yesterday, Usi noted that most administrations struggle to fulfil their promises due to sabotage by some civil servants affiliated to opposition political parties.
He also observed that some politicians dictate what technocrats should do even when they have no knowledge or expertise in that particular field, which he said upsets some civil servants who end up frustrating the system.
Said Usi: “So to avoid that, I will select the cream of the cream from almost all the opposition political parties as they do when selecting Malawi National Football Team players.
“The selection criteria will be based on areas of expertise, regardless of the political party they are affiliated to. So, this team will work closely with me to develop this country.”
His sentiments come three days after President Chakwera, who is also Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential candidate, lamented purported sabotage by some officials at National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) and “corrupt” cartels as factors destabilising fuel supply in the country.
The President argued that the country’s current fuel crisis was deliberately created by “some individuals” at Nocma, who purportedly frustrated timely imports to make his administration fail and to personally benefit from kickbacks.
“I ask for your forgiveness. Some officials at Nocma intentionally frustrated the timely importation of fuel,” said Chakwera.
Commenting on the matter, governance scholar at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences Andrew Kaponya echoed Usi’s sentiment that civil servants playing party politics, particularly from the opposition, can sometimes frustrate government business.
However, he noted that where technocrats frustrate government business, it signifies failure of the system as a whole.
“What needs to be done is to strengthen the system of hiring, compliance and appraisal to make sure that technocrats working in government are not captured by politicians,” said Kaponya.
A development politics expert at Mzuzu University Chrispine Mphande yesterday told The Nation that the inaction against those suspected of sabotaging government, including at Nocma, stems from cronyism.
