Church and Society of Blantyre Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) has asked President Lazarus Chakwera to trim his Cabinet to 15 ministers and presidential advisers to five in addition to the austerity measures he announced last week.
Chakwera’s Cabinet has around 29 ministers. He also has around 10 presidential aides.
In a statement signed by its executive director Reverend Master Jumbe, Church and Society has also asked members of Parliament (MPs) to objectively deliberate on the mid-year budget review whose statement Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda presented on Monday.
The budget has risen from K3.7 trillion to K4.33 trillion, largely due to the 44 percent devaluation of the Kwacha.
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Jumbe says the MPs should not forget “critical issues of enforcement of strict fiscal discipline and hunger”.
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“We, therefore, turn to our legislators to demand from the President a reduction in the size of the Cabinet to a maximum of 15 members; presidential advisers to a maximum of five and replacement of luxurious and fuel-guzzling vehicles used by Cabinet ministers and senior government officials,” the statement reads.
It further expresses concern that calls for fiscal discipline “from several stakeholders” are not being heeded by the Executive.
The social, political and economic arm of the synod dares MPs to devise policies that will drive the implementation of the austerity measures and fiscal discipline.
It also says despite Chakwera’s assurance that no person will die of hunger, the situation “is different on the ground”, apparently because many people are eating wild fruits to survive.
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Church and Society further states that the Affordable Inputs Programme is giving less hope to many who are supposed to receive the inputs as the programme is faced with challenges.
Reacting to the statement, government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu said powers to appoint Cabinet ministers are conferred on the president by the Constitution and that every president applies their discretion to appoint a committee of ministers that will help them drive the national development agenda.
“It is up to the President, who has come up with the austerity measures that everyone is applauding, to decide what sort of Cabinet will help him actualise his aspirations. Let us give him all the support,” Kunkuyu said.
After Chakwera had announced austerity measures to cushion Malawians against the impacts of the 44 percent devaluation of the Kwacha, some stakeholders urged the President to do more.
In the past, the Cabinet size has also been an issue of concern among some social and economic commentators, who argue that Malawi’s economy is “too small” to have such a Cabinet.
Measures that Chakwera directed include a freeze on foreign travel until the end of the current financial year and a cut on fuel allocations for top government officials.
