After being accused of being too sympathetic towards the current government, the Public Affairs Committee (Pac) Tuesday came out guns blazing and accused president Lazarus Chakwera of several governance failures.
Members of the quasi-religious body met the President at Kamuzu Palace—his own backyard—where they charged that he is indecisive and slow to take action.
They said that has led to the current economic situation that Malawi is sailing through.
Pac publicity secretary Reverend Gilford Matonga and Chakwera’s spokesperson Anthony Kasunda confirmed that the meeting took place.
They both could, however, not divulge more information on the nitty-gritties of the discussion.
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Kasunda said the meeting “took place in a very cordial environment”.
But, a strong-worded statement that we have seen and understand was read out to the President paints a not-so-cordial picture.
“As regards your leadership approach, we wish to state these words as we did in January 2022. Indecisiveness and slowness to respond to crucial issues remain a great enemy to your leadership legacy. The law gives you all the powers to swiftly make decisions of the State. You may need to seriously consider your approach. Otherwise, the populace is becoming fed up.
“We observe that in many areas, your decision making has failed to get the sequencing of your policies right and to get the policy mix right as a strategy. In support of our observation, we further note a fundamental departure from your overarching goal to achieve certainty and reduce risks in economic decision making,” the communique reads.
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It further calls on Chakwera to reduce his Cabinet and do away with advisors, saying the current size has a bearing on the budget and does not augur well with austerity measures.
The Cabinet has 29 ministers. Chakwera also has around 10 presidential aides.
“[You] may need to move further and fast to dissolve the Cabinet and appoint 15 ministers only with gravitas and convening power. We are aware that appointment of Cabinet ministers is Your Excellency’s prerogative but our recommendation would reset the button of your leadership for service delivery.
“The State machinery has so many experts that any Head of State can call upon for specific pieces of advice. Even outside government, Your Excellency may cheaply outsource than maintaining the entire group of Presidential Advisors,” Pac says.
The religious leaders have also joined calls that the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) be phased out.
“We believe the resources saved from this move would be redirected to other productive sectors including mega farms and medium productive farmers. We share the view, however, that the poor must be supported to ensure that there is food security,” they say.
On the fight against corruption, the quasi-religious organisation has accused Chakwera’s government of “selective justice”.
It urges government to “reset the button” and walk its talk that it is determined to fight the vice.
“Some old cases are not being pursued, giving an impression that new cases became more important than previous ones.
“We know that the Anti- Corruption Bureau remains committed in the fight against corruption and must be fully supported by your political machinery,” Pac says.
Reacting to the organisation’s communique, accountability advocate Willy Kambwandira stressed the need for the religious leaders to serve the interests of Malawians.
“We must understand that government is a system and we must deal with systematic bottlenecks to ensure that proper recruitment and procurement processes are followed.
“Government must promote transparency and accountability. While we agree with the call to trim Cabinet, it is important for government to demonstrate savings from such actions and corrective sanctions must be taken against public officers who defy these measures,” he said.
Kambwandira further indicated that it would have been better if Pac had made wider consultations ahead of engaging the President.
He also wished the meeting had been done in an “open and transparent manner”.
“Otherwise, as Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency, we look forward to a report with details of what was discussed,” Kambwandira said.
On his part, governance commentator Mavuto Bamusi described Pac’s presentation as “the brutal reality” of the country’s leadership.
Bamusi said the organisation implies that the leadership is full of hypocrisy and that key campaign promises have not been delivered.
“The fight against corruption is mired in empty rhetoric, where Capital Hill has been captured by corruption mafias and unethical processes leading to politically motivated appointments at the expense of long-serving professionals who are sidelined…
“In a nutshell, the leadership needs to walk the talk and avoid selective implementation of austerity measures and political promises. These are key issues that Pac wants Chakwera to urgently address,” Bamusi said.
Pac has since promised to follow up with government on the recommendations.
