When the Democratic Progressive
Party launched their second coming into government, the inaugural speech
contained the statement of promise for appointments and performance assessment
based on merit. The State President made a vivid and audible proclamation that
he shall not favour or support any individual on other grounds apart from merit
and professionalism. The speech proceeded to state that the president shall
fire any minister who has failed to perform and replace him/her with one who is
ready to perform. This sentiment was welcomed by an applause of hope and
aspiration. Malawi is a country that has been at the tail in development
progress subject to its nepotistic and patrimonial tendencies. We have had sour
grapes to reminisce in the name of non-performing appointees cushioned by the
higher authority. In this blog, I will try to recall these ministers with
impunity, who relished the higher authority and sustained their stay. I will
also state on the current status and conclude on whether we are making progress
or not.
During the UDF era, we had a
couple of non-performing ministers with impunity. Whose mediocrity was
outstanding and outrageous, yet had signed a more permanent contract agreement,
as it sounds to me. The most notable was the late Honourable Dumbo Lemani, who
had the longest stay without a trophy to glory of except personal wealth. Many
were taunted and even other physically assaulted but his stay in the
ministering positions was something we all could nominate to be one of the
seven wonders of surprises in the world. The second of his nature was Honourable
Lilian Patel who similarly served in different portfolios as a minister, and
was renowned to have lambasted the Danish ambassador that he did not matter and
he should not have any statement in Malawian affairs or he can pack up and go,
reminiscent of the ‘persona non grata’ incident that occurred in 2009, yet she
was only a minister. The era had lots of
handclappers, bootlickers, name-praisers, and very incompetent ministers
serving and running the affairs of our country. The Honourable George Mtafu had
his show and several other ministers took changes on the ministerial stage. The
minister had his craziest moments in the parliament, even when he adamantly
jested the then Speaker, Rodwell Munyenyembe, with the statement: ‘You must be
stupid’! The aftermaths of which, fate knows best what caused it, but
characteristic of national tragedy, yet never drilled some sense in the ‘sane
but crazy’ minister.
During the DPP era, the tendency
survived, subject to the fact that most ministers that had been in UDF were
resurfacing in DPP. The many ministers had practically crossed the floor after
unilaterally declaring themselves to belong to the ruling party. The
ministerial impunity continued. We had ministers had not performed but still
maintained their portfolios or were simply switched from one ministerial
position to the next. We saw an exchange of brawls between ministers in
parliament and a number of other uncharacteristic events in the era. The public
had another episode of ministerial swordplay and caricature. The stage had
slightly changed as we noted that then president demonstrated cautioned at some
intervals and he was undetermined in his next course of action. But it remained
to be seen if ministerial impunity and failure to address the most critical
angles of our development were defiantly visible.
During the PP era the same legacy
remained unabated. We seem to be making two steps forward and five steps
backwards. The plausible direction we need to take is the direction where our
ministers are going to be assessed on performance basis and performance ratings
will determine their stay as ministers. Of late, we have seen worrisome of some
ministerial performance, notably that of the Former Minister of Internal
Affairs, Honourable Uladi Mussa, ‘Change Golo’ as he was famously called. The
minster gave a joke of our lifetime when he stated through the media houses
that he was willing to talk to those who had security concerns through his
number, thereby providing the number to the public. The minister remain defiant
that the nation was facing security crisis when when countless evidence were on
display through the same media. It was to my surprise that the minister had
stay longer than we expected. I would do myself a disfavour, if I do not talk
about the former Minister of Finance, Honourable Ken Lipenga, who had to become
a silent lamb for the sins of ministerial impunity at a later stage.
Parliamentary hansards had recorded him to have lied to the nation to sugarcoat
the Zero-deficit budget in 2011, a year earlier, before his bet met his fate.
The minister paid a heavy cost through a cabinet shuffle that followed
immediately after he had become a liability to the PP government which wanted
to appease the donor community. There are many ministerial stories that speak
the same message of ministerial impunity.
Currently, whilst the nation is
building or rebuilding its trust in the current leadership, it is imperative
that leadership considers walking the talk, very very seriously. The
ministerial performance assessment as has been proposed by the current Public
Sector Reform project is a very welcome idea and needs to be promptly implemented.
The president must set new standards of accountability, where we will not only
see new policies and new conditions being formulated, but new policies and conditions
been seen to be implemented. The call for a shaking to our nations is a higher
toll that needs no overemphasizing. The current status of public social service
requires meritorious professionals, and prudent ministers and principal
secretaries. The state at which the nation is in, where we still have to secure
a reliable source of financial resources, leaves no room for appeasement. The
state where we need to consider vision about ambition, where personal
gratification is that last matter to attend to. The nation has been on its
knees economically and we need to prick ourselves in the areas, that will make
us reduce on fun and stand up to the call! Then we shall be remembered. I speak
in consideration of the ministry of education, where teachers have had no pay
since last year, and it basically is lamentable that the situation has come to
this far. We may not immediately condemn the minister responsible must be seen
concerned. The Ministry of Education is the most critical ministry for
development, last thing we can do as a nation is to sink down our educational
standards. We need to immediately draw resources to this ministry and find out
what is delaying teachers’ salaries and address it once and for all! Nobody
would work without pay comfortably. We are already hit by the rising costs of
living standards, even prices of basic needs are souring high on the market,
and if a teacher will fail to buy a packet of sugar, how shall he or she teach
about economic development.
MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS OUR
MOTHER LAND, MALAWI, THE ONLY COUNTRY WE HAVE!
