Religious Leaders in Malawi Give President Three Months to Reshuffle Government

President Chakwera has been faulted for failing to deliver on his promises to reshuffle his Cabinet that has been said to be ineffective, and to fill vacant positions in the country’s top governing body.

In the speech obtained by ACI Africa on Wednesday, January 19, the faith leaders in Malawi lauded the Chakwera administration for its openness to dialogue and called for the implementation of what had already been agreed upon in the President’s engagement with the people.

“Your Excellency, although …we appreciated your open-door policy to dialogue with us and others, it should not be interpreted that PAC will continue holding dialogue without seeing actions being taken,” the religious leaders say.

They add, “During the previous interface meeting Cabinet reshuffle was deliberated on. We noted that Your Excellency you pledged to reshuffle the Cabinet by the end of Year 2020. The pledge was religiously believed that an action in this regard would be affected. Despite our interface meeting with you, to date nothing has happened. This continues to erode trust that was bestowed upon you.”

According to the faith leaders, a good number of Malawi’s Cabinet officials “lack gravitas and influence”.

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The leaders call for appointment of influential people in the private sector to occupy seats in the Cabinet, saying, “This is the time those occupying rightful roles in the economic arena should have been in the forefront of translating and explaining measures to mitigate economic hardship. Their silence is loud enough.”

In addition to their renewed call for the Cabinet reshuffle, the PAC members highlighted Malawi’s economic hardships, which they said need to be mitigated, corruption as well as nepotism, which they said were manifest starting with the Presidency.

On Malawi’s economic hardships, the religious leaders pointed out that the government lacked direction on mitigating the effects of COVID-19 pandemic that they said had exacerbated the poverty levels in the country.

“With due respect to explanations on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on the economy Your Excellency, the public view seems to suggest that the administration lacks direction on the mitigation of economic hardship,” the religious leaders said.

“We believe that in this area relevant Ministries that have a bearing on economic development ought to be aggressive in communicating to the public. It seems they have distanced themselves from their rightful role,” they said, and added. “Your Excellency may consider to package properly the information on economy to be imparted to the public, and your Cabinet Ministers ought to be in the forefront to defend and justify the economic status.”

The faith leaders called out President Chakwera for the reported hiring of his relatives in government, noting that the move had “diluted” the President’s moral standing.

“It appears to us that the public's concerns on nepotism continue to grow with reports that your daughter reported for duties at the Embassy in the UK. Coupled with perceptions that your son in-law doubles as Personal Assistant as well as Director of Communications compounds the situation,” the religious leaders noted.

They added, in reference to the President’s daughter and son-in-law, “Even if these officials have competences, this is Malawi Your Excellency; the public will never trust you especially that those participating in this allegedly nepotism are in the Office of the Presidency. Your moral standing becomes diluted.”

The Malawian President was also cautioned against the use of selective justice in handling corruption charges in his Cabinet, adding that some Cabinet Ministers who were found in corruption scandals in the country had been treated with a slap on the wrist while others had been heavily reprimanded.

The faith leaders urged President Chakwera to act fast to redeem his image as Head of State, saying, “The trust on Your Excellence has been eroded so fast as a result of your approach to decision making.”

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They also expressed their optimism in the Malawian President, saying that he was exceptional in the way in which he encouraged openness and dialogue.

“Your Excellency, you are unique in the sense that you are the first leader in this position that requested us that we should be frank and honest with you in our dialogue exercise,” the PAC members said, and added, “Such a virtue is not common among leaders.”

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.