LILONGWE (MaraviPost)—Seven cabinet ministers in the Peter Mutharika administration have told president Mutharika in the face that they will resign if the president fails to discipline his special aide Ben Phiri who they claim go around calling himself a Prime Minister and boasting that he is above the ministers and can order them around, Maravi Post has the details.
Our independent investigations have revealed that the seven ministers recently had a top secret audience with the president who lamented the conduct of Phiri. Our state house source has revealed that among the seven ministers who confronted Mutharika are senior ministers such as Henry Mussa, Goodal Gondwe and Bright Msaka
The ministers advised Mutharika that Phiri will destroy his presidency and ruin the country if left to operate the way he is currently doing.
It is said that before the meeting could take place between the President and the seven ministers, the defacto Prime Minister, Phiri, tried to sabotage it and stop it altogether from happening. His efforts failed. It was then that the prime minister insisted that he should attend the meeting. Apparently he went into the room and sat down to attend the meeting.
It was at this point that the ministers declared that they would resign there and then if the president did not ask the prime minister to leave the room. Visibly shaken, the president had no choice but to ask the prime minister to get out.
The Seven ministers then proceeded to lay it out for the president. They asked him if he was aware that his assistant was busy calling the Chief Secretary and making appointments that are supposed to be made by the president. They wondered if the president knew that his assistant threatens cabinet ministers and heads of parastatals and other government departments to employ his relatives, and shakes down anyone who wants to see the president, especially Asians, to first give him a lot of money.
The Seven ministers then asked the president to grow a pair of balls and correct this matter, pointing out to him that in the year that he has been president, it is quite clear that he has left his assistant to deal with everything.
They were quite firm and open, questioning the president why he could have an assistant with only an MSCE education run the country when he has a cabinet full of lawyers, engineers and PhDs, all dying to make his presidency a success.
Apparently, after meeting the President, the seven ministers then called the prime minister and gave him a piece of their mind as well. They told him to be an assistant, and not purport to be a cabinet minister, advising the president on how to govern, making orders and threatening people.
They told him to stop spreading lies about the Vice President and undermining the Vice President in the party.
“You’re too ambitious and too greedy”, they said.
“You’re singlehandedly destroying this administration and the party”, they added.
Of course the Prime Minister did not in the least like this development. His response was to immediately call his own team of advisers to discuss how to deal with these ministers who have dared to challenge his authority and threaten his position.
Apparently the team meeting concluded that the ministers should be done away with and replaced with younger men loyal to and fearful of the Prime Minister.
Whether the Prime Minister will succeed to convince Mutharika to make yet another cabinet reshuffle because of this looming cabinet revolt remains to be seen.