Outspoken consumer rights activist, John Kapito has dared President Dr Lazarus Chakwera to fulfill his “Cabinet reshuffle promise” and appoint what he calls matured and capable individuals to lead key ministries at the Capitol Hill.
Chakwera recently promised Malawians of a Cabinet reshuffle which many had received with lofty expectations considering the quality of the current cabinet.
This was not the first for the Malawi leader to. Make such a promise. In 2021, Chakwera told the nation that he would assessing his cabinet every six months before axing non-performers from the cabinet.
But months down the line, Chakwera is yet to reshuffle the cabinet, which is believed to have failed to pursue his HI5 agenda.
Kapito claimed that the President needs to consider seriously the quality of people in cabinet for the purposes of recovering this economy and to serve many Malawians that are currently economically and socially displaced.
“He needs to seriously consider appointing well matured experienced and capable Malawians for the following key Ministries and Government institutions such as Minister of Finance, Tourism, Education, Health, Local Government and Governor of the Reserve Bank.
“The current leadership in these Ministries and institution is the weakest link in your efforts to improve the lives of poor Malawians. These are key Ministries that can drive your vision and deliver your Hi-5 Agenda unfortunately over time these key Ministries and institutions are struggling and suffering from poor leadership despite their importance to the development of Malawians,” said Kapito.
Kapito observed that the promise for a Cabinet Reshuffle has been one of the many frequently made promises by the President since he came into power and “we are yet to see a full Cabinet reshuffle as promised.”
“Our appeal to the State President is for once please fulfil this Cabinet reshuffle promise,” he emphasized.
Kapito, who is also the Executive Director for Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) said Malawians are currently going through serious economic and social challenges, hence the call for a new team minister to serve Malawians better.
“The President needs the support of an effective, capable and professional Cabinet that can transform his vision and deliver his Hi-5 Agenda to Malawians which unfortunately the current Cabinet has failed as can be evidenced by the current poor quality of service delivery from various Government departments.
“However, as you reshuffle or appoint your Cabinet, we wish to ask him to trim some Ministries like that of Unity, this Ministry and a few others can be merged with other Ministries. This particular Ministry of Unity has no place and space in the current Malawi and is a waste of public resources,” Kapito pointed out.
