Barely days after MaraviPost reported that President Mutharika was set to announce opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) President Atupele Muluzi as second Vice President in the impending cabinet reshuffle, an influential quasi-religious organisation, the Public Affairs Committee (Pac), has advised Malawi President Peter Mutharika against falling into the temptation of appointing a second vice-president.
Trusted sources claim that the move to appoint Muluzi as Second Vice President is to sideline Chilima whom the party thinks have no benefit now having used him as a strategic choice to win the ‘chaotic’ 20th May, 2014 tripartite elections.
According to The Daily Times, Pac chairperson, Felix Chingota had a one-to-one meeting with President Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Thursday where he openly told him that he should not dare appoint any other person as second Vice President if media reports that he will do so are anything to go by saying that Malawians are worried that the coalition might also lead to the expansion of the Cabinet.
“If this is indeed the case, Pac notes that this may further cement the observation that your administration may not be committed to political inclusivity, especially if the coalition fails to serve the common good,” Chingota is reported to have said as quoted by the daily times.
He added if the UDF-DPP coalition results in some UDF Members of Parliament (MPs) being incorporated in Cabinet, then regionalism will not be defeated since both parties have strongholds in basically one region.
“Therefore, at the moment, any plan to expand the Cabinet by way of including UDF MPs would strengthen the observation that other regions are being sidelined. So too the argument made that appointment of Cabinet Ministers should largely target MPs should not be the way to go where social cohesion is required,” said Chingota.
Pac has since advised that if anything, changes to the Cabinet should be within the confines of the number of 20 to which Mutharika committed himself “so that political inclusivity can be achieved within the same size of the cabinet…”
On the other hand, the organisation has commended Mutharika for relinquishing presidential powers on the appointment of Principal Secretaries albeit suggesting that the arrangement should be dealt with through a legal framework.
Both Chingota and State House Press Officer, Chikondi Juma, confirmed the meeting but maintained that it was purely private.
“We simply raised a number of issues. He did not respond directly to the issues but said he understood our concerns and that he has to talk to relevant officers in his administration,” Chingota said in an interview on Monday.
Other issues which Pac discussed with the President include the Local Government Act, the ongoing public sector reforms and the controversial issue of federalism.
It is yet to be seen if Mutharika will show arrogance in the face of this advise given in good faith by the religious body.
