SOCIAL, political and economic commentators have said they are disappointed with the performance of the Cabinet in the past year.
They have since urged President Peter Mutharika to be more decisive if the performance of the Cabinet he appoints is to improve.
Ben Kalua, an economics professor at Chancellor College, has said the Cabinet has disappointed Malawians as it has failed to spur socio-economic development for the country in the past year.
“It has been a disastrous year. It is a Cabinet full of people who should not have been there. I cannot mention names. The head himself has not been decisive. He has been known not to make decisions in the past and he continues doing so. So I can give the Cabinet 1 out of 10.”
Political analyst Joseph Chunga also said the performance of key ministries has not met people’s expectation.
“On issues of energy, for example, people expected things would improve. But it did not happen. I would be fair if I gave such a ministry two out of 10. And the Ministry of Finance has for a long time been saying the economy is going to improve, but the economy is still struggling. I would give it three or four of of 10,” Chunga said.
Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) Executive Director John Kapito also said he has not been impressed with the performances of the ministries of Health and Agriculture. He said the poorest performer is the Agriculture Ministry, giving it one out of 10.
“But I can give the whole cabinet 4 out of 10. It has not lived up to people’s expectations. They are taking this country backwards,” Kapito said. He has advised Mutharika to be quick in making decisions that would make his government tick. “He has two and half years to go. His government is not performing. He lacks decisiveness. Why is he sticking to certain ministers who are not performing? He is very slow in dealing with problems,” Kapito said.
He has, however, proposed the development of key performance indicators which have to be agreed upon to avoid subjectivity in the assessment of the Cabinet.
National Secretary for Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, Martin Chiphwanya, has said the failure by Mutharika to act decisively on some issues has raised questions about his leadership style.
“He has not come out clearly to provide strategic direction where it matters most. Generally, these have been missed opportunities for him to cement his authority and spell out his government’s agenda.
In a bid to find answers, the public has been forced to speculate greatly as to whether he is in full control or not. This is an area that the president needs to seriously reflect upon and consider doing things differently going forward. He needs to inspire the nation by translating words into action,” Chiphwanya said.
He has, however, said Vice President Saulos Chilima has proven to be a true professional, ready to be the face of change in the way government business is run. Chiphwanya said while appreciating the fact that the country is passing through turbulent economic times, the majority of the ministers have done very little to help fix the country.
“Many of them have not offered any hope to a nation in dire straits. Almost each and every ministry is rocked in a scandal of some kind. There is need for our ministers to rise above mere political patronage and start working in the best interest of the people of Malawi.
They need to focus on national building and not just mere politicking. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the entire Cabinet at 4,” he said.
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