Chilima shares progress on Malawi reforms implementation

Contrary to recent observations that the steam on public service reforms was simmering down, it has transpired that much more reforms have taken place in most sectors across the public service.

Chilima:Reforms will not fail
Chilima:Reforms will not fail
Chief Secretary George Mkondiwa left Chilima centre and Information PS Justin Saidi
Chief Secretary George Mkondiwa left Chilima centre and Information PS Justin Saidi

Addressing a news conference on Wednesday at Capital Hill in Lilongwe, Vice President Saulos Chilima, who is also chair of the Public Service Reforms Commission, highlighted what has been achieved so far and what the g government intends to achieve on public service reforms.

These included the approval by President Peter Mutharika to start implementing reforms in parastatals to make them more viable and contribute effectively to the socio economic development of the country.

Chilima said to ensure that the reform areas which the parastatals themselves identified to make their organisations improve performance, the first step will be to finalise the State Corporation Policy whose absence led to conflicts in mandates of some parastatals.

In the same vein, Chilima said a number of bills including the one on Public Service Appointment will be taken to parliament so that reforms that require legal backing are clearly documented and legalised.

He cited the President’s acceptance to relinquish some of his appointment powers, saying once the bill is passed it will mean that people, like Principal Secretaries, will now be going through a recruitment and interview process.

Chilima disclosed that currently there are 41 Principal Secretaries apart from other Heads of Government Institutions.

He said some Principal Secretaries have retired, some are yet to retire and others have been redeployed.

“In particular, these efforts have seen some ministries which had two or three PS’s now having one. For Instance, Secretary to the Vice President is also Secretary and Commissioner for Department of Disaster Management Affairs. The right sizing process will continue until the intended reform purpose is achieved,” Chilima explained.

Chilima emphasized that the reforms will not fail because the current administration wants the civil service to be effective and modern in running its affairs.

The Vice President bemoaned lack of financial resources in the civil service commission, a problem that persists in every sector of Malawi life.

“These reforms require a hefty financial budget. I am pleased to inform you that we have had a number of meetings with Development Partners who are supporting the reforms,” Chilima stated.

He pointed out Approval of reforms in Parastatals, Decentralisation of Passport printing at the department of Immigration, Decentralisation of Teachers’ salaries, turning Green Belt Initiative into a Holdings Limited Company, Fertilizer Subsidy Programme, Parliamentary Committee on Public Service Reforms and IFMIS Enhancement Upgrade among others as some of the reforms currently taking place.

On teachers, Chilima said the decentralisation of salary payment has made it possible for teachers to receive their pay in time and that soon they will be paid at district level.

“We may even go further to pay them right in their homes through the use of modern technologies like mobile money,” he said.

As another reform success, Chilima also cited the decentralisation of passport printing to Lilongwe and Mzuzu as feat that has helped Malawians to stop travelling long to access passports in Blantyre.

Soon, he said, services of Immigration, Lands, Tax, Business Registration and others will be found in Post Offices in what will be known as service centres.

The Vice President also announced that there will be a commission which will be taking care of national development plans to ensure continuity if there is change of administration.

Chilima also commended the Malawi media for publishing positive stories on reforms saying, “On numerous occasions the media has carried out positive stories about reforms on front page and on the same goodwill they have criticized responsibly. The media is a legitimate stakeholder in reforms hence it will be consulted just like any other stakeholders.”

Meanwhile, President Mutharika has extended to June 2016 the tenure of the commission to give it more time to carry out its duties.

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Ozisata
Ozisata
8 years ago

A malawi nsanje.

Bob
Bob
8 years ago

These reforms are nothing but a sharm. Retirement age must be reduced to 55 so that the many loafing educated youths get employed. Meanwhile there are a lot of over 60 year-old civil servants still working.

Nathan
8 years ago

Ki! Ki! Ki! Iwe ndiye President wa Airtel di! Kupangitsa Press Confrence basi zonena zake kukhala zimenezi! Eti progress on reforms, za ziiii! Kungotha thawi ndi ndalama za boma apa!

We need change
We need change
8 years ago

Si Airtel iyi.Talk is cheap.Malawians needs action.A mere vocabulary of reform will not change things in Malawi mukupapila chigubu cha sobo ndi anzanu a Mr Goodall Gondwe ndi Mutharika.

Kasupe
Kasupe
8 years ago

Reform iyambile VP Ka seatingko kutali kana. Press conference Imodzi koma kukhala three metres apart. Waste of space and resources.

Genuine reforms speak for themselves.

Zagwa
Zagwa
8 years ago

Bwana mukungodzipakapakatu apa! You mean progress on Long-term activities in RTD and Immigration Dept are part of your reforms as well? Ndayamba kukaika nawo! You said your commission would look at why the previous reform initiatives failed but now you want to already start claiming false mileage? Ndakhumudwa nanu ankolo! Ena adati safunsa adadya phula, anzawo nkutsimikizila a kuti nzeru za yekha adanyika nsima mmadzi..,,,tizionela limodzi, bola moyo.

Prosper Chabvuta
Prosper Chabvuta
8 years ago

Change is quite a challenging undertaking in all spheres of life. First you need to change individuals, then groups, then the organisation/ country as a whole. From the look of things most Malawians believe, and rightly so, that they have been taken for a BIG ride on many occasions in the past, so why believe in Peter and Saulos. They are hungry for results there and there, which is near impossible. Mr VP you are doing a commendable job with your Administration, and in all fairness any objective observer should only start judging seriously your Administration’s performance in your second… Read more »

Professor Chipsenthe wa Mavuzi
Professor Chipsenthe wa Mavuzi
8 years ago

Reorganization and not reforms. Mulhakholization at work. When is National Water Resources Authority being operationalized? Rampant water resources degradation requiring immediate intervention

botomani
botomani
8 years ago

Ma reforms mpakana into your second year!! Iam afraid this is just a mere chilima rhetoric pretending as if he working.

John
John
8 years ago

HOW CAN YOU TALK OF REFORMING PARASTAATALS WHEN SOME OF THEM DONT EVEN HAVE BOARDS IN PLACE! WHO WILL CHAMPION THESE REFORMS? CAN MANAGEMENT DO REFORMS ON THEIR OWN WIHOUT BOARDS? DONT ASK ME WHICH BOARDS, JUST DO YOUR HOME WORK, YOU WILL FIND THEM!

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