Bingu’s cabinet: 2014 succession master plan
Commentators have described the new cabinet appointed by President Bingu wa Mutharika as a political master plan aimed at consolidating his grip to power and preparing his brother Peter Arthur Mutharika for succession in 2014 if he fails to secure a third term of office.
In keeping with the true Bingu, full of intrigue and surprise the President on Wednesday unveiled the cabinet that has witnessed crushing out of senior colleagues in the NGC.
Henry Mussa the treasure general of the party, Henry Phoya the legal affairs director of the party who only last week was boasting as the longest serving minister of constitutional affairs, Davis Katsonga campaign director and heir apparent, Dr. Ken Lipenga the professional communications man; the maverick Symon Vuwa Kaunda, desertees of MCP Ted Kalebe and Bintoni Kutsaira, upstart homeboys Charles Mchacha and Roy Commsy; the Nyasa political gurus Henry Mumba, Mwerekete Kalua and Frank Mwenefumbo; and not forgetting the Kabula hill giant Rashid Gaffar.
These casualties were last week during an international football match upbeat about their automatic inclusion into the cabinet based on their contribution to the party in the name of financial, material and moral.
“We’re Bingu’s blue eyed boys, nothing can happen without us and there is no way we can be left out in the next cabinet,” charged one lawyer casualty from a rural constituency in Blantyre.
Phoya was on TVM boasting to have been the most efficient minister to have served longest in the same capacity.
Vuwa-Kaunda was also boasting at the High Court on Tuesday that he is rushing to Lilongwe to collect his ministerial limousine because he had been tipped that he is included in the new cabinet.
The cabinet appointment has seen Malawi’s star performer finance minister Goodall Gondwe demoted to the local government ministry sacrificed for late dictator Kamuzu Banda’s nephew Ken Kandodo.
The unexpected departure from the finance ministry of Gondwe has sent the country into panic mode because the successor is a novice in a trade that requires long experience and international connections which Gondwe had as former World Bank employee.
Kandodo on the other hand is a qualified young man but without international finance experience. Most people in Blantyre remember him as comrade to the underworld as evidenced by the loss of classy Mercedes company car to a money shark Rodgers Mwitha.
Probably he is now grown out of it, like all life experiences he may use the past to guide him into the future.
The movement of Dr George Chaponda to the education ministry is another surprise because Chaponda has spent a large cut of his life in refugee camps as an employee of UNHCR.
Conspicuously missing are the several individuals who registered new love for the DPP strategically timed to be considered into the new cabinet.
They include, former vice president Cassim Chilumpha, Uladi Mussa, Yusuf Matumula, Dr. Cornelius Mwalwanda, fired MCP publicist Ishmael Chafukira, former MBC employer Jolly Kalero, Dr. Paul Shaba, Dr. Allan Chiyembekeza, Rev. Ngwira, UDF’s Henry Shaba, Nicholas Dausi among several others.
Also left out are PhD holders Donton Mkandawire, David Mphande, Maggie Kalirani and Bofomo Nyirenda.
The President has not given any ministerial position to the vice president Joyce Banda despite the Head of State grabbing the portfolio of minister of agriculture.
The cabinet has also shut out hopes completely of former desertees of UDF from regrouping in readiness for 2014.
Tagged with: 2014 elections, Bingu, Cabinet, Peter Mutharika
I hoped that Goodall will maintain his position since he was right at the heart of socio-economic devpt and was so adept about where the country shd go.Anyway, I hope he will do a good jo in Local Govt since it’s also a ministry that will help us develop the rural which pulls down our points on Human Development Index (HDI. I LITERALLY HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN KANDODO. If we were given the chance to give votes to these ministers, I would have given Kandodo a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE.
What CV does Kandodo have to show us his achievements (potential. I can hardly trust him with my tax.
MPs You need to use your heads, otherwise the public will look at you as puppets.Please this is your time to voice your sadness Voterani Henry Phoya pa u Speaker, he is a lawyer by Proffessional,renowned Justice Minister for 15 years. Very much respected in the society, Show us and the president that you can also speak, we showed you our voice now that president has started undermining us we want you to speak.we now demand that you should speak against Bingu by Putting Phoya and Mussa on Speakers positions.
one of the visions of bingu is to have a bank a school n all sorts in all trading centres which i believe (correct me if am wrong) is under local government. he has entrusted that to his bightest guy (goodall) if u look at it critically its not a demotion after all. we want ptcz in our trading centres banks good entertainment facitlities osati akati ku ka shopa koma ku shoprite ku blantyre.
Leave Bingu alone kodi maofesi muzingokhala okhaokha akale wot abt achinyamatafe
kandodo woyeeeeeeeeeeeeee mwina akufuna osolora bwino ngati kandodo
Hon Gondwe to head local government is a very good move. however lets be very careful with this ken Kandodo guy. Bingu should not hesitate to fire him if he is not efficient enough, it doesn’t matter if he is late Bandas nephew.
this man is has a serious inferiority complex, a man scared of his own shadow…2014 sikale.utipeza!youve goofed maximum…anzanga,how can one rise from a hostel attendant at college of medicine and wake up the next morning a govt minister!this widower wants to be surrounded by boot licking yes bwanas!mutipeza pansi pano!
time for succession grooming is gone. one has to prove and compete at a convention. let our parties not to belong to the founders. why dont we learn from other advanced countries
Malawi woyeee!
my heartfelt congratulations to all new cabinet appointees.
but to the president, i say the cabinet is bloated if you compare it to our economy.do we really need 40 ministers plus for this govt to deliver.i dont think so.a lean cabinet means having 20 ministers perform the tasks of 20 and not having 40 ministers perform the duties of 20 or viceversa.with all due respect to the president,i think he would have done better by appointing a sizeable cabinet of say,20-25 ministers.and by the way,why not combine some ministerial portfolios with similar or related functions for purposes of costeffectiveness.and for heavens sake, why reshuffle or leave out some ministers with proven track record in both their professional and work career?is it all about presidential prerogative?otherwise,wish this govt the best of luck.
unless God builds the house builders labour in vain.psalm 127;1 ‘If the cabinet was chosen without the DIVINE intervention, it will terribly fail. Please politicians walk the talk the lord sees you.Try to be fair. Bitterness doesn’t solve problems.