MCP opposes ‘illegal’ Malawi public service reform

Malawi Congress Party(MCP)  has attacked government on the launch of the a reform program aimed at boosting the efficacy of public services, claiming government is not following the law in initiating the reforms.

President Peter Mutharika launched the reforms programme on Wednesday in the capital Lilongwe at a ceremony which was also attended by MCP president and leader of opposition Lazarous Chakwera, the Speaker of Parliament and Chief Justice.

MCP spokesperson on financial matters in parliament, Joseph Njobvuyalema Joseph Njobvuyalema, said government is raping the laws in the way the reform process is being carried, warning that the reforms when fully implemented will be “illegal”.

Njobvuyalema said the reforms Commission headed by Vice President Saulos Chilima, “is not mandated by law to do so.”

He said: “Government should have followed the law in formulating the commission as the law stipulates in the constitution.”

The MCP lawmaker advised: “Some laws need to change and if government will continue to neglect the law the reforms will be illegal therefore nonsense.”

Njobvuyalema said government should seek legal mandate from parliament in the whole reform agenda.

But during a launch ceremony held in capital Lilongwe, President Mutharika asserted:  “Reforms will be done, and will be done now.”

Mutharika then publicly signed an operational performance agreement with his ministers to show his commitment to the planned raft of reforms.

The agreement provides clear steps so that the country’s civil service performs at optimal levels, while civil servants are made fully accountable.

“Malawians want change, and this change will be made because we all want change,” said Mutharika.

In June of 2014, Mutharika established the Public Service Reform Commission in line with campaign promises to create a dynamic and efficient public service.

Malawi’s civil service has evolved from a British colonial service that had been a largely independent, non-political and meritocratic administration for governing the state.

But today, the service faces myriad problems, including weak governance structures; an abundance of red tape; poor accountability; low professional standards; waste and corruption; low productivity; redundancy; and a bloated staff structure, according to the reform commission.

Last year, top civil servants were implicated in the pilfering of some $100 million in a public service scandal locally known as “Cashgate.”