Chakwera picked team with passion for Tonse ideology, ready to deliver Tonse’s vision
The argument by a majority of those faulting the new Cabinet is that the President should not have appointed people from the same families. The most important consideration should not be whether or not they are related. But rather whether they have the requisite credentials for the job? Can they deliver? The people in question so far are—Sidik Mia and his wife—Abida. Others are Ken Kandodo and his sister Khumbize Chiponda. Then yet others are in-laws—Gospel Kazako and Agnes Mkusa- Nkhoma.
In coming up with the Cabinet, the President considered many issues. Some of the issues are the roles people played in the fight for a Malawi for all, gender and regional balance. Who was around when the fight got tense?
On the appointment of people from same families, it looks like Malawians have learnt one or two lessons from former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika. He had his brother—Peter Mutharika—as a Cabinet minister during his second term. Going by academic credentials alone, Peter was well qualified to be in Cabinet. But he failed dismally as minister of foreign affairs and education. Bingu could not control him. At the height of the Academic Freedom saga, Peter disappeared to the US for three months for no known reasons to justify his stay abroad.
I will not talk about Bakili Muluzi who also had both the late George Nga Ntafu and his wife, Elvey, in his Cabinet. Was there any problem?
Some have said it would be difficult for Chakwera to fight corruption with families in the Cabinet. Others have said giving Cabinet positions to relatives is nepotism or cronyism. That it is the same evil we thought Malawi has just done away with. All these arguments have some merit. But there is another perspective to the issue.
A campaign is a fight to move from point A to point B or even C. The campaign to dislodge the former government was the first step towards taking Malawians to the ‘promised land’. Who was in this fight? And who did what? These are people who, as some people have already said, got dirty, risked their lives and jobs. But they were passionate to deliver the issues they promised the people.
With the DPP dislodged, the Tonse Alliance (herein after just called Tonse) is now at point B. But they have not yet arrived in the ‘promised land’ which is point C. Point C includes giving people cheap fertilizer, three meals a day, one million jobs et cetera. What has happened is that on reaching point B, they have acquired the means to enable them to fulfill their manifestos. It makes sense that the two top Tonse leaders—Chakwera and his vice Saulos Chilima—should first look to the same people within the ranks who got dirty with them to get to point B. This is the winning team which kept faith with their leaders. It is the team which has the passion for and believes in the Tonse ideology and is ready to deliver Tonse’s vision. It is the team Tonse has built trust and confidence in. Why change now? Why look elsewhere now?
It is not enough to have a PhD or a string of degrees to be drafted into the Cabinet. If you want recognition and a position in the Cabinet, join the leaders while they are on the rough terrain where it is most scary. This is what I see from the likes of the Mias, Kandodo and his sister. The argument about Kazako and Agnes Mkusa-Nkhoma has no merit.
Nellie Joseph [Kusali Kubwalo] seemed to have red my mind when she wrote on her facebook page on Thursday as we went to press: “We all had no problem when Mrs Mia and her husband were campaigning. Now we have problems with both of them being trusted with portfolios. We all had no problems when people lost their jobs and opportunities for merely associating with the opposition.”
Let us be patient. We should give Chakwera time to prove that his faith in his first Cabinet is a misnomer.
‘Tonse philosophy’ or ‘Tonse ideology ??
What is this ‘Tonse philosophy’ ?
The ‘Tonse’ alliance was cobbled together a few months ago, after the Constitutional Court ruling for fresh presidential election.
There was no ‘Tonse ideology’ before that.
The opposition parties were fighting for their rights, sometimes together, sometimes alone. They each had different ‘ideas’ and manifestos.
So what is this grand ‘Tonse philosophy’ that they have since discovered in these late months?
Please enlighten us.
Kulamula boma chakwera umawona ngati masewera siwe umati matenda a covid kulibe lero Wayamba kulubwalubwa ukuti chiyani tsopano utsegulire ma sukulu pompanopa apobi tikupita ku msewu ma demonstration chifukwa misonkhano yako umati covid kulibe ndiye lero yachoka kuti tikukupatsa mulungu umodzi sukulu itseguliridwe olo upepetse ku mtundu wa a Malawi kuti zimene umayankhula zinali za bodza.
your argument that Bingu appointed Peter does not make sense. These Tonse Alliance promised Malawians that we should get away with family leadership as if they are only one capable. It is therefore surprising just a week in government, they even appoint more families into cabinet. And some Malawians with blind loyalty are clapping hands saying Bingu did it. Malawians are funny people indeed.
Excellent article
Malume mwalemba bwino kwabasi wokumva wamva wosamva timusiye choncho chifukwa nthawi tilibe pano ndithawi yokonza dziko
Zopusa izi. These people have got Chakwera in their pocket. Amalawi siwopusa. The ministerial position is an important bridge between executive and government bureaucracy. Since the days of Bakili it has been reduced to rewarding party favourites. This has been one of the reasons for failed execution, incompetent ministers that have no understanding of the planning and action of the designated bureaucracy. This is how Paladin shoved us for Kayelekera, irrelevant selections eager to receive kickbacks and not getting the job done. Some of this cabinet has potential others are doubtful
Foseki
Not every one can be a cabinet minister. People had to sacrifice every thi9 for the love of Malawi and the party. Some people were busy drinking kachasu and now you make noise foseki. We need people who can help develop Malawi osati the likes of Dausi
Mchacha
Navitcha
Ops people who are honest and mature and educated.
Osati mbuzi like Dausi wa jc
Without prompting, the Tonse Alliance leadership promised no family dynasty. It behoves the mind that some silly people want to defend the behaviour shown by the Tonse leadership of not fulfilling their promises. We voted for them believing they would honour their promises.
Choka cadet iwe unavotera DPP. Wokumva amve. Pano tiri paulendo wochokera ku A kupita ku B ndipo nkhondo yophwanya DPP sunathe ndiye asirikali onse analimba mtima panthawi yomenyera ufulu asasiyidwe chifukwa akufunidwabe. Sikunali kophweka kuchotsa DPP ndi Peter Muthalika m’mboma. Akupanga phokosowa anali kumastandi kuwonerera mpira ndiye pano alufuna kusewera nawo. Zinjatidwe mbava zonse ndiwonse amene amayesa dzikoli ngati bizinesi yawo.
Did you said something on Peter and Bingu? Steve is right! Amenewa ache Mia and the other, they fought a good fight and here they are, musatsegule nazo mmimba izi! Chakwera said, I would choose all of you to be Ministers but the laws down in earth doesn’t allow him to do so! This is the best team! What you can do is just to work hard, work hard, work hard, and work smart!
This guy is a brilliant author. But I started having doubts about him when he joined the corrupt JB regime, defending the indefensible. Here he goes again! This piece suspiciously looks like a job application for a position in the new govt. Look, we all were pissed when the only folks with “merit” APM chose into cabinet positions were mostly from the Lhomwe belt. What Chakwera the Church Mouse has done is simply to replace “Lhomwe” with “Chewa”. And there is almost no merit involved in this whole project, if truth be told. Pray tell, of what use is Roy… Read more »
Roy was part of Tonse Alliance. His mother as head of the party (PP) campaigned tooth and nail and (and everybody was visibly seeing her at every rally) and even himself just like we were seeing Bakili Muluzi helping DPP and UDF Alliance, to make a better Malawi.