Chakwera to appoint 20 member cabinet
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera has hinted he would appoint a 20 member cabinet or less once voted into power on May 20 and that his party would make it constitutional for the next presidents not to exceed the number on cabinet appointments.
He said this will be a way of saving public money on the executive usually blamed for wastage.
In an interview with Nyasa Times, Chakwera said the current economic problems the country is going through does not warrant a more than 20 member cabinet.
“We will have to save money for programmes benefitting the poor, ordinary people,” he said.
He becomes the first presidential aspirant to make such a declaratiom ahead of next week Tuesday tripartite elections.
Usually the Malawi cabinet balloons between 40 to 50 members including deputy cabinet ministers.
Chakwera said the money saved would be channelled towards improvement of the education and health sectors among others.
He said it was possible to make education in public schools at par with that in private schools.
“It is also possible to make health services delivery at par with those in private hospitals. It is possible to offer the best health services in Malawi than spending money sending our patients to South Africa,” he told Nyasa Times
He promised his administration would set a fixed date for civil servants pay day.
The MCP torch bearer said it is demotivation to always give civil servants their salaries late usually after the end of another month.
Chakwera came in the political limelight in 2009 when he was in the mediation team between the Bingu wa Mutharilka adminstration and the opposition over national budget and section 65.
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