Ndanga tips Malawi cabinet on communication strategies

United Democratic Front (UDF) publicist Ken Ndanga says the cabinet should always be on top of the game by making sure people are kept abreast of developments in government.

Ndanga’s comments come barely weeks after opposition parties and civil rights groups accused the government of acting in total secrecy when it took a staggering 106 delegation to the UN, New York including some traditional leaders.

“Cabinet is key in making sure that it provides much needed support to the presidency and giving confidence and hope to the public,” says Ndanga.

President Peter Mutharika has a 20 member cabinet that includes the UDF president Atupele Muluzi, the vice president Saulos Chilima and the President himself.

“Communication should be well coordinated and consistent as opposed to disjointed pieces that have the potential to mistrust between the people and the executive,” says Ndanga.

He says a vibrant cabinet eases pressure on the presidency and reduces tension between those who govern and the governed.

Turning to the opposition, Ndanga urged them to move on, to accept that the 2014 elections are long gone and stale.

“The electoral reforms currently underway provide an opportunity for all of us to correct some challenges affecting our way of conducting elections,” says Ndanga.

UDF joined Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in a working relationship where its leader, Atupele Muluzi, is Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.