Fr Tamani slams Bingu on bloated cabinet
By Nyasa Times
Published: June 17, 2009
Chairman of Public Affairs Committee (PAC) Fr Boniface Tamani has condemned President Bingu wa Mutharika for packing 43 people in a bloated cabinet. Tamani said the formation of the new bloated cabinet is not good for the economy of an impoverished state like Malawi.
“The number is too big for economy of ours. We think government will be spending more resources maintaining these cabinet ministers,” said Tamani who mostly defends President Mutharika.
The PAC chairman said Malawi would have welcomed a lean cabinet of about 20 ministers. He said President Mutharika knew the meaning of a lean cabinet but “chooses not to understand [its meaning].”
Fr Tamani said 43 cabinet membership is “too much”.
“For a small economy of ours, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
“We can also look at other countries that have big economy and can manage with lean cabinet,” said the Catholic cleric.
He was speaking Zodiak radio soon after the announcement of the long awaited cabinet since President Mutharika was sworn-in for his last five year term of office on May 22.
A bloated Cabinet would also mean an expanded civil service, whose top officials also enjoy hefty salaries and allowances.
Most Malawians have argued that a 2o to 25-member Cabinet would be ideal, given the budgetary pressure a bloated cabinet would exert on the tax payer.
The surprise appointment in the cabinet was Finance Minister Ken Kandodo replacing Goodall Gondwe who has been applauded by all Malawians including the opposition that he was engine room of the economic recovery.
“We have the same opinion that Goodall Gondwe did a good job and his experience brought a kind of touch which was not there before.
“He was able to speak the language of economics and be able to convince people all over the world. I felt he should have been maintained but of course it is the President who has the prerogative to appoint who to be on what positions,” said Tamani.
The cabinet has 11 women including Vice President Right Hon Joyce Banda, Foreign Minister Dr Etta Banda, Trade and Industry minister Eunice Kazembe, Patricia Kaliati as minister of women and children and Anna Kachikho as tourism and wildlife minister.
Tagged with: Bingu, Cabinet, Fr Boniface Tamani, Godall Gondwe, Ken Kandodo, PAC
Labels: BONIFACE TAMANI, CABINET
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Malawi in maize cirisis –religious body
19 January, 2009 01:45:00
Government’s obduracy that there no maize crisis has been challenged by the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) which has voiced out in a statement that there should demonstration to prove that there is enough maize and ensuring that people have access to the grain.
“There are cases where people are spending days looking for maize at empty Admarc depots thereby enduring much suffering. All this is happening when government is claiming that there are more than enough maize reserves,” pointed out PAC in a statement signed by its Chairman PAC Chairman Boniface Tamani and Publicity Secretary Maurice Munthali.
“Among those affected by maize scarcity are those who cannot find maize because it is unavailable at the Admarc distribution points and again those who cannot afford to buy even if it is available.
“With regard to both cases, government has the responsibility to ensure that people have access to maize by employing effective distribution systems or by providing relief. There is evidence that maize scarcity in some areas of the country is aggravated by hiccups in the distribution systems which government is implementing through Admarc,” said the statement released on Friday.
Institute for Policy Interaction (IPI) executive director Rafiq Hajat concurred with the politically unaligned religious grouping that government should ensure effective maize distribution in Admarc depots and protect traders from buying the grain wholesale.
"It is a known fact that Admarc personnel have a civil service mentality and there managers collude with private traders to buy all the maize. This is being driven by corruption and profiteering without concern for the suffering poor people," said Hajat in an interview with Nyasa Times.
The activist further blamed President Bingu wa Mutharika administration for exporting 400,000 metric tonnes to Zimbabwe without analyzing the local food situation.
"We are brought back to the same question of whether it was logical to sell maize to Zimbabwe without firstly looking at our own situation," said Hajat.
"It is ironic that we are boasting about foot security yet people are dying of hunger, and some are eating roots, leaves and maize husks for survival," IPI boss said.
Government spokesperson Patricia Kaliati maintained there is enough grain at the silos and that the question of food shortage does not arise.
“We have enough maize in our silos and we are releasing it to all Admarc depots. There will be no-one who will die of hunger,” said Kaliati.
Apparently, hunger related deaths are being recorded in the hospitals and The Nation reported that one man died of hunger in Balaka district and there reports that dozens of children continue to suffer malnutrition.
PAC said it is not enough to give such assurances when some people are complaining on the ground.
“Trying to save face and safeguard reputation will not solve the country's problems. There is need for concrete actions to ensure that Admarc is effectively delivering to the people to avoid a much more serious food crisis,” said the religious body.
PAC acknowledged in the statement that issues of food security - at times like these - are usually open to political manipulation and “some statements being made on the matter tends to be sensational”.
Nonetheless, the body says the current food situation calls for urgent action.
Labels: BONIFACE TAMANI, INSTITUTE FOR POLICY INTERACTION (MALAWI), MAIZE, PAC, PATRICIA KALIATI, RAFIQ HAJAT
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