As the country sinks deeper into economic crisis, President Lazarus Chakwera has decided to stand up and act.
Since he came to power almost five years ago, people have been criticising the big man for his lack of action.
He often lays back, watching the plastic melt. But this time, he has decided to quietly dismiss the head of the Reserve Bank of Malawi and reshuffle his Cabinet – something we have been waiting for an eternity.
Still, others believe that the big man’s decisions will not go far in rescuing this country from the jaws of death.
One of the reasons we fail as a country is that those in top leadership do not demand accountability from those they entrust with responsibility.
This is often the case in the public sector, where politics rules the day. Public appointments are mostly political and the appointees often lack a sense of responsibility.
Perhaps there are ways in which they please the appointing authority, but the public rarely benefits from people who have been appointed into positions by politicians.
Unfortunately, our state is run in this manner and that is why we are stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Given the way the economy has deteriorated in the last four years of the Tonse Alliance administration, one would have expected the central bank chief to have been fired or questioned long ago.
We, the laymen who know little about economics, could still sense that our policies were misaligned somewhere, but those who are responsible for overseeing the economy seemed not to see this.
One wonders why the appointing authority has only decided to act in 2025, which may be a little too late, considering the nature of the crisis that is killing our economy.
One wonders to what extent that late change in management could help salvage what remains.
The point is that there is a possibility that the executive decision may be inconsequential given the time that remains before the next election.
For the Tonse Alliance to remain popular, Malawians need to see change in how things have been going in this country.
The problem is that things seem to be getting worse.
On Sunday, January 5, for example, the entire Northern Region was not supplied with any fuel.
The other areas received sporadic supplies that could not make any significant difference. Now, that is something serious and a clear sign that things are not working in this country.
In such an economy, one wonders whether we should have more than 30 ministers doing God knows what.
When the Cabinet is being reshuffled, people expect strategic changes that aim at improving efficiency – including saving our meagre resources.
But that has never been the case with the Chakwera administration. While he has always spoken about a lean Cabinet, the president has never lived up to his words.
We noticed this from his very first Cabinet, where he appointed retirees and couples, something others thought was more for political appeasement than anything else.
The same can be said today, where we have a Cabinet with ministries that could be merged into a leaner Cabinet that saves resources.
Why would we have energy, mining, water and natural resources as separate ministries? How large is our education sector that we need two ministries to oversee it? Yes, we have a Cabinet reshuffle, but for whose benefit?
When you sit back and watch all of this, one cannot help but question the nature of decision-making in our government.
We know that the President has advisors because we are told through the press when he appoints them, but do these people play their role in guiding the guider?
As we approach the elections in 2025, one would expect the ruling party to be on its feet and on top of its game, as any misstep can be costly.
The current regime should understand that people are not happy and it needs to be seen to be working for the welfare of the masses, not for the enjoyment of a few individuals within their fold.
The administration is not doing enough to rescue us from the mess it has created.
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