Following the changes to the Cabinet on Wednesday, NGO- Gender Coordination Network (GCN) says with about 35 percent of women in the newly reconstituted Cabinet, the appointing authority President Lazarus Chakwera could’ve done better.
The new Cabinet has 31 members from the previous 27 with seven Deputy Ministers from four and has seen two casualties in former Defense Minister Harry Mkandawire and UTM legislator and former Deputy Minister Nancy Chaola Mdoko.
The new 31 member Cabinet has 23 Ministers and seven deputies comprising eight women as Ministers and four deputies.
Chairperson for NGO-GCN Maggie Kathewera Banda expressed concern with the composition of women arguing that the Gender Equality Act advocates for a 60-40 percent of men and women representation in leadership positions.
“The representation of women has Iowered a bit, it’s about 35 percent which is not according to the Malawi Gender Equality Act; so it’s a bit disappointing though they’re still women there but I think it’s now what we had expected.
“And actually for me I’m saying all the time that the 40-60 quotas they can actually be the other way round, because it says in every public appointments, there should not be more than 60 percent and not less than 40 percent of either sex”
Public Affairs Committee (PAC) Spokesperson Bishop Gilford Matonga says the President has acted contrally to their request made during one of their meetings on the need to dissolve the Cabinet and replace old members with new blood to propel development in order to serve the aspirations of the public.
He also criticized President Chakwera for not living to his campaign promise of a lean Cabinet noting the current one doesn’t make economic sense.
“He’s done Cabinet reshuffle which is commendable in one way or another; but the challenge that Public Affairs Committee has is that there hasn’t been a lot of change in the Cabinet appointed. So in his current Cabinet that has been appointed, we still have Ministers who we haven’t heard in the past years what their achievements have been in their Ministries.
“So the agenda of transforming this country seems to be derailed and the Cabinet appointed doesn’t make economic sense because the numbers of Ministers continue to increase. It may make more of political sense in the sense of appeasement of certain individuals but it doesn’t really make economic sense per se”
Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) Lilongwe East Member of Parliament Ezekiel Ching’oma and the Party’s Spokesperson Dr. Jessie Kabwira are some of the notable new faces.
Ching’oma takes over the portfolio of Homeland Security from former Minister Zikhale Ng’oma who has now moved to Mining while Kabwira heads the newly created Ministry of Higher Education.
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s Joyce Chitsulo from Mwanza west has been appointed Deputy Minister of Local Government Culture and Unity.
Lilongwe South parliamentarian Peter Dimba is now Deputy Minister of Transport and Public Works while former Zomba central lawmaker Patricia Nangozo Kainga is Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
About the Author
A journalist with over 10 years all round media experience in Television, print, radio, and online platforms with a particular interest in health and climate change reporting. I love writing stories on vulnerable and marginalized societies to bring about the necessary change in their lives. Loves traveling, reading news related articles and listening to all genres of music.
emailg79@gmail.com