Aford hails Khwauli sacking
The Alliance for Democracy (Aford) has hailed Malawi President Joyce Banda for sacking Khwauli Msiska as deputy minister of Economic Planning and Development in her Cabinet reshuffle on Monday evening.
Msiska is Aford general secretary and was appointed into Banda’s all-inclusive Cabinet in May last year alongside the party’s national chairperson Enoch Chihana who is Minister of Sports and Youth Development.
In an interview from Liberia on Tuesday, Aford publicity secretary Dan Msowoya said Msiska will now have more time for the party.
He said: “I think this is good for the party because as secretary general, he was not as active as people expected. In general, the party was dormant.”
Monday’s Cabinet reshuffle saw the firing of Agriculture and Food Security minister Professor Peter Mwanza, Irrigation and Water Development minister Richie Muheya and Environment and Climate Change Management minister Jennifer Chilunga.
Also removed were deputy minister for Transport and Public Works Chimango Mughogho and her counterpart at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Augustine Mtendere.
In his reaction to Msowoya’s sentiments that his firing is “good riddance”, Msiska said he did not apply for the job and the President only exercised her prerogative.
On the other hand, Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito commended the President for reducing the Cabinet from 36 to 32.
“In our petition, one of the issues raised was the need to trim the Cabinet. Although we wanted more, government has shown that it listened because the Cabinet should correspond with the austerity measures being undertaken,” said Kapito, a known critic of Banda and her predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika.
And reacting to her removal, Mughogho has applauded her expulsion, saying she will now have more time for her constituency and family.
In his reaction yesterday, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president John Tembo described the revised Cabinet as an improvement in terms of size.
He, however, said the country can do with an even less number of Cabinet ministers and deputies.
