Fire Cabinet ministers—MCP
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has asked President Peter Mutharika to fire his ministers, arguing their proposal for a pay hike does not reflect a merit-based Cabinet that understands the economic status of the country.
In an interview on Wednesday, MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila said the ministers are “insensitive and extravagant”, as such, they cannot be trusted with the country’s limited resources.
She said their behaviour is not different from People’s Party (PP)-led government which was criticised for abuse of government resources.
“The country needs leaders who can sacrifice for the country and understand people’s sufferings.
“This is why Ken Zikhale Ng’oma said PP and DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] are the same. They both have a habit of milking government,” said Kabwila.
She said ministers are expected to be thinking of how they will help the needy.
“This is the time ministers should be thinking of increasing Fisp [Farm Input Subsidy Programme] beneficiaries. But we are surprised the noise coming from them is about their salaries,” said Kabwila.
When contacted for comment, presidential spokesperson Frederick Ndala said it would be unreasonable to be dragging the office of the President into personal opinions.
Mutharika earlier said he had appointed a merit-based Cabinet that understands the country’s financial situation and will help bail it out of financial problems. He also emphasised on financial prudence and that he will fire anyone involved in mismanagement.
However, few months down the line, ministers and their deputies, through the office of Acting Chief Secretary to Government, Willie Samute, on August 20 this year, drafted seven proposals to be amended, citing several price adjustments of goods and services which have contributed to dwindling of the value of almost all benefits and other official entitlements for ministers and deputy ministers.
The trouble with Kabwila is that she is very pretentious. The ministers still have to do their work and travel and eat and runtheir houses to be ministers and if they are finding it difficult to manage this makes senses to ask for a salary rise instead of stealing like PP!
Working requires that you are healthy and have a full stomach! This is no reason for firing minitsers and in fact it was not all ministers who asked for this hike!
That’s bullshit MK600,000.00 a month is well enough for a Ministerial salary. So why asking for more?
Hahaha what type of work in government.Are they CEOs of multinational companies who have to travel up and down to expand ttheir businesses?
Kabwira more fire.This is not a personal estate.Its a nation of 15million ppl.
Nobody forced them to be politicians or ministers, hello? If yhey are not happy with the current perks, let them resign basi
The proposal by the ministers is unreasonable. If they need 600 %perks adjustment how about civil servants who earn K40,000 a month. Ministers cannot function without the support of civil servants. Their welfare concerns should also apply to civil servants.
Kabwila’s call for firing of Miisters is not misplaced. They Mininisters would not be fired but she is making a point of principle. The Ministers can only serve the President and the nation well if they understand the economic situation prevailing in the country. Their 600% demand is to say the least, unreasonable and an indication of greed. The point is if the raw proposal reflects their collective thinking what sort of advice will they be feeding the President.
Our MPs would like to have good perks like their counterparts in the region or even beyond. The Ministers are not ready to be left behind in this quest for comfort but both the executive and parliamentarians as politicians they are prepared to leave the people they serve in poverty. Is it not called greed. Is it not creating a fertile ground for corruption.
If it is a time for sacrifice to heal the economy let it be practiced at all levels, from the Head of State to a poor villager. If it is lightening the burden let it start from the poor villagers to enable them afford some basics. Stability of our nation will be at stake if this unfortunate trend of only caring for the powerful continues.
While I do not agree with the ministers’ proposal, I find Kabwila’s behaviour unbecoimg and irrational. What have ministers seriously committed befitting them to be fired. How does she explain her trip from Zimbabwe in relation to the question she is raising. Was it not insenstive for her to board the plane which is expensive rather than coming by bus. She could have demostrated that by offering the place to someone who could have paid the place offered and money save could have been used to help the needy. But she did the opposite. Her statement nowadays is a clear hypocrisy. MCP find the spokesperson with sound mind.
KABWILA! KABWILA! KABWILA!
How many times have called u?
udzafa imfa yowawa
Kabwila is useless in malawi politics. Kodi iyeyu ndi MCP yawoyi bwanji sanalankhulepo za proposal ya ma MP yokhuzana ndi za ma salary hike bwa? kodi iyeyu akanakhala mmodzi mwa ndunazi akanayankhula zimenezi? Kabwila vs MCP ndikagulu ka okhala nawo maonekedwe ofuna kuthandiza anthu koma mphamvu yake anaikana kalekele. Malawi beware!
Pple, I knw u don’t like kabwila, bt ths ministers are selfish, monsters, in short devil, Mk3.5 m a month? R thy anly pple who gt prblm in ths poooorest place in ths world? Wee don’t want pple lyk ths to bee minister coz their level is more thn w@ Malawi can offer! Thy mst go n’ work abroad, ths absolutely insanee!
MPs salary hike-MCP/Kabwila kuli ziiii!
Minister salary hike-MCP/Kabwila- noisy
Kabwila/MCP= SELFISH PEOPLE+ tamuonani kabwilayo kukamwa nga chona.
All of you are just Kabwila haters the lady is talking sense here. Apart from that why the president spending MK40,000,000.00 for a presidential Mercedes and yet the masses in the village are suffering?
Ministers Are Stupid Kabwila Stupid!!!!, Mwiniwake Wama Ministers Yo Wakana Kutelo Nde Iye Aziti Awachotse? Shupiti!!!!!!!.
I know most of you here hate Kabwila. However, she’s talking sense. Its filthy selfish and glutonous to propose a 500+ % pay hike while civil servants are being denied a mere 7% increase. Foolish haters kiss your noisy asses!
Kabwila talks sense here,we are tired of these senseless and greedy DPP ministers, they cant even do their work but they are there just eat our tax payers money. Civil servants have been crying for salary hike for so long but they are not even responded,think twice
kabwira mpaseni u minister sazayankhulanso
Why shud ministers claim 500% pay hike? They have not understood the Afrobarometer findings. Pliz ministers wake up. Malawians voted for pluralism for a better society & not to be extravagant. This is too much. CHECK THIS OUT!!!
Jessie “Hyperbole” Kabwila: Try to criticize constructively. Your approach seems to slash and burn every thing that is associated with the current government. Don’t you think firing is overkill in this case? The longer MCP retains you as their spokesperson, the deeper the party’s grave gets; i.e. the more unlikely that party will win in 2019. DPP are just lapping it up!