Emily Mkamanga

Governing by contradictions: An indication of failure

 

It does not take much for people to lose trust and confidence in their government. This is more especially when the government deliberately fails to make decisions and instead leaves people in suspense. If the government is fond of producing statements which are withdrawn immediately after, it means its decisions cannot be relied upon. The government’s stand remains obscure making people wonder if at all it has any policy or agenda to follow. The most recent example in Malawi is the decision by President Peter Mutharika’s government not to employ doctors and nurses that the government has spent a lot of money to train. This has received numerous criticisms and the public has been pleading with government to change its decision. In fact the decision contradicts the policy of having home grown doctors and nurses in order to correct the shortage of such personnel. Does it make any sense in training such scarce source for other countries? If this is all about the Reforms that the DPP led government has introduced, then it is definitely going in the wrong direction.

Talking about contradictions one needs to look at the State President’s speech as he opened the 46th session of Parliament. In his concluding remarks, the President said that all what is needed in Malawi is the unity of purpose for people to work together to implement the national agenda. While this sounds good, the question is, which people does the President have in mind that can unite and deliver the national agenda? His appeal is contradictory to his usual belief. On several occasions the President and other DPP leaders have been saying that Malawians should not listen to the opposition parties or any other persons outside the DPP circles because such people have nothing to offer to this country, so they say. So, if the government is not prepared to listen to anyone else, then how can there be unity of purpose that the President is calling for?

Another national issue which has received so much contradiction is the tabling of the Access to Information Bill. For a long time, journalists and other interested parties have been pressurising government for this bill. When President Peter Mutharika came into power, he promised to make it one of his priorities. Surprisingly, 18 months later people are still singing the same Access to Information song. Meanwhile, before the current sitting of Parliament, both leader of the House Hon Francis Kasaila and the Minister of Information, Tourism and Civic Education Hon Jappie Mhango said that the bill was still being refined, therefore, will not be tables right now. However, the President in his speech to Parliament assured Malawians that the bill will indeed see the light of the day as it will be tabled. With such level of contradictions between the President and his cabinet ministers, then who is saying the truth or does it mean that the President makes decisions without consulting his cabinet? It is so pathetic when Hon Jappie Mhango seems to be struggling to come up with a convincing answer as government spokesperson. May be this is because he cannot predict the President’s stand. It can be said that if the President prefer making unilateral decisions and in the process contradicts his ministers then some people would be forced to think that there is a looming dictatorship. One can only hope that the situation will not get up to that level.

The contradictions stated here are just a tip of the iceberg. Contradictions are a sign of indecision which unfortunately creates flip-flopping style of management. It is in this vein that in some quarters people go as far as saying that President Peter Mutharika is running a failed government. It is contradictions which are an indication of failure. The government should be able to come up with one voice in order to be trusted. n

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