By Vincent Gunde
Social commentator who is also President of the New Liberation Party (NLP) Isaiah Emmanuel Sunganimoyo, has called on President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera to revisit his cabinet selection and reduce the size to a more manageable and economically sustainable number.
On 1st January, 2025 President Chakwera announced to the public the appointment of his 31-member cabinet and this has attracted national criticism particularly from Members of Parliament (MPs) from the MCP who are feeling that they don’t have wisdom to work with Chakwera in his cabinet.
Concerned Members of Parliament representing the districts of Ntchisi, Dedza and Ntcheu have penned President Chakwera registering their collective discontent with the announced cabinet noticing a persistent pattern of regional exclusion.
The MPs say they have been dismayed by the disproportionate allocation of ministerial positions with Lilongwe being accorded a staggering 10 ministerial positions observing that such regional favoritism is not only inequitable but undermines the principles of balanced national representation.
They have taken the issue with the sheer size of the cabinet at a time when the nation is reeling under economic distress saying the maintenance of a bloated cabinet is both unsustainable and insensitive to the plight of ordinary Malawians who demand prudent use of public resources.
The Concerned MPs have called upon President Chakwera to give the matter the urgent attention it deserves demanding a comprehensive review of the cabinet composition with a view to ensuring fair and equitable representation of all regions and a significant reduction in the size.
“Should these legitimate concerns remain unaddressed, we shall be left with no option but to withdraw our participation from parliamentary proceedings as a demonstration of our dissatisfaction,” reads the statement in part.
Sunganimoyo has claimed that he has previously criticized the biased selection of cabinet ministers observing that it appears that his concern has been shared by the concerned MCP MPs saying Malawi comprises 28 districts urging President Chakwera to reconsider the current composition of his cabinet and to ensure that it has equitable representation.
He said the bloated cabinet size is not economically viable questioning whether President Chakwera’s advisors are providing prudent counsel or their advice is being heeded reminding President Chakwera that the people of central Malawi, members of the NLP and the MCP their trust and confidence in his leadership are waning.
“I feel that the current grievance structure may have far reaching consequencies for the nation,” reads Sunganimoyo’s letter to President Chakwera in part.
