Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) in Malawi has called on President Lazarus Chakwera to fill the vacant cabinet positions.

The civil society organisation (CSO) made the call as it noted that the delay in filling the positions was already stoking unnecessary tension and uncertainty in the polity.

Minister of Transport, Mohammed Sidik Mia, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Local Government, Lingson Belekanyama, both died of Covid-19 in January, 2021; while the Minister of Labour, Ken Kandodo, and Attorney General Chikosa Silungwe were fired in April and July, respectively.

‘We can understand the position of Attorney General, [it is] not too long ago, but for these ministerial positions [it is] something else, especially when the president spoke of reviewing his cabinet back in December’, The Nation quoted Chairperson of HRDC, Gift Trapence, as saying.

For his part, a political analyst, Boniface Dulani, described the delay as disappointing.

‘The President should have by now chosen capable people with relevant qualifications to fill these positions’, the lecturer at the University of Malawi said.

‘This used to happen during the administration of Peter Mutharika, and we thought [we are] past this, but here we are, same indecisiveness when it comes to making critical decisions’.

‘The rumours we hear about cracks in the Tonse Alliance may appear real and [there is] just that too much room for speculations. In a situation where no official information is available, it becomes fertile ground for speculations’.

However, the Presidential Press Secretary, Brian Banda, had stated that Chakwera should not be pressured to fill the positions.

‘As to when that will happen, it is his prerogative. The law gives him power to appoint a cabinet at any time’, Banda said.

Source: The Nation

Photo source: Dr Lazarus Chakwera