The Maravi Post

OPINION

The Government of Malawi under the administration of President Joyce Banda stands to spend billions of Malawi taxpayers’ hard earned money. This comes in the wake of highly politicized cancellation of contracted local and foreign service civil servants.

President Banda marked her 100th day in office with celebrations over the weekend. She is still enjoying high praise from both local and international players, since that fateful day on April 7, 2012, when she broke the impasse addressing the nation and the world taking control of Malawi's affairs as leader, following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika.

However despite winning the hearts of local Malawians and the international donor community, President Banda's government has been riddled with widespread firings and cancellation of contracts of persons deemed either to have erred in conducting government business during Mutharika's administration, or simply for having been Bingu sympathizer.

The termination of these contracts are coming in despite President Banda's earlier assurances that there will be no recriminations and that people serving in the government should continue working to help rebuild the economy brought to its knees by the previous administration through mismanagement.

A political analyst from the University of Malawi called the termination of these contracts as being both counter-productive and costly the impoverished country that is all hands out to the donor community, begging for assistance to its ailing economy.

"Malawi cannot afford the cost the firings the Government under President Banda is executing," the analyst said.

While the government has the power not to renew contracts – that must have been written in contracts when they were hired – some will surely challenge terminations in court and who knows, they could win. So far Malawi has recalled ambassadors and other staff from South Africa, India, China and the United States.

On the local scene in Malawi, former Clerk of Parliament Matilda Katopola, for over one week, held the country ransom, when she wouldn’t certify the just passed budget for the 2012-2013 financial year. As one government official has said, despite government’s crafty solution to the Katopola saga, it has cough up millions of Malawi Kwacha to pay the former Clerk of Parliament for breach of contract.

The Malawi government is also at loggerheads with the former Ant-Corruption Bureau chief, Alex Nampota.

"We accused the late President Bingu wa Muntharika in mismanaging the economy and misusing Government resources meant to help alleviate the poverty of millions of impoverished Malawians. But we are making the same mistake," the political analyst said.

"Malawi cannot afford the outlay of money's that will be the order of the day if these termination of contracts continue," concluded the analyst.
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©2012 The Maravi Post. Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment.