By Draxon Maloya
The country’s office of president has been advised to stop preaching about ‘Mindset Change’ if it feels cannot develop confidence in the locals who have the potential to assist on a number of pertinent issues rocking the nation.
Human Rights body, Youth and Society (YAS) made a heavy condemnation on the president’s decision to hire a United Kingdom based Tony Blair Institute (TBI) to play an advisory role to the presidency on matters of governance.
Speaking during a briefing in Mzuzu on Wednesday, YAS Executive Director, Charles Kajoloweka said matters of the presidency and how it governs is an issue of public interest as it runs the affairs of the state mainly bordering on the area of quality of leadership and public resources.
“Civil Societies have the duty to protect the integrity of the office of the office of president, so considering the proximity to the presidency and TBI joining the advisory team of presidential advisors leave slot of questions to be answered.
“YAS is deeply shocked with the hiring of a UK firm to work very close to the presidency, it’s a waste of public resources apart from a clear manifestation of a vote of no confidence in the leadership itself, Malawians wants a working leadership and not a consultancy,” Kajoloweka sais.
Chipping in on the same issue, YAS project managers Dalitso Magelegele and Mwandida Theu reminded Malawians about the Tony Blair Institute who failed Malawians when they were overseers of the infamous cashgate during president Joyce Banda’s tenure of office.
“TBI failed Malawians and run away when the country was hit by that massive plunder of financial resources during that infamous massive cashgate when Joyce Banda was ruling the country and also it is not long ago when people in the country were demonstrating against Jane Ansah’s led Malawi Electoral Commission hiring of South African lawyers in the landmark elections case.
YAS further said the hiring of TBI defeats the current whole purpose of the current Public Sector Reforms championed by a capable state Vice president, Saulos Chilima and his Ministry of Economic Planning and Public Sector Reforms which is also strengthening the presidency delivery.
On this point the Civil Rights body stressed that hiring of Consultancy is a declaration of mediocrity as Malawi cannot be a playing field for the western players who can by far be outweighed by several local consultancy Institutes.
While the government’s spokesperson, Gospel Kazako is playing hide and seek to divulge more information on the matter, one of the country’s renowned social commentator, Onjezani Kenani observed that TBI is only coming to Malawi to harvest poor people’s taxes.
According to TBI post on their website, their project will among others seek to strengthen connections with some key ministries and agencies in Malawi.