Africa-Press – Malawi. In this endeavor, a comparative analysis of president Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and former president Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika’s (APM) styles of leadership is presented. This is followed by the course of action that must be undertaken by the current regime.
Similarities between Chakwera and APM
President Chakwera and his predecessor, Prof. Peter Mutharika are just like siblings from the same family in as far as leadership is concerned. Their managerial and leadership styles leave a lot to be desired. They are both slow and indecisive in making decisions.
Malawians still recall that it took President Chakwera the whole solid year to institute a cabinet reshuffle which he promised to do so within three months.
Similarly, Chakwera and Mutharika took time to fire Kezzie Msukwa and George Chaponda respectively when their cabinet ministers were suspected of being involved in corrupt practices. It is an open secret now that many people take advantage of their poor managerial skills to loot government coffers.
Currently, two former cabinet ministers and state house officials are answering charges of corruption during this Chakwera’s administration. This is just a tip of an iceberg as many Tonse Alliance government officials are amassing unexplained wealth over a short period of time. I would appreciate if the ACB can invoke the Corruption Act so that they explain the mystery behind their wealth accumulation.
Similar corrupt stories were the order of the day during Peter Mutharika’s administration. A mere body guard to APM was able to smuggle cement using the President’s tpin without his knowledge or president’s endorsement. It is mind boggling.
Differences between Chakwera and APM
Despite the aforementioned similarities between these two presidents, two differences are conspicuous. First, president Chakwera has better oratory skills. Second, Peter Mutharika was more action-oriented.
If you ask President Chakwera what he has done practically on the ground within 2 years of his administration, you will simply get a philosophical answer.
Within the same first two years, amid natural floods and the pull out of donor budgetary support, Peter Mutharika’s administration exuded low inflation rates, stable local currency, fuel and forex availability.
In contrast, during Chakwera’s administration, Malawians are hit hard by the economic hardships. The cost of living is drastically soaring largely due to poor economic and monetary policies.
Don’t buy the rhetoric scapegoat that Malawi is experiencing such economic hardships due to effects of COVID 19 pandemic, lower shire floods and Russia-Ukraine war. No!!
Even during these adverse scenarios, it is the duty of the government to prudently allocate scarce resources to the unlimited needs and wants of the citizenry. This is the basic economic management knowledge.
A call for an action is a must now
However, despite all these problems, a call for an action by President Chakwera during an opening ceremony of Agricultural productivity conference on 9th June 2022, was a very promising one. We therefore call upon the Chakwera government to act expeditiously in the following areas: Action speaks louder than words.
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