Africa-Press – Malawi. Political analysts have described the resignation of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) publicity secretary Maurice Munthali from the position and that of presidential adviser as a sign that the country’s leadership is failing to fight corruption.
In an interview Wedneday, MCP secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka said, as presidential adviser, Munthali was supposed to play his part in advising President Lazarus Chakwera on the issues he has raised.
In giving up his position as Chakwera’s adviser on national unity, peace and reconciliation, Munthali said persistent reports of corruption and related scandals had pushed him to the decision.
“Despite the great gains we have made so far against some external forces beyond our control, I personally feel that, as a government, we have not provided the type of leadership and/or direction that would meet the hopes of Malawians for better life in the foreseeable future,” Munthali’s letter, addressed to Secretary to the President and Cabinet, reads.
In another letter, on his resignation as MCP spokesperson, Munthali cited similar reasons. He claims that the prevailing circumstances do not sit well with his divine calling as “a man of faith” and the intentions he had when accepting the roles.
While confirming that he had resigned, Munthali refused to comment further on the matter. Political analyst George Phiri has said the resignation depicts how Munthali perceives the future of the party and the Tonse Alliance administration, “which has recently been involved in alleged corruption at political and national levels”.
“The fight against corruption has been debated in all forums in the country but it seems authorities do not fully accept that we have a problem.
“Munthali is not the first person to resign. This means that the Tonse Alliance administration has failed to lead the country in fighting corruption,” Phiri said.
Political communication lecturer at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, Chimwemwe Tsitsi, said Munthali’s resignation should act as a wake-up call for MCP and the alliance to honestly gauge what is there on the ground.
Tsitsi urged the party and Chakwera to find ways of addressing the challenges that are forcing some people out of the alliance. “The leadership should do some research, evaluate style and see what new measures they can take to regain the confidence of Malawians and people that are resigning,” he said.
However, Mkaka said he had not received Munthali’s letter. He was quick to say MCP’s constitution guarantees freedom of association. “If it is true that he has resigned, then he had all the reasons to change things using his position,” Mkaka said.
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