Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06LILONGWE953
2006-11-02 13:19:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Lilongwe
Cable title:  

BINGU DUMPS TWO TOP MINISTERS

Tags:  PGOV KDEM MI 
pdf how-to read a cable
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000953 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR AF/S KAMANA MATHUR
STATE FOR INR/AA RITA BYRNES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM MI
SUBJECT: BINGU DUMPS TWO TOP MINISTERS


LILONGWE 00000953 001.2 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000953

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR AF/S KAMANA MATHUR
STATE FOR INR/AA RITA BYRNES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM MI
SUBJECT: BINGU DUMPS TWO TOP MINISTERS


LILONGWE 00000953 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) Summary: President Mutharika fired the Ministers of
Agriculture and Economic Planning and Development on October
26, primarily for political reasons. Mutharika has taken
over as minister of both portfolios for the time being. The
dismissals come as Malawi's political class begins to look
forward to the 2009 general election, and serve as a warning
shot to those considering challenging the president inside or
outside his party. The firings have also created leadership
vacancies in two more key public offices, further increasing
the number of top-level posts that remain unfilled. End
Summary.

The End of the Road
--------------


2. (SBU) Malawi's national radio announced the dismissal of
Minister of Agriculture Uladi Mussa and Minister of Economic
Planning and Development David Faiti on the evening of
October 26. Though the president gave no official reason for
the move, according to Embassy sources Mussa was fired both
for his political machinations and professional incompetence.
Mussa had quietly begun campaigning to be the party nominee
for president in 2009 (a position Mutharika had already
announced he seeks to fill),and had bungled the importation
of this year's fertilizer subsidy. While the second mistake
might have been a pardonable offence, challenging the sitting
President was certainly not, and Mussa was removed from
office. For his part, Faiti's dismissal appears to have been
purely political, as he was punished for working with a
former Mutharika ally who is now an opposition leader.

A Political Loss
--------------


3. (SBU) The firing of Mussa, who also is Vice-President of
Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and had been a
leading advisor to the president, came as a surprise. A
Muslim from the Central region, Mussa had been considered a
possible running mate for Mutharika in 2009 due to his
religion and regional ties (Mutharika is a Christian from
Southern Malawi). Mussa is one of the country's top Chichewa
orators, and had been considered an excellent political asset
for the party. While Lilongwe is rife with rumors over the
reasons for Mussa's demise, it seems clear that his political
ambitions outstripped his usefulness to the administration.



4. (SBU) Faiti's dismissal was less surprising, as he was one
of the few cabinet members never to join Mutharika's
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),having become an
independent after the party that sponsored him into office,
the Republican Party (RP),dissolved last year. Faiti was
rumored to have recently been in contact with RP founder
Gwanda Chakuamba, a former Mutharika ally and cabinet
minister who fell out with the president last year and became
a fierce critic. Chakuamba had been the main power behind
Faiti's election as an MP, campaigning heavily for him in

2004. With an eye towards 2009, Faiti now seems sure to join
Chakuamba's New Republican Party with the hope of retaining
his seat in parliament.


Comment
--------------


5. (SBU) Mussa's dismissal could turn out to be a significant
blow to the party, as he had been heavily involved in
building the DPP itself. Mussa had been the key organizer of
a by-election campaign, and had put the DPP in a good
position to win its first election in the central region.
However, if he goes on to leave the party (he is still
officially the DPP Vice-President),the opposition Malawi
Congress Party should easily retain the seat. This would be
a significant psychological blow to the DPP, which is trying
to establish itself as a national (not just regional) party.


6. (SBU) However, Faiti's dismissal could prove to be more
important to the running of the government. Mussa had been
largely a figure head for the Ministry of Agriculture, and
has a fairly competent Deputy Minister and Principal
Secretary who will continue to run the everyday operations of

SIPDIS
the Ministry. Faiti, however, was a major player in the
GOM's Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program, and had
been involved with the crafting of the program from the
beginning. While the Minister of Finance has also been
involved with the MCA program, the GOM will need to quickly

LILONGWE 00000953 002.2 OF 002


fill Faiti's position in order to maintain the momentum it
has built up thus far.


7. (SBU) The firings are the latest example of Mutharika's
tendency to dismiss ministers and senior officials almost on
a whim, without much apparent concern for who might replace
them or the potential impact on programs. In July the
president hastily fired the GOM's two top prosecutors,
effectively hamstringing Malawi's anti-corruption enforcement
efforts, and has not replaced them. He has repeatedly
transferred experienced senior civil servants without regard
for the disruption to programs they administer. He has
dismissed the governing boards of several parastatals and
constitutional bodies, and has left the positions unfilled
for lengthy periods. Perhaps most troubling for Malawi's
democracy, Mutharika dissolved local assemblies in 2005 ahead
of scheduled local government elections, but then postponed
the poll due to a food crisis and has since dragged his feet
in organizing the elections.


8. (SBU) This pattern of decision making is based on
short-sighted political advice from self-interested advisors
close to the president, as well as his own distrust of his
subordinates. It is further evidence of an autocratic streak
which renders decisions that reduce the effectiveness of
government and, ironically, slow the positive and worthwhile
reforms that Mutharika is trying to achieve.
EASTHAM