The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has outdone itself. In a leaked “proposed cabinet” list making rounds ahead of the Tuesday elections, the party has not only confirmed its addiction to recycling tainted figures, but has also proudly paraded what can only be described as a “Cabinet of Suspects”.
This is not hyperbole. Norman “Pythius Hiwa” Chisale, still facing court battles ranging from attempted murder to fraud, is penciled in as Minister of State in the Office of the President while his colleague Peter Mukhito, who presided over some of Malawi’s darkest days of police brutality, is tipped for Homeland Security.
Joseph Mwanamvekha, whose reckless tenure at Finance left the economy in tatters, is marked for a comeback. Chimwemwe Chipungu, dogged by procurement scandals after he sold himself a high-end official government Toyota Prado at MK200,000.00, is positioned to lead Health. Ben Phiri, synonymous with nepotism and patronage, is earmarked for Local Government.
And then there is Gertrude Mutharika, the former First Lady, tipped to return as Minister of Gender. Her appointment would blur the line between state governance and bedroom business, with whispers already circulating that she is being groomed to run the country by proxy for her visibly frail and sick 86-year-old husband.
This lineup is not a vision for national progress. It is a rogues’ gallery of individuals whose names are etched in corruption reports, court charge sheets, and the collective memory of a nation weary of theft, violence, and betrayal.
These are the same individuals accused of looting state coffers, terrorizing opponents, and sabotaging reforms and are now being repackaged for 2025 as “cabinet material.”
The regional tilt of the list only deepens the wound. With heavy representation from the Lhomwe Belt and virtually no credible inclusion of Central or Northern leaders, the DPP seems intent on reducing Malawi to a personal fiefdom rather than a national project.
Now Enoch Chihana, the DPP’s poster boy for the north, has instead of allocated the second vice presidency as agreed in the party’s alliance pact with the north, he has been earmarked for the Ministry of Government Reforms.
This is betrayal. Betrayal of the South’s loyal voters, who endured violence and poverty while elites enriched themselves, betrayal of the Central and Northern regions, treated as second-class citizens in cabinet formation. And betrayal of Malawi itself, a nation yearning for renewal but offered instead a cabinet of suspects and shadows.
A Warning to Voters
We go to the polls on Tuesday. This leaked list is more than an embarrassment; it is a warning. A second DPP government would not mean stability or progress, it would mean the return of the very people who left the country crippled, divided, and humiliated.
In a democracy, cabinet positions should inspire trust. Ministers should be national servants. Yet in the DPP’s proposal, they look more like defendants in waiting.
The choice before voters could not be more obvious. A government struggling but striving for accountability, or a comeback project for a party so intoxicated by impunity that it cannot even pretend to change.
History is watching. And Malawians, once again, must decide whether they want their government run by leaders or suspects.
