JB's Cabinet

Earlier last week, Malawi's new president Joyce Banda (affectionately known as JB) made an official announcement of her new cabinet. The first thought that popped into my mind after looking at the list was: "Oh, this surely stinks!" Why? It's again the same faces... Most of them have served as ministers since 1994, when Malawi first became a democratic nation under Bakili Muluzi of UDF. They've then shamelessly jumped from one ruling party to another all in the name of big cash. How does Malawi expect change when the big chairs have always been occupied by the same backsides? There's a good reason why the wise say; you can never teach an old dog new tricks... It'll always go back to the tricks it knows. As much as the hungry feminist in me is head-over-heels in love with JB, as much as I admire her courageous and resilient spirit, I'm beginning to doubt her credibility as a politician. I'm beginning to question her motives in dissenting with the late Bingu's wishes to endorse his blood brother as next president a few years ago. Can anyone smell a little bit of fickleness and power-thirst on our lovely JB? Or is her being a woman putting blind folds on people for them to miss the obvious? Lucius didn't lie in "Ali ndi njira zawo"! Malawi should just become an anarchy...