2 CSO crucial ultimatums on Mutharika expire

President Peter Mutharika faces unspecified action after Friday, November 27 when two crucial civil society organisations issued ultimatums to him expire.

In one of the ultimatums, the civil society groups want the President to step down because they claim he has failed to steer the country out of economic turmoil and that he has been extravagant with public resources citing his 106 entourage to the UN which included his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadres and some chiefs irrelevant to the general assembly.

They also accuse him of being insensitive to the Malawi economic situation and extravagant through the chartering of presidential jets.

Billy Mayaya, one of the CSO leaders who signed the ultimatum told Madziko radio station the CSOs would meet to decide the next course of action if the President fails to respond by Friday.

“I cannot say what we will do, we will have to meet and make a decision,” he told the radio station this week.

Mutharika, who chairs cabinet meetings, also faces another ultimatum, to have the Access Information Bill tabled in parliament by Friday, November 27.

Citizen Alliance, an umbrella body of some of the vocal civil right groups handed down the ultimatum, threatening an unspecified action if the demand was not met.

The alliance says it is tired with lies, contradictions, misinformation and false promises on the bill.

Minister of Information Jappie Mhango, who had assured the nation that the bill would be tabled in parliament said the cabinet had sent it back to the cabinet’s legal committee, claiming there were inconsistencies in the bill, a claim trashed by media watchdog Misa-Malawi chairman Thom Khanje.

And the powerful media owners in Malawi argue that the draft bill was scrutinised carefully by experts and fear the government is bent to doctor it to suit its own agenda as it has done with the communications bill.

Presidential advisor on civil society groups and non government organisations Mabvuto Bamusi on Friday came out fire fighting, urging CSOs and the media to be patient, claiming President Mutharika and his administration want the bill passed in parliament.

He said the government does not want to give Malawians a raw deal.