‘No Comment’: Saidi avoids Ansah cabinet-blocking claims

Chief Secretary to Government Justin Saidi has remained tight-lipped over allegations that he is behind the blocking of Vice-President Jane Ansah from attending Cabinet meetings, instead opting to stick to scripted official remarks when he addressed the public on Tuesday.

Rather than responding to the mounting claims – which have followed VP Ansah’s own public comments about being sidelined within government – Saidi used the occasion to stress the need for government bodies and other stakeholders to always work together in implementing policies aimed at transforming the country.

Speaking in Lilongwe during a high-level validation meeting on the review of the National Intellectual Property Policy, Saidi said such collaboration was crucial in addressing gaps in policy implementation.

He expressed hope that the review of the National Intellectual Property Policy would help players at different levels fully benefit from innovation and various products emerging from it.

Chairperson for the Companies Registration and Intellectual Property Centre (CRIPS), Professor MacPherson Mallewa, said contributions made during the process would be incorporated into the draft policy to complete the review.

The review of the policy brought together various stakeholders in Lilongwe, ahead of Tuesday’s high-level validation meeting.

Saidi’s silence on the Ansah allegations is likely to fuel further speculation, after the Vice-President revealed she had written to him three times over what she described as “some happenings” within her office, without receiving a response.

When approached previously for comment on the matter, Saidi offered only a “no comment.”