August 18 demo organizers cancel protests
Amid doubts about the effectiveness of the recent string of nationwide protests by various sections of the society, organizers of the August 18, 2022, nationwide demonstrations have announced the indefinite postponement of their protests.
Action Against Impunity (API), a grouping of civil society activists and concerned citizens, was scheduled to plough the streets of the country’s cities and major towns in what they christened ‘Chakwera Alandire Chikalata’ peaceful demonstrations.
API executive member and leader of the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) Sylvester Namiwa told journalists in Lilongwe on Wednesday that the postponement of the demo was necessitated because President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera was not in office.
President Chakwera is currently attending the 42nd Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government Summit currently under way in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Namiwa said API want to hand deliver the petition to President Chakwera and that proceeding with the demonstrations in his absence would not make sense.
“All stakeholders are, therefore, notified that fresh dates for the peaceful demonstrations will be announced once the President returns from his trip.
“Meanwhile, API hereby reminds all political and public officers that they are in the positions they hold on trust of the masses, hence, they should behave and act accordingly, and always desist from any temptation of taking Malawians for granted,” he said.
But Malawi’s most revered and longest serving Governance and Human Rights Activist, Undule Mwakasungula has doubted the effectiveness of the protests in achieving their goals.
Mwakasungula observed that most of the demonstration organizers are carried away by emotions rather than issues of national importance.
Waste of time. These demos will never yield anything in our beloved country, Malawi under the dynamic leadership of Chakwera even if the petitions can be handed to God in heaven directly by Namiwa believe you me.
Everybody now knows that Namiwa and team are DPP members hiding behind API? If they were in Malawi and are against impunity, why are they silent on all the cases that have heaped up demonstrating DPP’s impunity!! If they were genuine they would be saying government should speed up all the court cases where DPP big fish are answering wanton use of public resources. Apo biiiiiiiii izitu iziiiiiiii, ndikutitu izitu iziiiiii anthu akuoneka tsopano atopa nanu, ndipo akudziwa kuti mukutumidwa, motero kuti kutengela zomwe anthu akulakatula tsopano zinazi muona nazo matsoka kumiseu mukupitaku…….. ndipo musadzati simunauzidweeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Its just emotions. They have no idea of what they wanted to do. They are part of greedy vampires just for the sake of making demos- nonsense
Protest organisers have received bribes hence the cancellations of demonstrations. We understand that they were invited to statehouse where they held discussions with state President. I hope MCP successfully pumped sense into organisers brains and pockets hence indefinite postponement.