CSO’s platform back Mutharika’s Global Fund role, quashes Human Rights Defenders Coalition

Barely less than a week after some organisations under the banner of Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) wrote the Global Fund asking it to withdraw the nomination of President  Peter Mutharika over alleged bad domestic track record, another group calling itself Joint Civil Society Platform on Health has also wrote the fund, commending it for appointing the Malawi leader. as a Champion of the Global Fund 6th Replenishment Campaign.

The Platform comprises 11  CSOs namely; Eye of the Child, Youth Empowerment and Civic Education, Professional Women’s Network, Counselling of the Adolescent and Youth Organization, Forum for National Development, Conflict Management and Women Development Affairs, Ufulu Wanga, Youth Appause Organization, Mzuzu Youth Association, Phunzirani Development Organization and Ntchisi Organization for Youth and Development.

The HRDC, in their letter dated July 27 2018 addressed to Global Fund Executive Director Peter Sands, stated that Mutharika presides over an administration rocked by corruption scandals.

They argue that President Mutharika lacks the requisite moral standing to assume that role as it will require him to lead efforts in soliciting funding pledges.

The CSOs, in their letter, said the Global Fund errored in their appointment of Mutharika, arguing it was made without due diligence and in total disregard of Mutharika’s domestic track record.

However, the Platform has brushed aside the HRDC’s communicated stand, saying it is not representative of CSOs in Malawi and neither does it represent collective CSOs position on the matter.

In their letter to Global Fund dated 1 August 2018, the Platform stresses that Mutharika’s appointment is an honour on Malawi.

The letter thanks  Mutharika for accepting the appointment  “with humility and his commitment”  to discharge his responsibility with the expected highest level of integrity and diligence as he has already demonstrated in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria epidemics in Malawi.

It reads: “The acceptance by the President is a translation of the high-level political will by the Government of Malawi to combat HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in the country”.

The letter continues, “As Civil Society Organizations in Malawi, the appointment gives us an opportunity to bring more  awareness to the President and the Government of Malawi on the need to sustaining the gains
Malawi has achieved with the support from Global Fund and many other development partners and address the remaining gaps. As CSO who value highly the need for adequate resources towards  all activities around HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, we will support the initiative by mobilizing our  network across the world and appeal to donors to support the campaign”.

It adds: “We wish to take this opportunity to highlight that when it comes to issues of dealing with HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, local politics must not be at play and we believe the communication was made to drag the Global Fund into Malawi local politics which has no relation to the task that  President Mutharika has been appointed for”.

The Global Fund (GF) is an international financing organization, designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria epidemics by providing support to countries in the response to the three diseases.

President Mutharika has condemned the HRDC for their letter to the Global Fund, describing them as worst haters.

“Two individuals in this country, somebody called by the name of Gift Trapence and Timothy Mtambo are behind this. It is very, very sad that Malawians have reached this level of hatefulness,” he told the local media recently.

The President said he does not care about the Global Fund if they could remove him because he is not benefitting anything from what he described a purely voluntary organisation.

He stressed that Malawians needed to refrain from this kind of hatefulness which he said brings the country down.