CSOs yet to drop demand for Mutharika resignation

Some sections of the civil society organisations are yet to drop their demand for forced resignation of President Peter Mutharika, a day after top cabinet ministers and State House top advisors responded to their communiqué.

A source within the CSOs confided with Nyasa Times on Wednesday they will have to meet again as a consortium that signed the petition to force the President step down.

“That decision cannot be made by one person, we will have to meet and make a collective decision on the matter,” said one CSO leader , who asked not to be named claiming he has been receiving threats and insults since the call for the resignation of the fifth President of the Republic was issued.

All CSO leaders who signed the petition to force the resignation of Mutharika stayed away from a high level government sponsored indaba in Lilongwe attended by Mutharika’s top and trusted ministers that included George Chaponda, Goodall Gondwe and the president’s chief economic advisor Collins Magalasi.

The meeting was also attended by veteran CSO leader Undule Mwakasungula and Maxwell Matewere of Council for Non Governmental Organisations, among others.

Some political and social commentators have taken it to social media to accuse the key CSO leaders of shunning dialogue with the President and opting for political battle which they say is retrogressive in the current economic climate.

Government, at the Tuesday high level meeting showed it was bowing down to the CSO demands as it clearly indicated it was addressing crucial issues raised by the CSOs.