Don’t engage in ‘anti-development’ demos, Malawi govt warns
President Peter Mutharika’s special adviser on civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Mavuto Bamusi has warned Malawians not to engage in mass demonstrations organized by some civil society organisations and rights defenders, saying they are politically motivated to trigger insurrection.
There have been fears that such protests would result in bloodshed but the the CSOs are assuring the April 27 demonstrations will be peaceful.
According to a statement released Tuesday and signed by 10 individual activists, the decision to proceed with the demonstrations on April 27 follows the inconsistencies, illegality and a cloud of suspicions that have characterised the entire process of the infamous K4 billion funding to constituencies.
But Bamusi has described the planned demonstrations as anti-development.
“We are not surprised as government that the CSOs want to demonstrate even though the Minister of Finance ably explained circumstances surrounding the K4 billion. It appeared that after the meeting (with the minister), they did not want to change their minds. So I will describe the demonstrations as anti-development,” he said.
Bamusi further said the CSOs are only pushing their personal agenda in the demonstrations.
“They are just trying to force this to appear as if people have asked them to do that, but they are only pushing their personal agenda. We are convinced that K4 billion is not an issue worth demonstrations,”he said.
The demonstrations are being organized after President Peter Mutharika and leader of opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera have defied a seven-day ultimatum some civil society CSOs gave them over the controversial K4 billion allocation to legislators.
While Mutharika was told to fire Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and DevelopmentGoodall Gondwe and Local Government Minister Kondwani Nankhumwa over their roles on the matter, Chakwera was asked to apologise for being ‘hypocritical’ on the issue.
In Parliament, all legislators agreed to share the money, but later, the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) led by Chakwera made a U-turn, saying it does not want to be party to the money, as the arrangement was embroiled in “dishonesty and thievery”.
Last Saturday, Gondwe met the CSO leaders—Gift Trapence, Timothy Mtambo, Charles Kajoloweka and Happy Mhango—at his Capital Hill office where they reiterated their position on his resignation. Gondwe refused to step down.
Mtambo, who is executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), said Chakwera should have gone further even to demand that Parliament reconvenes just to suspend the allocation.
Earlier, presidential press secretary Mgeme Kalilani said the two Cabinet ministers—Gondwe and Nankhumwa—did not do anything warranting to be fired as all procedures on the matter were duly followed.
The K4 billion issue—that initially saw 86 legislators mostly affiliated to the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its working partners getting about K40 million each—came to the fore during the Mid-Year Budget Review Meeting of Parliament in February after Malawi News first exposed it.
Capital Hill has long argued that the money, described as Quick Grant Project, is meant for rural development.
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Honestly I feel very sorry for the new Mavuto Bamusi. The old one was a gallant fighter of freedom and justice. He stood for the poor and underprivileged. He was loved for pursuing a noble cause. That was Mavuto Bamusi we so fell in love with. He was the voice for the voiceless. Where the government was wrong he was quick to speak against it and where the government did well he was quick to applaud it. Brethren that old Bamusi is gone. A new Bamusi was born during the later days of Bingu. Money and power corrupted him. His… Read more »
Mavuto Bamusi, kuona dzina lako liri Mavutodi. Which development? These rubbish MPs are failing to account for simple CDF, now to give them MK 40m. Thats total bullshit.
I thought bamusi should advise pitala not csos. He fears if dpp loses he won’t steal tindalama that he takes around that he was bribing csos. Undule will die with no support from bamusi.
CSOs! CSO! CSOs! You look educated but crippled upstairs
To say the truth we are all (Malawians) crippled upstairs. How could we allow the situation in Malawi deteriorate to this extent that we are the poorest and unhappiest nation in the world. This is under our watch as citizens. The intellectual capacity of us voters should seriously be checked.
@Chilungamo Can you tell us who opted for mk20m as a share to each constituency? So you don’t even know that it is Mbuyako Chakwera who debated and latter came with a conclusion of this mk20m? Why do you come at this forum before taking every detail of an issue? Kodi magazi a anthu omwe mwakhala mukumwa for 31 years akupatsani khungu la mu ubongo? Do you know how parliamentary procedures go? Do you expect a bill to pass without debating it. Did your Chakwera complain that the bill was not debated? Why don’t you ask your Mbuzi why he… Read more »
@Satana
Waonjeza, ukutukwaniraninji apa? How can you call someone mbuzi. Nkhani ya support yomweyi? Ndiye uli pa mpanipani ndi MCP? Is your brain ok? I doubt your thinking capability. Akadzawina udzakomoka iwe ndipo ukatsitsimuka udzasamuka chifukwa cha manyazi. Anthu opanda nzeru ndi omwe amakonda zotukwana mmalo mopereka ndemanga. Let comment not kutukwana.
iwe Bamusi usandinyanse, maso oyang’ana kumbaliwo mxie
kuba kwamtundu wanji kosapanda nako chifundo, anthu akuvutika ndi umphawi inu mukuti zinthu zilibwino munya mukhaula 2019 ndipo MCP kungotenga boma nonse wa kumaula basi
akhaula anthu akuba awa tatopa nawo zitsiru za anthu izi. kuba kosachita nako manyazi nkwamtundu wanji tipita ku nsxewu ife tikayenda you are taking us for granted now so its time to act tell your police to kill us again we dont care we are ready to be killed for our money
It is expected from Maputo Bamusi. Without DPP he is back to begging as was the case between 2012 to 2014. Now that he is an advisor he can survive by soliciting funds from TEVETA, the Indians etc. Big crook. Unfortunately the president thinks Bamusi has influence over civil society organisations, he doesn’t . We are counting days when you will be out of government and will join civil society you are fighting now. Same organisations you will crawl looking for jobs. Take care BaM Usi
ABamusi ngati mubadya naeo khslani chete, anthu ngati inu ndi amene mukuononga chuma za dziko pomwe osauka akusaukirabe, how can you say anti development demo kodi 4billion imene yapangidwa allocate Ku ma mp dovyou it development? Come on people Malawi its not this time that we keep on sleeping issues like this are indeed need to be addressed go on human right activists we will support you all the way.