Ex-MYPs give govt 20-day ultimatum, threaten to ‘occupy’ Capital Hill

Former fighters of the then paramilitary wing of the Malawi Congress Party, the Malawi Young Pioneers (MYP) have given government 20 days to pay up their dues or they will hold a vigil at Capital Hill, the seat of government in Lilongwe.

The ex-MYP operatives are currently holding a vigil at the war remembrance pillar in Area 18, Lilongwe where the statue of their former commander, Hastings Kamuzu Banda looks down upon them day in and day out for a year now.

Spokesperson for the ex-MYPs, Franko Chilemba said if they do not get any tangible communication from Treasury by August 31, they will storm Capital Hill on September 1 until September 20.

“Treasury says the final report (on the payment of the ex-MYPs) is not yet with them, this is a lie. What we want is our money. We will do everything to force the government give us our money,” said Chilemba.

He said with the rainy season coming soon, the ex-MYPs want to be back in their homes before the onset of the rains, saying this is why they want their money on time just before the rains come.

“We are warning the government to give us our money as soon as possible. We want the government to honour its promise of giving us our dues,” he said.

Treasury spokesperson Davis Saddo was not available for comment but in earlier interviews, he said the process of paying them is slow because the office of the auditor general vets each claim carefully.

He said some information on those who worked in MYP are missing because the organization was disbanded long ago.

The Malawi Army forcebly disarmed the MYP operatives in 1992 in an operation dubbed Operation Bwezani, an operation which nearly brought the country to a brink of war.