HRDC gives 100 days’ demand to Chakwera government: Proposes corruption court
The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has given President Lazarus Chakwera five points that the Tonse Alliance government led by his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) should resolve within its first 100 days in office.
Among the issues the coalition seeks government to implement, is the need to tackle corruption.
According to a statement made available to Nyasa Times issued on Tuesday August 4 2020, HRDC also wants government to speed up prosecution of corruption cases, ensure independence of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), establish a special Anti-Corruption Court and ensure that all public officials declare their assets.
The call on corruption court comes amidst concerns of failure to prosecute high profile cases and taking too long in concluding investigations.
Observers say in order to ensure that the ACB has effective leadership at all times, recruitment of the director and deputy director should be done competitively through interviews and approval by Parliament.
Chakwera’s spokesperson Sean Kampondeni said in the local press this week that the President Chakwera has already taken administrative steps in reducing presidential powers so that institutions like ACB should operate freely and independently to fulfil their constitutional mandate.
In their statement, HRDC also wants government to operationalise Access to Information law, ensure justice on the Nsundwe rape victims, beating of activist Billy Mayaya in Blantyre and murders if former ACB officer Issah Njauju, university student Robert Chasowa, and UTM offices arson victims.
HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence said has also called on government as a matter of urgency to increase testing of Covid-19 and get more people to get tested, with a focus on people who may be asymptomatic, such as those working in health and social care and other jobs that involve contact with other people.
The coalition wants government to raise Covid-19 testing capacity to administer 150 000 to 200 000 tests within the next four weeks and a massive production of reusable face masks involving local business and international partners.
Minister of Information and government spokesman Gospel Kazako said the administration “will adhere to timeliness,”
He said on Times Radio: “We will achieve what we can achieve, certainly we are geared.”
Chakwera, who has been in power for a month said in a report on his 30th day in office posted on his Facebook page said his administration will implement legislative and administrative reforms in various institutions to prepare for the roll-out of Tonse Alliance promises in the next 40 days as part of completing the nine-party Tonse Alliance-led administration transition process.
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One of these days, I’d love to see a Trapence versus Mtambo fight. 🤺
No case will be concluded because all these cases will end up with one of the tonse person involved.
Gospel started with fire on access to information but he has been told to shut up because they know the implication of this law.
Matemba is just making noise to give an impression that he is working so that he is maintained at ACB
HRDC has given 100 days because they are still hoping some of them will be appointed to boards as a reward like what happened to their terrorist leader Ntambo
serious, so no more access to information. shameeeee. i have to go to zimbabwe and be an asylum seeker
Why HRDC is skipping JETGET
Why are you leaving out who killed the policeman at Msundwe? Why?
100 days to find a gay partner
But why are we tolerating these dictatorial tendencies by the HRDC? Who elected these terrorists? Are they mandated to dictate the business of the cabinet, parliament, etc? Why does HRDC seem to be more powerful than government itself? Bwinotu bwino. We voted mcp basing on its promises and if not careful, mcp shall be busy serving the interests of hrdc and loose focus. Let us remember that it is these same hrdc dogs who derailed Bingu from his Development Agenda and we lost track as government busy attending to endless demonstrations organized by the devil Undule Mwakasungula.
Who told you Malawi voted for MCP? If it were not for UTM where would MCP be by now? Malawians voted for the alliance not MCP. And remember HRDC was alliance’s own Eve ,(the dearest helper) Now that they are in promised land they are seeking a divorce? Malawi tolarated HRDC and what we are forgeting is that this Organization has an agenda. Reflect on Trapence and Bingu, it took the whole secretary General of UN to plan an improptu address to Malawian parliament because of the two Gays sponsored by Gift. The whole nation was locked down from donors… Read more »
100 days or what?
…with all due respect, these unelected NGO’s should know that governments are constitutionally mandated and not dictated to by self-appointed vigilante cartels. you have no mandate to ascribe what the government agenda must be…you are all getting too big or your shoes. this is what creates dictatorship regimes. let the president have his say as he was duly elected for the many not the few! Who tells you what to do? what are you people drinking and smoking? In the midst of a global pandemic, you ascribe a list of demands like you hold the president as your hostage. what… Read more »
BUT you supported HRDC when it did the same with Mutharika. Hypocricybat it’s highest.
Mwadziwa liti za HRDC? Arent they the same, Chakwera and Chilima praised as freedom fighters and men of courage? Decendants of the current minister Mtambo? Lero mukudabwadabwa bwanji? Was it reasonable then than now?
As a matter of fact HRDC is still pro Tonse alliance. this is mere pretence. Come 100 days even if Tonse disregards this msg they will simply change the torne of the memo and select some points to paint a positive outlook of the alliance. So dont worry.
Cheating, they are the same things wrten together with Mtambo fooling people they are working as usual.The have skipped some cases concerning themselves.
Corruption Court won’t solve the problem of lack of concrete evidence of corruption. The state fails to bring evidence that’s why charges don’t hold. Whistle-blowers usually are just disgruntled employees who did not attend the critical meetings where evidence can be found. They report based on their frustrations, what they hear through the corridors which isn’t enough to convict someone protected by constitional rights. Perceived corruption isn’t the same as actual corruption. To fight corruption in Malawi, we need to suspend some of the human rights guarantees found in constition which protect everyone including wrong doers. Yes a few people… Read more »