Malawi Civil Servants Trade Union head, other CSOs leaders at MCP rally
Malawi Civil Servants Trade Union (MCSTU) President, Elia Kamphinda Banda, was last Sunday spotted at the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) political rally at Masintha Ground in Lilongwe addressed by its President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera.
The vocal unionist becomes the second ‘big-fish’ activist to be associated with the oldest opposition party after Jessie Kabwila, a fearless human rights activist and educationist who was also spotted at the party’s rally in Salima district a few days ago.
Wearing a brown shirt, black trousers and a red cap, Kamphinda Banda was seen leaving the podium for an undisclosed destination while Chakwera was at the climax of his address. He smilingly waved at press men while claiming he was merely a spectator at the rally.
Apart from the trade unionist, other senior civil society leaders also spotted at rally included Edward Chileka Banda, National Coordinator of the Youth Consultative Forum (YCF) who is also Executive Director for Eye for Development (EFD) and Young Professionals Forum (YPF) President, Kondwani Kaunda.
Their presence at the political rally raised questions amongst commentators whether they have joined the self-described reformed party.
Chileka Banda, wearing an MCP badge sat close to the MCP president’s media advisor, seasoned journalist Baldwin Chiyamwaka.
But speaking on condition of anonymity, a top MCP official told Nyasa Times at the rally people should expect more people joining the party and availing themselves during its rallies.
“These are not the only ones; people should expect more to join us as people now have trust in the party. Several intellectuals have already expressed their interest to join us,” said the source.
Meanwhile, the YPF says it is concerned with the massive fraud and misappropriation of public funds at Capital Hill.
“Without making a judgment on the matter, we believe that such allegations substantiated or otherwise, undermine the integrity of the government’s financial management system, and have further disheartened many Malawian tax payers, and in particular the youth who are already bearing the blunt of the economic hardships in the country.
“We, therefore, call upon the government to demonstrate effective leadership in the matter in order to restore public confidence in its ability to be financially responsible towards its citizens,” YPF says in a statement signed by Kaunda.
The forum notes that public service requires absolute responsibility, trust and integrity on the part of those people entrusted with the fiduciary responsibility of managing public funds but on the contrary, the current system of government, and public finance management in Malawi, seems to promote the narrow pursuit of individual interests and self-enrichment.
The YPF implores Malawians to raise a voice against such malpractices in order to bring the government to account.
“Malawians are encouraged through various networks such as CSOs, professional associations, and faith based organizations to mobilize a national response to this alleged plunder of public resources, and to impress it upon government to demonstrate willingness and ability to address the situation with immediate effect.”
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
