Malawi on standstill April 27, shop owners told not to open: Police ready to ensure peaceful demo:
Malawi economy will grind to halt on Friday April 27 2018 as the civil society organisations (CSOs) will be holding planning the peaceful demonstrations and to hold vigils at Capital Hill in Lilongwe until either President Peter Mutharika or Vice-President Saulos Chilima receives their petition.
The CSOs, organising the demonstrations to express dissatisfaction with the K4 billion payout to members of Parliament (MPs) and other socio-economic and governance issues.
Malawi police have said they are ready to ensure the protests do not degenerate into any disturbances and remain peaceful.
“We are ready to see to it that the demonstrations are peaceful,” said National Police spokesman James Kadadzera.
Shop owners in Lilongwe have since been advised not to open on Friday as precautionary measure.
The chairperson of the Human Rights Defenders Forum (HRDF) chairperson Timothy Mtambo and other rights defenders Gift Trapence, Charles Kajoloweka and Billy Mayaya, thesaid they were mindful of the Executive’s attempts to frustrate the protests by instilling fear among the citizenry not to participate in the demos.
Mtambo called the demonstrations as a launch pad for “movement for change.”
But the Chiefs Forum held three press briefings in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu where they have asked people not to patronise the April 27 demonstration.
The forum’s secretary, Senior Chief Lukwa said: “ Our stand as chiefs on the K4 billion issue is that we want the money to go direct to the area development committees [ADCs] and village development committees [VDCs] so that they utilise this resource to complete various development projects. You know that in Malawi we have many problems, and many unfinished development projects, so if we say we do not want this money, it means we are punishing the masses out there who need it the most. On the calls for Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Goodall Gondwe and Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kondwani Nankhumwa whom the CSOs want to be sacked, my position is that this is a very sad development. These two ministers did nothing wrong to face dismissal.
“As chiefs, we are asking the government of Professor Peter Mutharika not to listen to the CSOs on this because they committed no sin. As chiefs, we acknowledge that people have a right to demonstrate, but some demonstrations are useless and unrealistic. In the present case, the demonstration is not realistic because there is no sin on the K4 billion.”
Wake up Malawi ,to keep quite its not part of solving prblems
It is time the people of Malawi rose up to demand accountability and honesty from its politicians. Change will only come if the people demand it.
These bloody fake CSO,s are just blackmailers/ hungry for money for they own benefit!!!! This is the end of them! They wanted the vendors in BT to loot with them but the vendors refused, they have paid the students at polytechnic peanuts to join them and the students accecpted! What bunch of loosers!! They paying people to join they protests, what type of protests are these where they pay people to join
Challenge him at LIA if you are serious. Chilima has already inflicted a blow by refusing to receive it.
Stana u need to ask. If u were in my sues i would keep quiet, because what is coming is beyond ur imagination and there is no choice. If u have eyes SEE!
We police are bringing or guns and tear gas and batons and adrenaline… To ensure peaceful demonstrations.
The country won’t burn. Why? Look at the list of the political parties in the story, do they have members. Who is going to go to demonstrate with them? For what? The police will make sure that the burning or property doesn’t happen. And, it is a crime to burn property. I hope the so called political parties will take responsibility afterwards.
Two many political parties in Malawi………..sign of intolerance , if we are to remain united, then these party presidents need to start working together for the betterment of our mother Malawi.
U mean working together with this monsitors ar u kidding me?
““We are ready to see to it that the demonstrations are peaceful,” said National Police spokesman James Kadadzera.”
I’m sure that the police are indeed ready, with their body armour, truncheons, tear gas, and live ammunition loaded into their guns, as they were last time.
Tsopano kuno ku Zomba nde mukuti kuyambira pati and kukalekeza kuti
The country is on the verge of burning and its president is playing his fiddle in the UK. That’s a big sign….watopa.
It’s not on the verge of burning. CSOs are the ones on the verge of burning – look at how they are fighting for money for the demonstrations.
Rera or what ever u call urself I think u must be verry stupid thank God u deserve it, u tell me that this CEO’s + more than 10 partys ar fools u and DPP ur right uh…,!?
Malawians ,we have a big problem ,too much fear,do what other countries does,eg Zimbabwe South Africa and other countries,what ere we doing waiting the leaders play with us,until when ?