Mutharika appoints special committee to address 10-point demands in CSOs petition

May 17, 2018 Nyasa Times Reporter Be the first to comment

President Peter Mutharika has appointed a special committeee to start addressing issues raised in the petition of the civil society organisations (CSOs) after their April 27 nationwide protests, State House has confirmed.

Kalilani: President Mutharika has acted on the petition and there is good progress

There were different timeframes given on different issues but, overall, the CSOs gave Mutharika a 90-day ultimatum to address all the challenges in the 10-point petition, which will expire on August 28 2018.

The special committe is being headed by Chief Secretary in the Offucevof President and Cabinet, Lloyd Muhara, according to presidential press secretary Mgeme Kalilani.

Kalilani said the committee “is looking at the issues raised in detail, gett8ng in touch with relevant government departments, other stakeholders and thepresidency for direction on the issues.”

In a petition entitled “Time to Reclaim Our Destiny,” organizers demanded that President Mutharika reverse his appointment of Rodney Jose in 10 days  as the acting inspector general of police. Jose was implicated in the murder of university student Robert Chasowa in 2011. The period elapsed last Friday, May 11 2018.

One of the key leaders of the CSOs Gift Trapence, who is executive director of Centre for Development of People (Cedep), said while they were looking forward to the President’s acknowledgment, they were disappointed to note that instead he lambasted them during his State of Nation Address (Sona) on May 4 that their peaceful protests on April 27 that they were aimed at making Malawi ungovernable.

Trapence said what matters to the civil society groups is that their grievances are “resolved and their time frame.”

He said the CSOs are set to meet this week to map the way forward.

“We are meeting this week to chart the way forward,” he said.

But special adviser to the President on civil society and non-government organisations (NGOs) Mavuto Bamusi has faulted the CSOs leaders for “rushing to make conclusions”.

Bamusi has said the President is acting on the petition.

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