Mutharika says Apam should not be manipulated by politicians: ‘Go back to original mission’
President Peter Mutharika has advised Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) to go back to its original mission of fighting for the rights of persons with albinism and not be paid by politicians who he said were “manipulating” their leader Overstone Khondowe to provoke government to arrest them so that they could trigger public anti-government demonstrations.
Mutharika was speaking during the swearing in ceremony of a commission of inquiry on the attacks, killings and abductions of persons with albinism at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
He said the current anti government protests by APAM are only worsening the situation, and not helping in resolving the issue of the attacks on persons with albinism.
“The civil society groups that are working with APAM are not helping them, because they helped them to organize protests only to abandon them without food and shelter.
“Government had to come in and assist them with shelter at Malawi Institute of Management,” he said.
He said APAM was behaving irrationally and suspiciously because it was provoking government to respond so that they should react and therefore, cause national protests.
He warned civil society organizations and political parties from exploiting and dehumanizing the suffering of persons with albinism to gain political mileage.
“We need to unite and confront the root problem [of attacks, abductions and killing of people with albinism] and refrain from this myopic and idiotic behaviour of fault finding.
“We should not always try to find someone to blame for problems that the country is facing,” he said.
Speaking on the commission of inquiry on killings and abductions of people with albinism, Mutharika said the nine-member commission of inquiry has been appointed to establish causes and circumstances leading to the attacks, killings and abductions of persons with albinism.
The commission comprises the clergy, chiefs, persons living with albinism, experts in human rights issues and investigative experts.
The President said instituting the commission of inquiry was one of the measures put in place to end the barbaric practice of attacking persons with albinism.
However, he warned the commission against people who would want to manipulate them into doctoring information.
“This commission of inquiry is our last hope and I expect it to start functioning as soon as possible so that by April 1, it should submit a report on the causes and circumstances leading to the attacks on persons with albinism,” he said.
The commission, whose appointment is effective March 5, 2019, is expected to finalize its work and submit a written report to the President by April 30, 2019.
Chairperson for the commission, Justice Robert Chinangwa, invited members of the public who may have any relevant information and knowledge pertaining to the attacks, abductions and killings of persons with albinism to volunteer and give such information to the commission.
He pledged that the commission would discharge its duties impartially and faithfully and to the best of their abilities.
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Why don’t we start with you, the president going back to the original mission which is to uphold our constitution? If you adhere to this constitution you will realize you have the duty to protect every Malawian including albinos, you will realize that the constitution does not put your tribe, cronies, business associates, your family, your party members above all people, but we are all equal.
Albino people are human beings and full citizens of Malawi. They have every right to be politically involved and to enjoin themselves to political groupings. This stupid president can’t understand that. What an asshole
i think that behind APAM there are some politicians who are just using them for political reasons. at the end its poor and nobody people with albinism that will suffer. the APAM should be stable and focus on their mission
Please if some politicians are funding this group they are doing better . It forsure and we all know that only through the politicians the words of these disparate people with albinism can be understood. It is only the sign of mismanagement of government after failing to take actions and they should blame themselves for that.
mmmmm bad idea. u dont know how policians behave among themselves. pliz spare pple our brothers and sisters. musawangozese pliz these are innocent ple
Kodi why do people talk as if albinos must be exclusive of politics? Aren’t they humans? Aren’t they citizens? Don’t they vote? Who said they should never have political inclinations? The call to the statehouse after the announcement of vigils was a political move and needed political stance for them to still be heard. Wake up a Malawi.
What about those members of albism from south who met you last time, were they not manipulated politically?????????? lets be honest for once
Sure, the other poor group was manipulated politically and people choose to give a blind eye to this. Za ziii