President, ministers not available for dialogue meeting: CSOs say ‘talk-show’ with juniors not worth

September 19, 2018 Wanga Gwede- Nyasa Times 22 Comments

The demand by civil society organisations (CSOs) who are planning anti-government nationwide protests to have  President Peter Mutharika and some of his Cabinet ministers attend a dialogue  meeting on outstanding issues on Wednesday afternoon will not me met, a presidential aide has said as the activist threaten not to pull out.

CSOs demand President, ministers to attend meeting and the media presence

Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) asked organisers of the Friday protests to a dialogue meeting on Tuesday but Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Timothy Mtambo asked for the meeting to be shifted to Wednesday afternoon and that set conditions among them that the activists will only attend the meeting at Capital Hill if President Peter Mutharika or relevant line ministers commit to be in the meeting.

However, presidential adviser on CSOs, Mavuto Bamusi said to expect President Mutharika and ministers to attend the meeting government initiated to open dialogue is “expecting too much.”

But HRDC chair Mtambo and his deputy Gift Trapence have remained adamant that if their demands are not met to have President Mutharika attend or line ministers to represent him, they will not be worth attending the meeting.

Trapence said the activists have set their demands and parameters for the meeting including that the meeting should also be open to the media.

“Given the gravity of the issues, they require high level responses from key policy and decision makers,” said Trapence.

Trapence said the CSOs do not want a “talk-show” with lower level officers.

But Minister of Information and government spokesman Nicholous Dausi has said government has assembled a high-level delegation of technocrats for the dialogue process.

“This being a technical dialogue process, the CSOs are assured that government has put together a high-level team of senior government officials that are more than capable to engage the CSOs in a fruitful dialogue,” Dausi said in a statement made available to Nyasa Times.

“Government is ready to collectively discuss with the CSOs during the early moments of the dialogue meeting the specific rules of engagement. These include the best approach for interfacing with the media, so that the dialogue operates on collectively generated terms that will create a conducive environment for a sustained dialogue process,” he added.

CSOs are planning to hold anti-government protests on Friday which the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) and Vice-President Saulos Chilima have endorsed.

The demonstrations, whose theme is Restoring Our Destiny, are a follow-up to HRDC’s April 27 10-point petition against poor governance which the group claims government did not fully address.

Among issues to be raised in the demonstrations are government’s failure to address worsening corruption in the country and theft of fuel worth K 1.9 billion at Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (Escom).

They will also demand the resignation of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Reyneck Matemba, and immediate suspension of the contract for the supply of gensets.

The HRDC cancelled the protests from September 7 2018 to September 21 to avoid clashes with governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) youth cadets who were expected to hold what they called a Blue March in Blantyre on the same day, but did not eventually do it.

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22 replies on “President, ministers not available for dialogue meeting: CSOs say ‘talk-show’ with juniors not worth”

  1. My first question is, why is our government asking for a round table discussion now? Upon recent demos by CSOs, they did submit a petition to government outlining key issues that need to be addressed, some on short , medium or long term basis. In my opinion, that was the right time for government to ask CSOs for a collective dialogue. I strongly feel that holding a dialogue now is just cosmetic on the part of government..
    To CSOs, my humble advice is, please be realistic and objective enough with your recommendations. Put yourself in the shoes of government. For example, if you were given an opportunity to be the president, would you tackle the issues as demanded in your petition?

  3. you can not discuss with thieves …for what? tiyeni tikayende basi…Mabvuto bamusi unayamba bwino uli ku mabungwe koma pano sorry my friend tamuona mzako Kubalasa sanacheukire uku ndi uku wapita suzamumpezazo……

  4. Real NGO impunity. What should these thug looking and clandestinely funded and sponsor-spoled brats. Let them go to hell and roast. I as a Malawian and many more millions of Malawians have not sent you.

  5. This is what will happen: The so-called high level government technocrats will cheat you they will report to some ministers who will brief the president who will study the recommendations before making a decision which will be communicated to some ministers who will brief the CSOs. The whole process will go on for over a year which will be election time.

    In the light of the above, there is no need to go to the meeting if the president and Ministers won’t attend. What we want are decisions there and then. Anything else, no ways. Please don’t disappoint your supporters.

  9. Kodi who do these thugs masquerading as CSOs take themselves to be? Akufuna chani kweni kweni? The President should not be attending to the demands of these jobless attention seeking idiots. Let them demonstrate everyday until election day.

  11. Leaders come and leaders go. Let me remind Mr. Mavuto Bamusi, that he is at state house as an aide by God’s grace. He should always sit down and ask “Why me oh Lord.” You represent the Malawians and do not that you were one of us. It is a privilege and an honor from God to serve in the house of the King. Save the President with an honest heart. You are there not for self but for the voiceless, hence your influence should be in tandem with principles of good governance. Ask your friend Chikumbutso Mtumodzi where is he now, how about Rev. Mac Donald Sembereka. You are there for a purpose. Remember that you are not the first one to be in that position. Honor Deo et Patriae

  13. The government and DPP have certainly abandoned their mandate given to them by the people of Malawi. In any democracy, the elected leaders are servants of the people and not the other way round. It is sad to witness lack of basic understanding of the elected leaders Job Description and lines of accountability. The general public represented by the CSOs (these are the shareholders and the bosses) have accepted a meeting called by the elected elected leaders (the president and his cabinet) so that they can account. Why would is it then so difficult to understand why the CSOs are pulling out if all they’re meeting are the workers (technocrats). This would never happen even in a corporate world. Why would shareholders in a corporate world meet the workers? This is pure arrogance on the government’s part, as Mchacha the Terrorist rightly puts it below. I would advise that Bamusi shuts his mouth up as he’s no better than standard 8 pupil propelled to a Doctorate Program. he doesn’t know what he’s talking about and I doubt whether he’s giving Peter Mutharika the correct advice.

  15. Executive arrogance and impudence is what this reaction from mutharika’s government amounts to. This government is simply careless and obnoxious and this kind of ways of running state matters does not help at all. A government that does not want to engage its citizenry in an earnest and honesty manner is stupid just as a father who does not want to engage his children (child) is when there is situation. In the field of conflict management and resolution we call such people, in his case mutharika and his band , as DOGGERS. Poor leadership is what we are seeing here.
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    Comment awaiting moderation

    1. Dude i for one i don’t give a shit about what you think of the government. What i know is that you are not a president and by the look of things you will never be. You and those idiots by the name of Mtambo have no clue how government affairs run. Who told you that the way you think government should be run is good for all people? Who the fuck do you think you are criticizing everything that the government is doing? Find something to keep you busy asshole than sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.

      1. If the government institutions are admitting that they is rampant corruptions in the departments who are you to say no?Are you a president yourself if you ask your friend?Stupid people like you Pathfinder are the ones killing this country.I don’t think have got a five sense in your head.Its all about time come May 2019,we shall have a New LOOK MALAWI,with oneness,no nepotism,no corruption,no quota system and a better Malawi for all.@ PATHFINDER

      2. @ pathfinder
        Welcome and thank you so much for your empty outbursts which are void of any trace of substance. Pure rankings from a party sycophant Who thinks he knows better than everyone else in that country. I am not surprised by your know -it -all mentality because this mentality also forms a bigger part of your ” best ever ” president and yet he is simply one inept president ever in the history of that country. I am not a party follower or sycophant as you are to talk about blue politics or any other party politics here . I talk issues and one thing that you shall always hate me for is that I will always call a spade what it is and not what it is not. Mutharika is inept and very old for presidency and this is a matter of fact. You can elect to ignore this and that will never bother me for it remains the truth and nothing but the truth chicken brain.

        Now you have said
        1: I can’t be president of that country
        2: and that I have no clue of how government machinery works : well well chicken brain pathfinder you may which to educated that

        1: as a citizen of Malawi I have every right to context for any elected position in that country including u president ukakanika agogo akowo.
        2: academically, I have what it takes to be president of that country. Having just successfully completed ( this week) my PhD here in Switzerland. well buddy I think I am more than qualified for presidency
        3: I am a civil servant by career having joined the service in 2001 and have risen to the position of director in the past 17 years.

        I think this scanty information about me will help you know who mchacha the terrorist really is. You may therefore wish to address me as Dr. Mchacha the terrorist starting from this week.

        Write again sycophant and DPP follower.

  16. Executive arrogance and impudence is what this reaction mutharika’s government amounts to. This government is simply careless and obnoxious and this kind of ways of running state matters does not help at all. A government that does not want to engage its citizenry in an earnest and honesty manner is stupid just as a father who does not want to engage his children (child) when there is situation. In the field of conflict management and resolution we call such people, in his case mutharika and band, as DOGGERS.

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