By Chancy Namadzunda, AfricaNews reporter in Lilongwe, Malawi


The tag of war between the Malawi Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and state president Bingu wa Mutharika is refusing to die with the former calling on the leadership to respond or be ready to face the music.

Addressing the media in Lilongwe, Rafik Hajat, Robert Mkwezalamba, Gift Trapence, Brian Nyasulu and Peter Chinoko who are members of the National organizing committee said the government should not waste time castigating CSO leaders but go back to the drawing board and address the issues that are affecting Malawians.

They said if he will not respond by the fixed date of August 17, the NGO leaders are ready to call for a country-wide demonstration.

“Apart from the demonstrations, we have also outlined some activities such as the nation-wide prayers and the international appeal to help the bereaved families,” said Mkwezalamba who is also Secretary General for Malawi Council for Trade Unions (MCTU).

The leaders also said they will not pay any compensation to the people who lost their goods during the demonstration but they will make sure that those who were injured and the relations of the deceased people will be compensated for police brutality.

During the July 20 demonstrations, 19 people were shot dead by the police.
Central region police spokesperson John Namangale was quoted in the local media as saying those who were shot were criminals who took advantage of the situation to loot and stole people’s goods.

“We want the state president to come out in the open and name who ordered the police to use live bullets to unarmed Malawians. It is against the country’s constitution to kill people by exercising their right of peaceful demonstrations,” said Mkwezalamba.

He also trashed government hit-backs that the leaders want to overthrow the Mutharika government saying ‘all they want is change’ on the leadership.

RE-ALIGNING OF CSOs

Meanwhile, as the first step to respond to the queries, government has revised its working relations with CSOs by aligning them to the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC).

On Friday last week, government said the coordination functions of the activities of NGOs should revert to the OPC in order to ‘create a mutual relationship between the two.’

“What it means is that the president will be readily available anytime these organizations need him. If at all there are some questions to be answered, he will be just next door to them. This is one way which both the government and the Council for Non-Governmental Organizations of Malawi (CONGOMA) see it fit,” said Kaunda

CONGOMA Chairperson Voice Mhone was quoted in the local media as saying the development was welcome taking into consideration that there has been struggles in the past to meet the president whenever there is an urgent issue.

“We are yet to appreciate how the system will be implemented, but that’s a welcome idea,” he said.

Another Civil Rights activist Rafik Hajat said if the system will prove to be helpful, then there will be no any need for demonstrations.

“If there will be a good relationships between us and the government, then everything will be alright,” said Hajat.

In the past system, according to Kaunda, NGOs were reporting to different line ministries like the Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) was reporting to Ministry of Health because its activities are to do with health issues while Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE) was reporting to the Ministry of Education.

Civil society groups handed a 16-page petition to Mutharika government listing complaints that included the worst electricity and fuel shortages in Malawi’s 47-years of independence; the president’s “secret authorisation” to spend $13m on a private jet; incidents of abuse of power; and intolerance and violence.

Seeking refuge in Ramadan

In his goodwill message aired on state radio MBC on Monday, Mutharika said he does not want to hear of any demonstrations this month because it is a month of prayers and that ‘that way we will respect all Muslims in the country.’

“I would like to wish all Muslims a peaceful month of Ramadan and blessings as they pray. I therefore ask people in this country to be peaceful and let stability prevail during this month to allow our brothers and sisters to pray peacefully,” said Mutharika.

Muslims make up about 13 percent of the Southern African nation’s 15.5 million people, according to the National Statistics Office 2008 population census.

Muslim Association of Malawi secretary general Sheik Salmin Omar said Ramadhan and mass protests are two different things and it is up to the people themselves to choose if they want to demonstrate.

‘Civil Society organizations have their own rules so are the individual Muslims, it all depends on the cause for them to join,” said Omar.

Chiefs offer on mediation

Traditional leaders, who are always supporting government on almost have said they are ready to facilitate a meeting between local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and the State president Professor Bingu wa Mutharika to end the stand-still which is currently there.

Speaking to the press in Lilongwe over the weekend, Inkosi ya Makosi Mbelwa, Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani and Senior Chief Lundu said it is in their interest to see to it that Malawi should revert to old times when peace used to flow.

“We are parents by virtue of our positions as local leaders and it is our role to advise both the president and the NGOs. As the president already said that the doors are open for discussions, we think time has come for the demonstrations leaders to go for a round table chat,” said the Ngoni chief Mbelwa.

They, however, warned the NGOs not to stage any demonstrations as they have proven to be costly to people’s lives.

“Before the July 20 demonstrations, as chiefs, we warned against the idea because experience has shown that it is the poor people who lose their lives during these times.

“All they should do is to come up with a grouping and meet the president to resolve the differences. If they fail, they should come to us and we are more than ready to help them,” said the paramount chief of the Chewa, Lundu.

Asked as to how they take police action of using live bullets on innocent people, Gomani said it was intended to disperse those who have taken advantage of the demonstration to steal.

‘As much as we cannot comment on police affairs, our understanding is that people were killed on July 21 because they were looting and stealing people’s goods. The demonstrations were done on July 20 and it was uncalled for, for people to be in the street on the next day. And we are as well sorry for the lives lost that’s why we want to mediate,” she said.

Statistics show that 19 people were killed during the demonstrations.