Malawi government has been urged not to compensate former Malawi Young Pioneers (MYPs) as the issue continues to attract massive debate in the country.
The call has been made by a grouping bound by miscellaneous atrocities they faced during the one party regime which was led by the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).
It is operating under the name Malawi Returnees and Political Detainees.
The grouping told reporters during a media briefing held in the Northern Region city of Mzuzu that compensating the ex-pioneers implies that government is only raising the pain in them which they see is not over yet.
Charles Mwenifumbo who represents the Karonga Chapter said it is surprising that government wants to pay people that tortured them during the MCP era even though the MCP is denying of being behind this.
He added that they also need to be compensated for the pains they endured at that time.
“As victims of government in the one party era, it is us who need to be compensated. Surprisingly the people who bullied us around are the ones getting compensated,” he questioned.
The grouping says it is unfortunate that it is only its leaders who got money ranging from K5000 to K25000 twenty years ago.
The MYP was a youth wing that was established by President Kamuzu Hastings Banda in 1963.
Recently, the MYP led vigils in Lilongwe pushing for their compensations and gratuities. Government had reportedly accepted to give in to their demands.
The Malawi Young Pioneers was dissolved in 1994 by the first democratic administration of Bakili Muluzi under the United Democratic Front (UDF) which understood the grouping as more of an instrument for oppression than a tool for development agenda.
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To kindly compensate these guys is just to conduct an enquiery on human rights abuse these guyz did during MCP era and bring them to justice.Nobody has ever been compensated for doing a nefarious act.