Vice President Saulos Chilima has rejected a request to receive a petition during the 27 April demonstrations organised by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
The CSOs last week asked Chilima to be at Capital Hill on the day of the demonstrations and receive their petition.
But Chilima has refused to participate and has told the CSOs that another government official will be available to receive their petition.
“In the letter you asked for the Rt. Honourable Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, Vice-President of the Republic of Malawi, to receive a petition on issues pertaining to the state of governance in Malawi, you indicated that you intend to present the petition on Friday 27th April 2018.
“I would like to inform you that the Right Honourable Vice President has referred your request to the Office of the President and Cabinet to determine and designate a government official to receive the petition on behalf of the Malawi Government. You may, therefore, pursue the matter through the Chief Secretary to the Government,” says the letter by secretary to the Vice-President’s Office Clement Chinthu Phiri.
The CSOs are expected to respond to the vice president today.
Earlier, President Peter Mutharika also rebuffed the CSOs who are planning to protest against the K4 billion allocation.
One of the organisers of the demonstrations, Timothy Mtambo of Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) recently told the local media that Mutharika is a servant of Malawians hence there is nothing wrong to ask him to receive the petition.
The demonstrations will be held in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu under the theme For How Long Shall Malawians Continue to Be Taken for Granted? Loss of Public Trust in the Current Administration: Time to Reclaim Our Destiny.
