Dzuka Lazaro: Malawians call out Chakwera to release Chilima report

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Malawians have urged President Lazarus Chakwera to wake up from his alleged slumber after having refused from releasing the Chilima Public Sector reforms report.

Chakwera received the report last week but his spokesperson said on Monday that the president will only make public decision made based on the report but the report itself will be kept under wraps.

Director of Communications at State House Sean Kampondeni said it is standard practice in the presidency for recommendations to be processed internally.

On Monday evening, parts of the report leaked on social media and it contains recommendations which if implemented, could see Chakwera trimming his 31-member cabinet and firing ministers who are also Members of Parliament.

Now Malawians have reiterated calls for Chakwera to release the full report.

Rights groups Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation and Youth and Society said if the president does not release the report, Malawians may begin to think that the Tonse Alliance administration is attempting to govern through secrecy.

On its part, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition has argued that the report was compiled using taxpayer’s money hence Malawians should be able to know what it contains.

Social media commentator Dickson Kashoti as also faulted the president for refusing to release the report. He also argued that Malawians drained their pockets to fund the activities related to the report.

He said: “This behavior is what prompts leakage of government documents. If president Lazarus Chakwera did not want the issue to be public, he could have just tasked the vice president to do the job without fanfare and drum beating. This is now taking the public for granted.”

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