Activist Joshua Chisa Mbele will lead October 27 demonstrations in which protesters will march to Kamuzu Palace to tell President Lazarus Chakwera that Malawians have lost confidence in the way he is managing the country.
Mbele is leading the Action Against Impunity, a network comprising Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), Concerned Citizens, Human Rights and Political Activists, Non- Governmental Organizations, Faith Based Organizations (FBOs), Labour Unions and University Students that do not tolerate state institutionalized corruption, incompetence and impunity.
Activists including Bon Kalindo, Phunziro Mvula and Sylvester Namiwa are also part of the protests.
Reading a prepared statement at a press briefing today, Namiwa said Chakwera has failed to use his executive powers to provide the much needed change that Malawians badly needed.
He added that this is clearly mirrored through endemic corruption, institutionalized incompetence and Chakwera’s insensitivity to the dehumanizing poverty that is threatening the survival of millions of vulnerable and marginalized Malawians.
“Instead of walking the talk on the zero-tolerance against corruption and the promise to fix the country, the President has mastered the art of saying one thing in the public and doing exactly the opposite behind the scenes.
“Gauging by the nauseating corruption levels, it is very clear that Chakwera is the chief architect and beneficiary of the major corruption scandals that have marred his two years in office.
“Malawians that care would agree with us that apart from the usual Public Relations stunts characterized by unwarranted outbursts to the helpless Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director Martha Chizuma, the President has shown all the signs of a captured leader.
“If President Chakwera was really serious about fighting corruption in the country, then the investigations involving British business person Zuneth Sattar would have reached their logical conclusion by now. Evidence is there that the ACB Director lacks political will and commitment from her boss, the State President.
“To put it bluntly, the forex, fuel, electricity and the acute shortage of essential drugs and medical supplies crises point to a larger problem of failure by Chakwera to use his executive powers to call for order and sanity. This simply means Malawi is in leadership crisis,” reads part of the statement.
Namiwa also pointed out that almost all the high-profile scandals in the Tonse Alliance government point to either the State House or President Chakwera himself.
Some of the scandals include allegations of corruption against President Chakwera’s former Chief of Staff Prince Kapondangaga and Vice President Saulos Chilima, involvement of Chakwera’s friend and advisor Pastor Mainja in the MK6.2 billion Covid-19 funds that were unaccounted for and smuggling of loan authorization bill to parliament allegedly by Chakwera’s friend and advisor Pastor Martin Thom.
The activist added that Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General Eisenhower Mkaka is still serving in cabinet as Minister of Forestry while the President is fully aware that the minister is under probe by the ACB over the alleged purchase of a Mercedes Benz.
“President Chakwera and his cronies are swimming in opulence when inmates in our prisons are starving to death due to acute food shortage; when Malawians cannot afford basic necessities such as Maize, sugar, cooking oil, bread, water and electricity due to skyrocketing cost of living;
and when his government has failed to provide a safety net!
“More recently, Malawians were disturbed with revelations that government had been swindled a whopping MK30 billion meant for the Affordable Input Program (AIP). Now here we are risking lives of millions poorest of the poor,” the statement says.
Speaking at the press briefing, Chisa Mbele said the continued plunder of resources means that someone is either looking away or is part of the looting.
Mbele wondered why Chakwera is failing to root out corruption in government when he has power and resources at his disposal.
“That is why we are saying President Chakwera must be visited so that we tell him that we do not have confidence with the way he is managing this country,” said Mbele.
On his part, Kalindo urged Malawians to come out and demonstrate against impunity under the Chakwera administration.
“We thought Chakwera and Chilima were competent leaders but now we have seen that they have failed,” he said.
The demonstrations will be held on Thursday, October 27, 2022, from 09:30hrs starting from the Lilongwe Community Ground passing through Mchesi, all the way to the Kamuzu Central Hospital Roundabout and parliament building via the Presidential drive up to the Kamuzu Palace, just 100 meters away from the palace’s main gate where a petition will be presented to President Chakwera.
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