Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) says Vice President Saulos Chilima should intervene on the current crises the country is facing, saying he has been quiet and absent when Malawians are eager to see him reacting to the problems that have engulfed the nation.
A letter, which the organization wrote to the Vice President signed by Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, says that Malawians remember very well when the Vice President stormed the Department of Road Traffic and Safety to wake them up when the department was in the early stages of installing the Road Traffic Malawi Information System (Maltis).
Namiwa said it was at a time when the system was almost non-functional, and nothing was working but the boldness of the Chilima to visit the department not only put smiles on the faces of millions of people who were desperately looking for services but redefined strategic leadership amid national crisis.
He added that some Malawians have lost their loved ones, failed to carry out important businesses, and even lost lifetime job and study opportunities, just because they could not obtain a passport at the Immigration Department.
He says that on the other hand, thousands of road users are now using a mere A5 printing paper for a driver’s license being issued by the RTD because they have run out of cards, and to make matters worse, it is a tall order now for millions of Malawians to register at the National Registration Bureau, and let alone become a proud owner of the national ID.
“From where we are standing, we refuse to accept that this is a sheer coincidence, that all of a sudden, Malawi has been reduced to a land of crises for basic documents hence writing to you to consider stepping up by paying visits to these aforementioned departments so that you find out reasons behind these crises,” said the letter to the VP.
Namiwa says in doing so, the second in charge will also be giving a hand of help to President Lazarus Chakwera in solving the crises together given the urgency these problems deserve before they force the country to her knees.
In his response, Secretary to the Vice President, Dr. Luckie Kanyamura Sikwese says the vice president knows the call for him to take action to ensure that there is improvement in service delivery in the passport issuing and other areas of concern.
