The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has strongly condemned the involvement of State House employees in what it terms “illegal procurement of fuel.” CDEDI has also denounced the rumoured attempts to introduce an Age Limit Bill.
In a statement, CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa questioned the involvement of State House employees in the purchase of fuel under the guise of a Government-to-Government arrangement, stressing that this constitutes an abuse of office.
“CDEDI hereby challenges State House to immediately stop the illegal procurement of the said 360 metric tonnes of fuel under the guise of the G2G arrangement,” stated Namiwa. “We urge the people at State House who are behind this sinister project to put their hands off fuel issues in the country and allow fuel to be purchased following the laid down regulations and procedures.”
Namiwa emphasized that fuel procurement should remain the exclusive domain of mandated State organs, specifically the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA), rather than individuals who are exploiting their positions for personal gain at the expense of the majority.
He added that the involvement of State House employees in the fuel deal is a clear indication that the government is not committed to transparency and accountability.
Regarding the proposed Age Limit Bill, CDEDI warned that any attempts to introduce such a bill would be unconstitutional and undemocratic. Namiwa expressed shock at reports that the government had invested millions of taxpayers’ money to garner support for the bill.
“Otherwise, we at CDEDI were disturbed to hear from reliable sources that about K1 billion was invested in attempts to bring this matter for debate in Parliament when Malawians are starving due to acute food shortage,” he said.
Namiwa noted that such a law could not be introduced amid an electoral process where voter registration has already been conducted and major political parties have held their conventions, effectively electing or endorsing their candidates.
In conclusion, CDEDI urged the Malawi Government, MERA, and NOCMA to halt the illegal fuel purchase and warned against any attempts to introduce the Age Limit Bill, emphasizing that such actions would spark public outrage and undermine democracy.
