20 July demos postponed
Civil society organisations (CSOs) have postponed nationwide demonstrations initially planned for today July 20 2015, to pave the way for dialogue with government.
Human rights defender Billy Mayaya, alongside Forum for National Development (FND) national coordinator Fryson Chodzi and FND chairperson Bright Kampaundi, announced the postponement of the demonstrations during a news conference in Lilongwe on Friday.
Mayaya said President Peter Mutharika, through presidential adviser on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), has granted CSOs an audience to discuss issues surrounding the planned demonstrations.
He said: “We have received communication from the presidential adviser on NGOs that the President has committed to meet us in a fortnight to discuss our concerns and so we have put on hold the nationwide demonstrations until that meeting.”
However, Mayaya said if the CSOs will not be satisfied with government’s response, they will revert to the original plan of holding the demonstrations.
Presidential adviser on NGOs, Mabvuto Bamusi, confirmed government’s desire to engage the CSOs in dialogue and said the meeting will offer an opportunity for the two sides to understand each other.
He said: “It has been an outstanding desire from the President to sit down with the CSOs and now that they have accepted, the President is glad and we will set a date within 14 days from today [Friday] and we will communicate to them accordingly.”
CSOs planned to hold demonstrations to express dissatisfaction with the deterioration of service delivery in key sectors, particularly health and security; protracted progress behind the K577 billion audit query, the convoluted process behind the disposal of Capital Hill’s 75 percent stake in Malawi Savings Bank (MSB), outstanding pledges by government and also to lobby for speedy investigations into the murder of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director of corporate affairs Issa Njauju. n
