HRDC gives govt 21-day ultimatum

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has given President Lazarus Chakwera and his administration 21 days to fix the current crises facing the country or face mass protests from December 7 2022.

Speaking during a press briefing in Lilongwe yesterday, HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence, in a statement titled ‘Enough is enough, an end to the current fuel crisis and for a clear plan by the government to resolve the mess surrounding the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP)’, demanded that the President should dismiss non-performing Cabinet ministers and remove from office National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) deputy chief executive officer Helen Buluma.

“The President should issue a directive stopping senior government officials, including Cabinet ministers and himself from non-essential travel within the country and internationally,” the statement further reads.

The coalition also faulted Chakwera for endless local and foreign trips, saying this is a sign that he does not care about the plight of the citizenry.

Trapence said if their demands are not met within the stipulated time-frame they will mobilise Malawians to go on the streets, as was the case in the post-2019 election protests, to show President Chakwera that “enough is enough”.

HRDC deputy chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa said the grouping has been quiet because they hoped things would change but it appears the current regime is taking Malawians for granted.

During the post-May 2019 disputed presidential elections, HRDC organised a series of mass protests, some of which turned violent and led to destruction of people’s property and looting of businesses. Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who were petitioners in the election nullification case, participated in some of the protests.

Minister of Information and Digitisation Gospel Kazako said in an interview the President has already taken action to solve the problems facing Malawians.

He said: “Most of the issues they have mentioned in their statement are issues that President Chakwera has already included in his action plan. He already announced.”