NKHOTAKOTA-(MaraviPost)-The embattled country’s Vice President Saulos Chilima on Saturday reacted angrily to some Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) under the banner Joint Civil Society Platform on Governance (JCSPG)s resignation calls challenging them to collect 1.9 million signatures if they want him to step down.
Chilima who is also interim leader of United Transformation Movement (UTM) was speaking to the mass rally in Nkhotakota just a day after the High Court in Blantyre ordered the Registrar of the political parties to register UTM within seven days.
The UTM leader said only 2014 voters petition will be valid for his resignation not CSOs.
But in his reaction Fryson Chodzi, JCSPG’s National Coordinator told The Maravi Post that the grouping will take the challenge up.
Chodzi expressed gratitude that Chilima has acknowledged resignation calls urging UTM leader to issue formal communication unlike using political podium on national issues.
“We will take up the challenge for him to resign as he remains a ghost worker. JCSPG will issue a strong statement on Chilima’s call that only 1.9 million voters petition will make him to resign,” says Chodzi.
The the JCSPG) last month demanded resignation of Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima on insubordination, double standards.
The grouping argued that Chilima could not keep on drawing benefits from the same government which he says is corrupt.
The platform alleges that the VP is giving the wrong impression of principles of good governance in the country.
The grouping has therefore vowed spearheading campaign of making sure that he quit from government.
JCSPG says Chilima must demonstrate statesmanship by not associating with the corrupt leadership.
Below is the JCSPG full statement signed by its leader Peter Mumba;
A CALL TO THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI TO RESIGN FROM OFFICE
We, the representative of Civil Society Organizations across the country, would like to echo the continued voices of reasoning that is calling for the resignation of the Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima for his actions since he decided to leave the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and formed the United Transformation Movement (UTM).
We see the actions of Chilima as undermining the democratic governance, the Constitution of the republic of Malawi and even the Presidency of Malawi whom he is part of and sworn to protect and therefore calls for instantaneous resignation as the Vice President.
In June this year, Vice President Chilima decided to quit the party that sponsored and ushered him to the same position citing issues of corruption and nepotism in Government. Since that time, Chilima continues to draw salaries, benefits for not working which is morally wrong for a person of his caliber and smacks of a person lacking integrity.
In any other civilized democracy, if Chilima was indeed sincere, he would have resigned from the position of the Vice President of Malawi. In Countries like the UK, USA, South Africa or otherwise, when a cabinet Minister disagrees with the President or the Prime Minister, they tender their resignations even though the laws protect them from being fired. They do this to demonstrate highest level of leadership and maturity and tell the entire world that they will stand on principle.
Its only people like Chilima who have no principles and moral justification that would cling on the same Government they accuse of being corrupt, draw salaries without work, and goes about town with people that are either corrupt or answering corrupt cases in court, boost about receiving donations from people within the very same party that you accuse to be corrupt.
We know of the resignation of the British International Development Secretary Priti Patel in November 2017 after holding unauthorized meetings with Israel officials – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Similarly, Chilima has been holding meetings with people in an effort to undermine the Government of Malawi both locally and now abroad, but decides to cling on to the position of the Vice Presidency.
May we also bring to light that even the meetings that Chilima is holding in the UK are illegal and a sign of insubordination and undermines the democratically elected Government, especially coming from a Vice President of a country. We could all agree that from the notices as captured by the Chatham House, his trip is totally illegal in nature. In the history of the world, no any country, allows its officials to speak at International platforms about policy issues without authorization. The meeting that Chilima had with UK MPs including Lord Jack McConnel is ground enough for a cabinet minister in Her Majesty’s Government to resign as was the case with Priti Patel.
Similarly, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis resigned over Britain’s proposed plan for leaving the EU, which they didn’t agree with in principle. Ironically, Malawi’s Vice President while chooses to public disagree with his own Government continues to hold to the office without any compassion nor remorse.
We know that Chilima is taking advantage of the loopholes in the laws by clinging on to the position of the Vice Presidency of the republic of Malawi, and that the President has no powers to fire his own vice. We however, know very well that any person of integrity and for someone who claims higher moral authority, resigning from the office of the Vice President is ideal, if indeed he doesn’t agree with what is happening within the Government.
Chilima told the country that the ruling DPP is corrupt yet the same person was quoted and admitted on a live national TV Programmes to be getting funding for his political movement from people from the same DPP. This is not only condoning the very same corruption that Chilima was saying to be against but being complicit of the same.
Chilima has since formed a political movement United Transformation Movement (UTM) which has printed well over 500,000 T-shirts which is equivalent to MK2.5billion. The movement has managed to buy a huge fleet of cars, and spent lot of millions on its meetings. Chilima and his movement boost to have money beyond any political grouping in Malawi yet he denies to disclose the source of funding for UTM. Without disclosing the source of funding for UTM is condoning political corruption, the very same thing that Chilima said he was against when leaving the DPP.
What is also mind baffling when it comes to issues of corruption, Chilima has put together a bunch of questionable characters under UTM which include people with corruption cases in court, pending corrupt investigations, murder suspects and the politburo is full of people with criminal. Surprisingly while he is quick to point fingers at corruption of other people in other political parties, Chilima publicly backs his own corrupt crop saying that they are not yet tried in a court of law.
What we see in the actions of Chilima is a person who is trying to undermine a democratically elected Government and take over power through unconventional means. Currently he is sponsoring motions for impeachment of the President of which he will be the sore benefactor if that becomes a reality. Chilima time and again undermines the creditability of the elections system in Malawi by making unsubstantiated claims about rigging. Ironically, he is the very same person who is alleged to have been a mastermind of the voter rigging claims of the past elections, and he has said nothing to exonerate himself.
Further, there is information that Chilima has bought frequency jamming machine from South Africa in order to manipulate communication during the elections, and that the UK trip is a ploy to meet a private Israel firm to help him destabilize the elections system in Malawi. Ironically, Chilima challenges that he cannot be defeated when it comes to issues of rigging.
We see the choruses that Chilima sings about corruption as deliberate ploy to distract people from focusing on his own record and indeed those of the people surrounding him. To date there are still questions of his links to suspects of the infamous cashgate and the UTM politburo is full of people suspected to have committed corrupt cases.
It is our considered opinion that any persons, or institutions that support and entertains Chilima is against the principles of democracy. Any person that believes in the rule of law, with integrity and principles must not propagate chaos by undermining a democratically elected Government. The actions of Chilima in the last four months is a characteristic of a person who is a symbol of lawlessness. Chilima and his movement UTM hiding under court order continue to violate other people’s rights by electioneering with an institution that is illegal in Malawi.
REASONS WHY CHILIMA MUST RESIGN
1. Drawing Salary and benefits from Government without doing any work – This is tantamount to theft
2. By his own admission, he is not fighting corruption but supporting it – Chilima went on record on ZBS TV that the UTM is getting funding from the people within DPP whom he accuses to be corrupt.
3. Abusing the courts to justify illegalities – Chilima uses over 50 police officers against 6 authorized by law but cannot accept to follow what is prescribed in the law but chooses to abuse the court through orders to maintain the illegal officers at his residences and offices.
4. No respect for the laws of Malawi – By involving himself in electioneering with a group that is illegal in Malawi, Chilima has expressed disregard of the laws of Malawi
5. Acting with Impunity – Chilima continues to hold meetings both local and abroad which undermines a democratically elected Government, which is tantamount to anarchy and lawlessness
6. Lacks Integrity and moral justification – By continuing to be the country’s vice President against all the issues that Chilima talks bad about the same government, he is demonstrating highest level of lack of integrity and moral justification
7. Brave Leaders with integrity do not hide behind the ambiguity of the law – Chilima continued use of the loopholes in the law that he cannot be fired and holding on to the office of the vice President continue to portray him as a greedy politician who wants to hoodwink the country to believe he is a different caliber of politician
8. Abusing state resources for personal gains – since breaking ranks with the DPP and launching the UTM, Chilima has been crisscrossing the country on tax payers money for personal gain not in the interest of Malawians
9. Chilima needs to be held accountable – the remarks that Chilima has made as regards to elections rigging and eavesdropping machine by the Government are very dangerous coming from the Vice President of the country. That Chilima doesn’t want to provide evidence on the same puts to question his character as a leader and hence the need for him to resign
10. More tax payers money will be wasted – This country needs a functioning Vice President. With Chilima’s self-imposed absence from the Government, President Mutharika might be forced to appoint a second vice President.
This is a drain on the resources and tax payers as they have to pay for two vice presidents with one not functioning. If indeed Chilima stands on reforms was that people must be paid for their work and performance, he can do this country good by resigning and concentrate on his political ambitions.
Signed by PETER MUMBA, CHAIRPERSON – JCSPG
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