LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi Watch Executive Director who is also—a social-political activist, Billy Banda was on Friday reportedly forced out of a meeting in which Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Goodall Gondwe, was engaging Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) over the controversial MK4 billion at Capital Hill for apparently “gate-crushing.”

This happened as Banda was not among the invitees to the meeting.

The finance Minister Gondwe is the one who proposed that the meeting should take place with the CSOs.

The addressee in his invitation letter was Youth and Society Executive Director Charles Kajoloweka and copied to Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) led by Gift Trapence and Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation (CHRR) of Timothy Mtambo.

Trapence, a popular human rights activist and also CEDEP executive director, who attended the meeting, confirmed the development.

The CEDEP director therefore observed that it was not a surprising matter.

“Its true that Banda was chased out of the meeting. Before the meeting, we noticed there was an intruder and asked the Minister [Gondwe] to let him go.

They politely asked the person not to be in the meeting. Banda therefore complied and left. CSOs will always be divided. But we are principled and shall always stand for the voiceless. We are not opportunists,” Trapence said.