LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Some of the country’s concerned citizens on Wednesday expressed sadness over personalization of demonstrations the way are currently being conducted.
The grouping has observed that the current anti-Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Dr. Jane Ansah demonstrations are out of years back ploy for regime change.
The grouping chairperson Phillip Kamangirah told news conference in the capital Lilongwe that as much demonstration is a right enshrined in the country’s supreme law of the land, some individuals are using it for personal interests than the actual agenda.
Kamangirah disclosed that he has evidence that current demonstration are out malice just bring down President Peter Mutharika’s Democratic Progressive Party government.
The grouping has therefore called up for all concerned parties to embrace dialogue for peace.
This comes a head Thursday’s national-wide demos that aimed at forcing MEC chair Ansah to resign over May 21 polls’s fraud that ended opposition parties challenging the results in court.
Below is part of THE CONCERNED CITIZENS statement:
CALL TO CONTINUED DIALOGUE AND PEACE BUILDING We members of the Concerned Citizens STEERED by our private conscious, a national call to the service of our country, in and conventional HEEDFUL of our civic duties and common humanity BEARING IN MIND objectives set forth in the Constitution of the Republic Malawi COGNIZANT of our duty to develop and utilize our social and temporal gifts to spear-heard peace building, Social Justice and democracy, preserve dignity, observation of the rule of Law and to strengthen the bonds of unity DISTINGUISHING the need for organized leadership and stewardship for the proper conduct and practice of our affair of heart, yet we have seen a lot of things going the wrong way.
To begin with, we would like to register our disappointment following the results of recent efforts that were made by His Excellency Dr. Bakili Muluzi who in his capacity as the Former Head of State saw it necessary to initiate the process of dialogue for peace building with Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) In all manners of fairness, this should be commended as a very good step towards peace building process.
We all know that differences are inevitable as far as societal matters are concerned. However, it is also said that no matter how a good dancer you are, there must be a time to leave the stage.
While we all know that demonstrations are part of constitutional rights as stipulated in the Republican Constitution, it must also be known that every right must be enjoyed with responsibilities.
We cannot afford to see our school going children being psychologically traumatized and fail to enjoy their right to education just because others are demonstrating every week.
We cannot afford to see property being damaged in the name of demonstrations. We cannot afford to see innocent citizens being humiliated and victimized in the name of demonstrations. We cannot afford to see business disrupted every week just because others are demonstrating. We cannot afford to lose lives in the name of demonstrations.
We cannot afford to see issues of ethnocentrism getting their pick on the basis of demonstrations. We cannot afford to see banks closed and some damaged in the name of demonstrations. We cannot afford to see government offices burned to ashes in the name of demonstrations.
We call upon the Government, Opposition Parties, and the HRDC to have conscious and wear a human face for the progress of this country. We call upon these stakeholders to promote the spirit of dialogue so that the peace we have enjoyed over the years can continue.
We also believe that man problems need man solutions. What is wrong in sitting down together and find a resolution on these matters than opting for violence every day? Is this the Malawi we want to create for the next generations? We are so much baffled. Our hearts are bleeding for the peace we have chosen to ignore.
We further call upon the dialoguing parties to refrain from grandstanding and earnestly pursue amicable solution to the issue at hand.
What we observe yesterday was nothing but promotion of egos from people that want to save their face than putting national interest. May both parties to the dialogue continue in the path taken so far.
Signed CHAIRPERSON
Phillip Kamangirah