Joint Civil Society Platform on Governance (JCSPG)
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-One of the country’s civil society under the banner Joint Civil Society Platform on Governance (JCSPG) is calling stakeholder to desist from undermining delivery of justice that will likely to disrupt credibility of May 21 polls.
The call comes amid political mudslinging among political parties, religious groups and some CSOs ahead of the polls in the next three weeks.
JCSPG therefore called all political players must exercise caution on how to campaign and deliver promises so as not to undermine the electoral processes. As CSOs, we have trust in the electoral system.
Addressing the news conference on Friday in the capital Lilongwe, the grouping urged Malawians not be misled by actions and utterances of people who aims at disrupting the elections in order to create anarchy and voter apathy.
“The elections will be delivered free, fair and in a credible manner and the outcome will be the wishes of Malawians.
“The religious leaders should play a peace building role and unifying factor than a partisan role which would instigate violence,” reads the statement.
Below is the full JCSPG statement;
NO TO UNDERMINING THE DELIVERY OF JUSTICE IN ORDER TO DISRUPT THE CREDIBILITY OF THE ELECTION PROCESS
by JOINT CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM ON GOVERNANCE
Introduction
We, the Civil Society Leaders have noted with concerns that there are issues emerging in the country which is undermining the delivery of justice, rule of law with the views to disrupt the delivery of a credible elections in 2019. There are actions and utterances that have happened in just recent past that raises concerns over the credibility of the May 2019 elections which needs to stop and dealt with decisively. In this regard therefore, we will address two critical issues that have occurred, which have a strong bearing on the future of this country. One is to do with the actions on the persons with albinism (PWA) and the other on the allegations of election process. All these are interrelated.
Conspiracy to implicate the President
We are shocked with the audio recording that has gone viral on the social media purportedly to be the voice of Chairperson of Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), Mr. Timothy Mtambo. Within the audio, there are indicators that Mr. Mtambo has interfered with the work of the Commission of Inquiry on the abductions, and killings of people with albinism with support from the country’s vice President, Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima.
What is shocking, is the fact that this audio comes on the background, that a grouping of persons with albinism based in Blantyre made a very damning calls to have Mr. Mtambo and HRDC be investigated and held accountable for their actions on the issue. As CSOs we conducted a follow up and established several facts that are pointing to a process which aims at implicating the President, the Government of Malawi in order to facilitate regime change which has a bearing on the electoral process.
We are in possession of evidence and eye witness account of the conspiracy between the Vice President and HRDC Chairperson on the issues to do with persons with albinism. This is very disturbing because it questions the greater role that the two and their accomplices have played in the abduction, and killings of people with albinism. What is coming out clear, is the element that the issues of PWA is considered to be an election issue and planned as political game changer which unfortunately has not worked as planned.
To this effect, the HRDC Chairperson hijacked and took over the planned vigils from the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) upon being supported by Chilima a thing that a source from within the UTM and HRDC have collaborated. For the purpose of the public, we have a recording from within the HRDC which alludes to the fact that Chilima provided K5million for the vigils, and also UTM member Mrs. Kondwani Kulemeka who provided K2milion and Mrs. Callista Mutharika who also provided K2million according to the source.
When the outcome of the vigils were not as envisaged, a plan was put in motion which aimed at implicating the President in order to disrupt the elections as people would be angry with the Government. This started with bribing of family members of the arrested suspects on the killing of Masambuka in Machinga. The plan started by coaxing the suspects to create audios and written evidence against the Government as they were promised that before May 21, the Government would fall and will be pardoned and given clemency.
We have established for a fact that the issues raised by Poor and Concerned Persons with Albinism (PACPWA) in their statement on what HRDC Chairperson did in Zomba and Machinga to be true and factual and we challenge anything to the contrary. Evidence and recordings have emerged on how monetary gains were used to coax the suspects and their family members in order for them to implicate the President.
We challenge Mr. Mtambo in the audio where he claims HRDC met the wife of Chileka at Domasi Prison as false. The evidence we have indicates that they went to the residence of Mrs. Chileka and not only once but several occasions. We have also noted that Mr. Mtambo talks with authority on the work of the Commission of Inquiry which is very shocking. First the work of the Commission is private and confidential, therefore for him to know what documents, evidence the commission has is not only an indicator that he has someone inside giving information, but also questions the credibility of the Commission.
Sources from within the HRDC have indicated and it’s put on record in the audio which is available to us, that within the commission, there are one or two individuals who are confiding to Mr. Mtambo all evidence and submissions that are being made to the commission. Such submissions led to him, turning down the invitation to appear before the Commission because he was forewarned that he might be compromised based on the evidence that was before the Commission.
To this extent, as alluded in the audio, Mr. Mtambo has hatched a plan to create propaganda against the Commission. The propaganda seeks to stress as a preemptive measure that the Commission has been influenced to implicate him, Mr. Gift Trapence, Chilima and Bishop Msusa. It is sad that this is trying to defeat the delivery of justice and already his utterances and actions put the Commission into discredit.
Undermining the Elections Process
We further note that Vice President Chilima continues to undermine the delivery of the electoral process in Malawi. This is also further consolidated by the claims from HRDC that insinuate any victory for the ruling party will be as a result of rigging. In his attempt to discredit the ruling party, it is evident through his political utterances that the electoral results of the 2014 were rigged. This is sad, because we believe that elections are full proof, free and fair.
What the leader of the UTM who happens to be the Vice President is doing, is sowing seeds for anarchy and is creating fear among Malawians. Further this is promoting mistrust in the electoral process and MEC ability to deliver free, fair and credible elections. This if not checked will lead to voter apathy as we have already noted sentiments from various sectors of the society on no need to vote as elections are already rigged. At worst, the sentiments will lead to violence and civil strife before and after the elections.
On Chilima’s claims about the torched MEC warehouse in 2014 sounds more of a raving of a mad person who just want to sound relevant. If indeed what Chilima said is true, then he is not fit to run the highest Office of Malawi, let alone run for the presidency. It only means that for the last 5 years, Chilima has defeated the delivery of justice and he is criminally culpable in this offence. If he wants us to take him seriously, let him first apologise for being part and parcel and the prime beneficiary of his alleged 2014 rigged elections, second he must immediately RESIGN as the Vice President because holding on to the position which he claims to have acquired fraudulently, undermines his integrity.
Prayers for Peaceful Elections
We are aware that on 4th May 2019, there is an interfaith prayers for peaceful elections in Malawi by Public Affairs Committee (PAC). This is a commendable and positive way in terms of consolidating a peaceful elections in the country. However, we would like to raise reservations on whether the prayers would achieve the intended purposes.
First, some of the religious leaders to be involved in the prayers have already taken a partisan stand for or against a certain political grouping and candidates which puts to question already their neutrality in the elections. Furthermore some of the religious leaders are in support and condone leaders whose utterances can lead this country into violence. Therefore these prayers would be deemed futile with the current state of partisan infiltration within the faith community. We would not be surprised if other political and opinion leaders shun away from these prayers as they are viewed to be done as a formality.
Our Calls;
Based on the a foregoing, we make the following calls;
- HRDC and Chilima must stop undermining the delivery of justice and electoral processes in Malawi. May we advise HRDC, that if they want regime change, the 21st May provides an opportunity for them to campaign for their preferred candidate legally, than employ and adopt means which boarders on criminality.
- Chilima and HRDC must fight President Peter Mutharika, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and others fair and square. Creating propaganda, information with malicious intent, conspiracy to defeat justice will not in any way usher them to power but rather expose them negatively. Truth and honest should be the backbone of this election process.
- The Commission of Inquiry on issues of Persons with Albinism, must clean its house as the audio by Mtambo shows that it’s infiltrated and some of the commissioners are sharing evidence to outsiders which put the whole commission and its findings into question.
- All political players must exercise caution on how to campaign and deliver promises so as not to undermine the electoral processes. As CSOs, we have trust in the electoral system.
- Malawians must not be misled by actions and utterances of people who aims at disrupting the elections in order to create anarchy and voter apathy. The elections will be delivered free, fair and in a credible manner and the outcome will be the wishes of Malawians.
- The religious leaders should play a peace building role and unifying factor than a partisan role which would instigate violence.
May the best candidates WIN!
Signed by
CHAIRPERSON – JCSPG