BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) urges well-meaning Malawians who doubles as voters and taxpayers to stop entertaining the mediocrity and cluelessness being exhibited by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and his Tonse Alliance administration that has plunged the country in total chaos.
In a statement that is in our possession signed by CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa says it is irresistible that the writing is clear on the wall that Malawians have not received the value of their court-sanctioned June 23 2020 presidential election.
Namiwa pin points that the harsh reality is that President Chakwera has turned out not to be the visionary servant-leader he promised to be.
“He is someone who finds pleasure in creating storm in a cup of tea in search of cheap political praise from his hand-clappers under the guise of solving such problems, instead of directing his energy and time in finding solutions to myriad challenges facing the people he took oath to serve,” says Namiwa.
The CDEDI Executive Director has expressed sadness on how the President is handling the shameful acts over the arrest of the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Martha Chizuma, on allegations that she has broken the oath of secrecy.
“The classic example is the matter surrounding Chizuma’s arrest which is such straight forward that it does not require institution of a commission of inquiry, whose involvement will not come cheap. To begin with, going by Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo’s statement in Parliament, which insinuated that Chakwera was not aware of anything surrounding Chizuma’s arrest, it strongly confirms that the President has either lost the grip of power or the country has someone or a group of people that is more powerful than him,” highlighted Namiwa.
He suggests that, in a normal situation, the President should have not talk about, and later proceed to form a commission of inquiry.
“This is shameful, to say the least. And, by insisting that he was not aware of the developments, it is cause for worry to the public as the matter raises serious security lapses, for which the President should have even blinked twice before firing the Director General of the National Intelligence Service, the Minister of Homeland Security, the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of Justice. But he has chosen to insult the intelligence of Malawians by merely suspending the Director of Public Prosecutions Dr. Steven Kayuni. Actually, just suspending him is not enough, he should have been arrested and interdicted,” he said.
Namiwa has reminded Malawians that Chakwera is never a promise keeper and has since given an example of the situation whereby President Chakwera is still sitting on the Public Sector Reforms Report, as well as the findings of the inquest on the killings of people with albinism.
“Now, in all good reasoning, why should Malawians trust him this time around that he will let them know the results of the inquiry into Chizuma’s arrest? Is this not a waste of time, energy and taxpayers’ money, which must be avoided by a leader who wishes his/her country well,” queries Namiwa.
He said following previous circumstances, CDEDI finds it reasonable to caution the President against dragging the respected and upright thinking Malawians he has appointed in the commission of inquiry into disrepute.
“Surely, we at CDEDI wonder, if first approached, anyone of them would have accepted to be party to this mediocre way of handling this very straight forward matter. It is a foregone conclusion that the call for the inquiry is but a face-saver,”
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s civil rights group Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has rebuked Malawi Central Bank, Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) governor Dr Wilson Banda for purportedly allowed the leakage of the political-motivated forensic audit against his predecessor Dr. Dalitso Kabambe.
CDEDI has taken a swipe at Banda for keeping quite on the leaked audit in social media on Dr. Kabambe’s salary.
The grouping has questioned the legality of the audit firm Deliotte reporting directly to him instead of the central bank board.
addressing the news conference in the capital Lilongwe on Monday, December 28, 2020 CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa therefore demanded, “Banda’s office to issue a statement to give the general public accurate information or risk being labelled as an accomplice in all this”
Namiwa questions, “The reason why the auditors are reporting to you directly as the RBM Governor, when the standard governance practices demand that the Chief Internal Auditor (CIA) oversees the audit process and reports directly to the Board.
Namiwa on the right
“Prove us wrong that politics has taken centre stage at the RBM since information is being leaked while the external auditor is doing their job.”
He added, “CDEDI is looking forward to hearing from you, sir, in the next seven days on the issues that have been raised in this letter. You may also wish to know that this matter has attracted huge public interest and anxiety on whether or not the man at the helm of the monetary policy has the required integrity, competency and trust to steer the ship to safe waters or sink the same.
There was no immediate reaction of the Central Bank Governor Banda on CDEDI petition.
On Saturday, December 26, 2020 the Maravi Post exposed Tonse administration’s purportedly political-motivated forensic audit against Malawi’s former Central Bank Governor Kabambe.
Below is the full CDEDI letter to RBM Governor Banda:
RE: VIOLATION OF THE RESERVE BANK OF MALAWI (RBM) ACT
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) writes you, sir, in reaction to your deafening silence over recent developments surrounding the central bank’s information making rounds in the social media.
To begin with, CDEDI would like to remind you that you are the current occupant of a public office that was established by the Reserve Bank of Malawi Act of 1989 with a very clear code of conduct to be respected and adhered to, including a very clear channel for communication. Additionally, it is worth pointing out right at the beginning that the RBM, just like any other bank is a corporate body with integrity to protect.
That said, CDEDI and indeed all well-meaning Malawians are aware that there is a forensic audit going on at the bank whose report will be out by February 2021.
However, before even the draft report is released, bits and pieces of the same have already found their way into the social media outlets. It is even mind boggling to note that you sir, and the whole communications team have kept quite pretending nothing has found its way out of the central bank’s custody.
This development leaves us with an impression that those people leaking the information are doing so under your watch, and to be raw, we believe this is a calculated move targeting specific individuals from one region and tribe, a very clear case of selective application of justice which CDEDI is vehemently advocating against.
Sir, as you are reading this letter, information regarding your salary and that of your Predecessor Dr. Dalitso Kabambe is in the public domain, a development that is raising serious questions as to whether or not the bank must cough over MK180 million on external audit only to establish salaries of RBM Governor and a few other employees?
How would you explain a situation where people outside the RBM have privileged information including knowing the agenda and venues for the bank’s meetings and employment contracts?
How credible would the forensic audit be, given the manner in which it is being handled? Since banks handle information in their day to day work around highly confidential and rather very sensitive information, how would the RBM stakeholders including commercial banks trust a Governor who is an alleged accomplice in the leakage of information from the Central Bank?
All these issues put to question your suitability to steer the RBM ship and undermine the Governor’s role as a Registrar of Financial Institutions.
Secondly, CDEDI would like to bring to your attention part V section 6 of the RBM act subsection 3 which states that to ensure continuity, appointments and reappointments into the board shall be made in a such a way that at least one-half of the number of directors shall continue to serve on the board.
Since highly confidential information is already in the public domain, and in the interest of transparency and accountability, CDEDI is challenging you sir, to inform the nation with proof that the RBM board did not violate its own act on the composition of the board.
Thirdly, Sir, CDEDI would like to draw your attention to section 4 (a) subsection 2 of the RBM act which talks of the independence of the bank, thus: “Any person who improperly seeks to influence the bank, or a director or employee of the Bank in its performance of its or his functions, commits an offence shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine of K1,000,000 and imprisonment for four years.” It is against this background that CDEDI would like to seek your clarification on the following:
The reason why the Chief Internal Auditor had reservations with the hiring of Deliotte as external auditors to do forensic audit;
The reason why the auditors are reporting to you directly as the RBM Governor, when the standard governance practices demand that the Chief Internal Auditor (CIA) oversees the audit process and reports directly to the Board;
Prove us wrong that politics has taken centre stage at the RBM since information is being leaked while the external auditor is doing their job;
Explain the deafening silence from your office at a time when private and confidential information has been leaked and is now in the public domain;
Explain why your office has accepted information such as your salary and that of your predecessor’s to be in the public domain when such information is supposed to be private and confidential;
Explain why your office has chosen to use your entry salary as cap, to force officers with running contracts adjust their salaries in line with the cap. This is against existing salary structure within the bank, and if anything, it requires a review of the entire salary structure in order to achieve fairness as it were. You cannot isolate a few positions with employment contracts within the bank and force them to take salary cuts without any justifiable structure reviews, without consent of the individuals; this is against the labour laws. The Bank ought to explain the reasons why people must take a salary cut, otherwise that’s an illegal move on the part of the Bank.
CDEDI is, therefore, demanding your office to issue a statement to give the general public accurate information or risk being labelled as an accomplice in all this.
CDEDI is looking forward to hearing from you, sir, in the next seven days on the issues that have been raised in this letter. You may also wish to know that this matter has attracted huge public interest and anxiety on whether or not the man at the helm of the monetary policy has the required integrity, competency and trust to steer the ship to safe waters or sink the same.
frustrated citizens against Chakwera’s Tonse government
By Chifundo Nedi
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse administration has been given a week to address citizens concerns or face national wide demonstration and vigils.
The ultimatum comes after frustrated citizens under the banner Centre for Democracy and Economic Initiatives (CDEDI) on Friday, December 18, 2020 demonstrated against President Chakwera’s impunity and arrogance.
Among key issues Chakwera has failed to address including foreign nationals who are alleged of conducting small businesses instead of leaving them to locals, increase of fuel price, hotel gate scandal, and salary increment for Members of Parliament (MPs).
Addressing the press after presenting the petition to Lilongwe City Council Chief Executive Officer, John Chome, CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa warned that if Chakwera will not address the raised issue within seven days, the going is to call for national demonstration and vigils.
“President Lazarus Chakwera has decided to keep quite on State house Crossroads scandal, the other issue is that of the landless people in Mulanje and Thyolo whose lands were grabbed by white settlers and the fuel price increase.
“So we are reminding the President to tackle these issues. We have given him seven days to act on the issues otherwise will take another step of vigils and national wide demonstrations,” warned Namiwa
In his remarks after receiving the petition,Chome lauded demonstrators for peaceful protest.
He therefore assured them that the petition will be send Chakwera for concerns response.
Prior to June 23, polls Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and it’s parteners in the alliance promised part of Heaven in Hell for Malawians but nothing has been done since then.
One of the protesters Jacob Banda said Tonse alliance government has lost people’s trust because of it’s lies. He said time for leaders to take people for granted is over. He said as was the case during the previous regime Malawians will not keep quite when the government failing in its obligations.
While Ayami Nkhono Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member said Malawians who protested against the former administration will keep their eyes open when government is failing in it’s duties.
He said the same measurement Chakwera and Chilima used against Mutharika would be used against the current administration.
While MCP member who opted for anonymity said the current government seems not concerned with the plight of Malawians.
He said if the government was serious it could not allow legislature to hike their allowances and salaries at the time most Malawians are facing chronic economic challenges.
“I am MCP, but before that I was Malawian, so I should not support the party at the time it is oppressing us,” he said.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) joins the band wagon of wishing good will and congratulating the Tonse Alliance Presidential candidate Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and his running mate Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima for their well deserved victory in the just ended Fresh Presidential Elections (FPE) held on June 23, 2020.
In a press statement CDEDI said that “it is not the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), or the UTM or any of the nine Political parties that formed the Tonse Alliance that has won. And neither is it the Chewas or any other tribe that has won. But rather, it is Malawians themselves that have won.
CDEDI Acting Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa says, “CDEDI would be failing in their duty if they do not congratulate the current cohort of Commissioners for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), led by Judge Dr. Chifundo Kachali for hitting the ground running as clearly demonstrated by their working around the clock to ensure that Malawians vote within a period of 14 days from the day the Commission was ushered into office. And appeal to the new leaders to immediately invest a lot of time and energy in rebuilding the Malawi one nation dream”.
“CDEDI, just like all well-meaning Malawians are of the view that both Dr. Chakwera and Dr. Chilima have no luxury of honey moon since they have inherited a country that has been at a standstill for over a year now, and it really requires a lot of fixing. The immediate challenges topping the list being national unity, peace building and reconciliation!” He explained
CDEDI warned those who owe loyalty allegiance to the DPP in the public service to desist from any attempts to frustrate the government’s effort to fix the dirt and the rot that might be found.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) on Friday, June 19, 2020 accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President Peter Mutharika and former Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Dr. Jane Ansah of being behind the ill-preparedness for the fresh polls by the electoral body.
CDEDI Acting Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa made the accusation in a statement made available to The Maravi Post.
“CDEDI believes President Mutharika and Justice Ansah should be held responsible for any challenge that may arise due to the state of preparedness the electoral body has found itself in. In addition, Malawians should hold President Mutharika and Dr. Ansah personally responsible for all the shortcomings and bottlenecks that may hamper the smooth running of the FPE,” said Namiwa.
Namiwa however hailed new MEC commissioners for working hard in preparing for the Fresh Presidential polls.
“CDEDI would like to congratulate the current cohort of Commissioners for the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), led by Judge Dr. Chifundo Kachale for hitting the ground running as clearly demonstrated by their working around the clock! This is a classic example of patriotism.
“It is also re-assuring to note that Members of Parliament (MPs) did their part by ensuring that a date is fixed for the fresh polls. CDEDI is aware of the alleged futile attempts by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to frustrate the process in the August House,” he added.
Malawi will hold fresh Presidential polls on June 23, 2020.
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