Press Statement
Lilongwe, 18 February, 2020
KEEP YOUR WORD, LET MALAWI MOVE ON
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has noted with regret the retrogressive path the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took on Monday, February 17, 2020 in Blantyre by demonstrating against the constitutional court ruling which they earlier pledged to accept.
CDEDI would like to condemn DPP’s conduct to take to the streets protesting the February 3, 2020 ruling after pledging to accept the outcome of the same on more than one occasion.
DPP followers in particular and Malawians in general and indeed the general public may recall that the DPP Secretary General (SG) Grezeder Jeffery on behalf of the party president Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika signed a peace pact which the Center for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) facilitated.
Apart from pending her signature on the peace pact, Jeffrey has had her voice recorded making the same pledge alongside SGs for the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) UTM, the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the People’s Party (PP).
Secondly, Jeffrey and DPP Youth Director Daiton Mussa earned themselves praises from CDEDI and peace loving Malawians when they convened a press briefing calling upon their members in general and the youth in particular to maintain peace and order and follow the court proceedings from within the confinement of their homes.
Thirdly, the DPP Director of Elections Dr. Ben Phiri, who is also the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, told DPP supporters in his Thyolo Central Constituency in particular and the general members to register in their large numbers to vote in an event that the elections are nullified.
What CDEDI and many Malawians fail to understand is the sudden change of heart in the governing DPP. Can we therefore call upon peace loving individuals to raise their heads in denouncing this untrustworthiness clearly demonstrated through the protests?
Although it can be argued that it is a constitutional right to hold peaceful demonstrations, DPP as an institution that appreciates the need for trust, should have known the significance of keeping its commitment to the people let alone its membership.
CDEDI would also like to condemn DPP for displaying placards that carried highly insensitive messages with the potential to escalate tension in these volatile situations.
We urge DPP President who is currently Malawi leader Prof. Peter Mutharika to come out in the open to distance himself from such shameful acts before Malawians start making their own conclusions.
Finally, CDEDI would like to reiterate its earlier stand that it will stop at nothing in exposing attempts to disturb the country’s peace which is the only thing that Malawians both the poor and the rich share in common.
At the same time CDEDI is reminding all politicians in the country that none is bigger than Malawi, therefore Malawians will not stop and watch at selfish individuals attempting to derail social and economic development for personal gains.
The current political impasse should not be allowed to continue since it has the potential to erode all the social and economic gains the country registered for many years.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CDEDI is a non partisan, nongovernmental organization that was established with a goal to have a well-informed and organized citizenry that can ably demand their social and economic rights at the same time hold duty bearers accountable for their actions.
Among many others CDEDI aims at sensitizing the masses on matters of national importance, inculcate the spirit of a peaceful coexistence among people of different ethnic, political and religious affiliations; provide civic education on people’s rights and responsibilities in economic independence and contribution towards national development and lobbying for the electoral law reforms.
SIGNED
SYLVESTER NAMIWA
ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
0993462700
