Bon Kalindo, Redson Munlo and company denied permission to demonstrate tomorrow for resignation of President Chakwera

* The Council called for a meeting to address concerns from Malawi Police Service

* And see if an amendment could be met to the demonstrations under Section 99 of the same Police Act

* But Kalindo and Munlo made it clear that discussions are not possible and the meeting should not proceed

By Duncan Mlanjira

Bon Kalindo, Redson Munlo and others as leaders of concerned citizens calling themselves Malawi First, have been denied permission by Lilongwe District Council to hold demonstrations in the Capital City scheduled for tomorrow, September 30 calling for resignation of President Lazarus Chakwera.

A letter signed by the District Commioner (DC), Lawford Palani — copied to Lilongwe City Council Chief Executive Officer; Secretary for Local Government and Central Region Commissioner of Police — bases Section 101 of the Police Act for the Council’s decision.

The DC informs the demonstrators that his office received letters from Lilongwe Model and Lingadzi Police Stations advising the Council “to prohibit the proposed demonstrations”.

“In accordance with Section 101 of the Police Act, our office callled for a meeting with all stakeholders to address concerns from Malawi Police Service and see if an amendment could be met to the demonstrations under Section 99 of the same Police Act.

“As it turns out, after reading out the letters from the Officer-in-Charge (Lilongwe and Lingadzi), you made your positions clear that discussions are not possible and the meeting should not proceed.

“It is against this background that our office proceeds to prohibit the demonstrations on the basis of the reasons contained in the letters from Malawi Police Service that you have opted not to address in response.”

Plans to hold demonstrations by Munlo for the resignation of the President — or call for a referendum on whether or not his leadership should continue — started last year, but flopped on September 29 after scores of people had pitched up.

The demonstrations were also meant to force Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima to leave office along Chakwera over alleged incompetence.

Earlier this year, Kalindo, Munlo and Phunziro Mvula also planned to lead mass demonstrations in all parts of the country to demand the President’s resignation, Secretary to the President & Cabinet, Colleen Zamba and the Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda.

They are maintaining that Chakwera should resign because he has shown lack of leadership and Malawians are suffering under his admnistration while on Zamba and Chakaka Nyirenda should also step down because they had shown to be compromised.

This followed the Attorney General’s attempts to recover the money that was paid to a butchery for the purchase of AIP fertilizer and also accused government, through Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) of distributing maize to people in affluent areas of Lilongwe such as Area 25  instead of where there are poor people.