Asian community accuses NRB of discrimination
A group of Malawians of Asian origin has lodged a complaint with the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) for what they call unfair treatment and discrimination they are experiencing in the ongoing national identity (ID) cards registration programme.
Six representatives of the concerned Malawians of Asian origin, who held a meeting in camera with MHRC officials yesterday, said they are facing challenges when they want to register as National Registration Bureau (NRB) officers manning registration centres refuse to register them.
During the meeting, the concerned members also tasked MHRC to interpret the meaning of the term ‘indigenous Malawians’ which they said is normally used when issues of citizenship arise.
Our efforts to talk to the complainants proved futile.
However, speaking to journalists after the meeting, MHRC executive secretary David Nungu said the people wanted fair treatment despite their skin colour.
He said most of them were born in Malawi and so were their forefathers.
Nungu said MHRC will take appropriate action once it is through with consultations on the matter.
“We have received the complaint from our fellows, who had three issues presented to us, one on challenges they are facing when registering for national IDs. They said they are told to register in Blantyre only at the district commissioner’s office. [They also raised] the issue of the definition of ‘indigenous Malawian’ and the treatment they get whenever they are doing their business,” he said.
However, NRB spokesperson Norman Fulatira denied that Malawians of Asian origin are being refused an opportunity to register.
He said registration is open to all Malawians and that those who are finding it difficult to register should go to the nearest district commissioner’s office to get registered.
“There are procedures that are to be followed in the registration centres. Our officers are told what to do whenever they are not convinced. No one has been refused to register, they are sent to the DC’s office just for verification. [We are] not discriminating them per se,” he said. n
awuzeni adzibweretsa ziphaso za kumalawi ndi zina zotero ngati afuna alembetse
.. koma thats what happens in south africa in early 1990s anthu ambiri adalembetsa koma sadali ma citizens therefore autoimatically adakhala ma citizens mo bela ena mwa genuine ..
koma discrimination ikuyenera kukhalapo ndipo amene wakanizawo sadalakwe becsuse afuna zinthu zilongosoke … can you do that in saud arabia, quatar, bharain india or pakistan iraqu? zinatu kumawona….. NRBH yoso idziwon .. mu EUROPE WE FACE similar discrimations, human rights mu europe at times sigwira ntchito.. ndukamba zomwe takhala tuona and what malawians faces abroad.
These people they should bring proper documentation such as passport to get NI.. THATS IT