Central, Northern demo committees also split

As the drama continues in the organisation of Thursday’s demonstrations, organisers in the Central and Northern Region committees on Tuesday also announced that they have withdrawn from the protests.

In separate interviews, regional committee chairperson Chrispin Kazaki, and Harrison Banda of the Northen Region committee announced that they have joined their colleagues, led by the national committee spokesperson Kingsley Mabalani, in pursuing dialogue with government.

The announcement from the two committee members follows the withdrawal of chairperson of the organising committee in the South MacXiting Mdoka on Monday.

However, in an interview, Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito, whose organisation is planning the demonstrations said he does not know Kazaki and Banda.

Kazaki said some of the committee members had a meeting where they agreed to follow the dialogue path as suggested by Mabalani.

“Although it is clear that some people are not agreeing with the suggestion, we think dialogue is the best and that will give government extra days to work on the issues that were raised in the petition,” he said.

Banda, on the other hand, claimed that at least 20 members of the regional organising committee, who most of them are members of Mabalani’s Network for Patriots (Nepa), have withdrawn from the demonstrations in the region.

“As chairperson of the regional committee, I have already told the other members of the decision we have made,” he said.

However, one of the organisers in the North Isaac Gondwe, who claimed not to know Banda, maintained that the demonstrations are still on the region as planned.

Meanwhile, just a day after some car dealers said they will take part in the demonstrations scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday), another group also claiming to be members of the same Importers of Used Cars Association (IUSA), has said the group has not agreed anything on the demonstrations and that they will not be part of it.

In an interview on Tuesday Elias Denis, who led almost 11 members of the group who came to Nation Publications Limited (NPL) offices in Lilongwe, said although the car dealers have several problems which needs the attention of government, they will have other means of expressing their issues and not through the coming protest.

“Those who would want to do it, will do it on their own and not under the umbrella of our association,” he said.