Chiefs petition President on strikes

Traditional leaders from across the country, led by paramount chiefs, yesterday petitioned President Peter Mutharika to fire striking public service employees.

Chief Secretary to the Government George Mkondiwa received the petition in Blantyre on behalf of the President and promised to forward it to Mutharika.

Present during the presentation ceremony were Paramount Chief Kyungu of Karonga, Paramount Chief Lundu of Chikwawa, Inkosi ya Makosi M’Mbelwa V of the Jere Ngoni in Mzimba and representatives of Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani V of the Maseko Ngoni in Ntcheu.

In total, there were 92 traditional leaders comprising senior chiefs, traditional authorities (T/As) and group village heads besides the paramount chiefs.

Reads the petition in part: “Chiefs, together with their people, are asking the President of Malawi to direct that all government workers who defy government orders to return to work must be fired without compensation. The chiefs believe that there are many people in this country who are unemployed and yet have appropriate qualifications and experience.”

The chiefs wondered why the public servants are demanding higher pay when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has been in power for only a few months.

They fear that others will follow in striking for higher pay, thus making the whole country chaotic.

In recent months, there have been strikes by Judiciary support staff, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) employees and University of Malawi (Unima) support staff demanding improved packages.

But reacting to the chiefs’ position, Judiciary spokesperson Mlenga Mvula said the traditional leaders have no legal mandate to call on government to fire them.

Said Mvula: “They [chiefs] have no legal mandate to call for our dismissal. I am sure they made that call out of ignorance because they do not know why we are on strike. We are calling upon government to tell the chiefs why we are on strike.”

Before presenting the petition to Mkondiwa, the chiefs marched from outside the Malawi Blood Transfusion Services (MBTS) offices in Mount Pleasant to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) in the Government Building in Blantyre.

Kyungu and Senior Chief Lukwa read English and Chichewa petitions respectively. The two denied that politics forced them to write the petition.

Meanwhile, government spokesperson Kondwani Nankhumwa denied suggestions that Capital Hill has a hand in coordinating chiefs to write the petition and take it to Blantyre.