CSOs propose black Monday
Civil society organisations (CSOs) under the umbrella of the Grand Coalition plan to launch ‘black Monday’ when people will be required to dress in black, symbolising a nation in mourning.
The CSOs say the appeal goes to all civil servants, the public, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) community, chiefs and all Malawians in general in pursuit of an accountable government in the wake of “the now stinking high-level corruption”.
Further, the CSOs have streamlined their demands of October 2 2013 for the Joyce Banda administration to act within 30 days, to a more specific seven days performance indicators.
Reads a statement presented at a news conference yesterday: “We are demanding that within one week of Her Excellency’s arrival from New York or wherever she may be, should do the following things for purposes of conducting proper and credible investigation.”
Among the demands, the CSOs reiterated the call for President Joyce Banda to fire Minister of Finance Ken Lipenga and Chief Secretary to the Government Hawa Ndilowe.
“The demands are realistic in our view the basis being that she must be seen as doing something radically by holding the bull by its horns and not the tail,” said Voice Mhone, board chairperson of the Council for Non-Governmental Organisations in Malawi (Congoma).
The CSOs also joined other quarters who have condemned Ndilowe’s remarks over the weekend that the reported cases of financial looting at Capital Hill was a breakthrough and not a crisis.
Over the weekend, Ndilowe refused to resign , saying what the public is seeing are works of her and government’s hard work towards ridding the public service of financial mismanagement.
“This is a breakthrough. It would have been a crisis if it was something big coming as a surprise and we are not in control,” she said.
The CSOs have also called on JB to fire or interdict heads of institutions or controlling officers who have allegedly neglected their duties.
The concerned are in the Reserve Bank of Malawi, Accountant General Office, Secretary to the Treasury, budget director (former and current), and officers responsible or connected to management of the suspended Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis).
The President is scheduled to return home tomorrow through Chileka International Airport in Blantyre, according to the State House Press Office.
In a statement yesterday, presidential press secretary Steven Nhlane said: “Her Excellency Dr Joyce Banda, President of the Republic of Malawi, returns home on Wednesday, 9 October, 2013 from New York, USA, where she attended the United Nations General Assembly.”
According to Nhlane, the President is scheduled to arrive at 11.30 am and hold a news conference at 4.30pm at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre.
