Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has asked government to resolve the infighting between interested groups in fuel supply and transportation contracts.
The call follows some local fuel transporters’ threat to ground their tankers and go on a nationwide strike from today.
The transporters are protesting the distribution of fuel contracts between National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) and Petroleum Importers Limited (PIL), a consortium of private oil marketing companies.
But in a statement issued yesterday, co-signed by HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence, national coordinator Luke Tembo and all regional chairpersons, the coalition observes that Malawians expect to see all issues on fuel contracting, management and human resource resolved by relevant authorities.
Reads the statement in part: “It is high time that government resolves the concerns from different parties, especially fuel transporters. HRDC expects Nocma to adhere to fairness and professionalism in the bidding process and issuance of contracts to successful fuel transporters or suppliers.
“This can only happen if Nocma adheres to procurement procedures without any due influence from any interested party.”
In an interview yesterday, Trapence feared that if the fuel transportation wrangle continues, it would affect many sectors in the country.
The transporters protested a November 2020 resolution by the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change that Nocma be given a lion’s share of 90 percent against PIL’s 10 percent instead of the current 50-50 deal.
In their petition, dated December 1 2020, the transporters, among others, sought the abolishment of Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU) system and pushed for the maintenance of ex-tank system on importing fuel on the basis that the DDU system did not support the Buy Malawi Strategy being advocated by government.
But in a bid to impede a planned strike by local fuel transporters, Nocma last week announced that effective March 2021, it will give 86.3 percent of fuel haulage businesses to local transporters
