Declare assets or face demo: Activist tells PP government
Outspoken social-political activist Ben Chiza Mkandawire has threatened to organise mass demonstrations across the country against the People’s Party (PP) leadership if President Joyce Banda and her cabinet continue to abstain from declaring their assets.
Chiza Mkandawire observed this through a local Radio-MIJ on Friday and on his Facebook page throughout the week that there is rampant corruption in the current Joyce Banda administration.
He has also expressed dissatisfaction with the response Attorney General Ralph Kasambara gave Malawians that the President already declared her assets when she was Vice President.
“We want her to declare her assets as a president of this country not as Vice President,” Mkandawire told MIJ FM’s Good morning Malawion Friday.
“We also want the President to produce an executive order for all cabinet ministers to declare their assets,” added Mkandawire.
Corruption
He also expressed doubts if the government of President Banda is walking the talk in fighting corruption accusing it of “looting the country”.
“If you are looting the country, how are you going to fight corruption,” wondered Mkandawire.
Writing on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Mkandawire who was arrested for his vocal protests against the leadership of former leader Bingu wa Mutharika, warned that if president Banda does not answer the peoples call in declaring her assets, she should expect more strikes and demonstrations.
“This is our last call for President Joyce Banda to issue a statement calling all her cabinet ministers and her vice Khumbo Kachali to declare assets, what follows will be strikes and demonstrations by all activists, vendors, business men and women, civil servants to strike against the rising levels of corruption within the Joyce Banda Cabinet,” wrote Chiza Mkandawire.
“The president has been embedded in corruption and ill gotten donations from Asian business men that have not been explained to the public, we are calling for her to declare any donation she has received since becoming president, and we must account that against her original wealth, she is currently battling a series of scams and allegations of corruption at the highest levels of government,” he argued.
Meanwhile, Chiza Mkandawire has vowed to take the campaign of calling upon the president and his cabinet to declare their assets to all the districts.
He also says he will fight until the current administration realizes that Malawians deserve to live a better life.
“We will soon be releasing pamphlets calling for all Ministers, the vice president and the president to declare their assets, these pamphlets will be distributed to all Malawians in all languages and all districts. Until this government realizes that Malawians deserve better, our calls will now go to the streets and the market squares. Please be on the lookout,” he wrote.
He added: “The fight for a better Malawi did not end with Bingu’s death, it started with him.”
Compensation
Meanwhile, Mkandawire, Billy Mayaya, Habiba Osman, Brian Nyasulu and Osman’s cousin, Comfort Chitseko are demanding at least K50 million (about $200 000) compensation for their arrest.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) formally discontinued the case against the four who were locked up in October last year for a demonstration they held to coincide with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) summit.
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