By Iommie Chiwalo-Contributor
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI), says peaceful demonstrations in Thyolo are on despite the District Commissioner Douglas Moffat’s archaic tactical move to stop the constitutional rights.
In a statement which this publication has seen and signed by CDEDI’s Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, the peaceful demonstrations will still be conducted, come Thursday, 17th June, 2021, from Khonjeni turnoff, all the way to the district council offices.
“While in Mulanje district, the demonstrations have been shifted to Friday, 18th June, 2021 and the starting point remains Nkhonya,” he says notifying the general public about the slight change for Mulanje district programme.
However Namiwa expresses its disappointment on the conduct by Thyolo, DC Mr. Moffat, who is trying so hard to stop the people of Thyolo district from exercising their right to hold peaceful
demonstrations, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution.
In his letter dated June 15, 2021, the DC for Thyolo, Mr. Moffat, has indicated that people from the district had already conducted demonstrations on the same concerns on land issues on 10th June, 2021, and that the matter is in court, among other reasons.
But CDEDI, is of the view that Mr. Moffat is just trying to find an excuse to stop the peaceful demonstrations, a development which is against the principles of democracy.
On the way forward, Namiwa has disclosed that his organisation has engaged the services of legal practitioners from Handford and Associates, to seek the court’s intervention on the matter.
“We are, therefore, assuring the people of Thyolo district, and all Malawians of goodwill, that the peaceful demonstrations shall still take place on June 17, 2021,”
Thyolo DC could not pick up his phone when this reporter tried on several attempts to get his side of the story.
