By Vincent Gunde
Malawi First-The People First citizen grouping has announced cancellation of the Lilongwe demonstrations planned to take place on Thursday, 8th August, 2024 due to no stakeholders meeting with District Commissioner for Lilongwe Dr. Lawford Palani.
President of the Citizen grouping Bon Kalindo said Malawi First follows the laws of the land and cannot hold demonstrations in a district without holding a stakeholders’ meeting hence cancellation of the Lilongwe demos.
He said Blantyre demonstrations will go on as planned inviting all that have planned to disrupt the demos to come and be part of the demonstrations beside having ill-motives saying the stakeholders meeting was held with the District Commissioner of Blantyre, Alex Mdooko.
On the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) demos, Kalindo said the demos won’t take place on Thursday 8th August, 2024 saying he is equally happy with the steps taken by the MRA towards addressing the tax stamps issue.
Kalindo has thanked the MRA for taking heed of the peoples suffering praying that NRB and Mec will take heed of the peoples concern such as registering many people as voters in the central region as compared to southern, eastern and northern regions and that national IDs be used with other documents for voting in 2025.
He said the discussions with the MRA officials have gone well observing that if people are crying, leaders must listen saying business people are crying for the country’s dwindling economy and huge tax government is collecting on the poor citizens.
“Politicians must not confuse the MRA for it to continue punishing the already suffering people, we are going home happy that the MRA has listened to the people’s cries,” said Kalindo.
Meanwhile, a Malawi Congress Party (MCP) diehard of Mvera in Dowa district Mr. Rodgers Kamphangala, has pleaded with the NRB and Mec to emulate the example set by the MRA of giving contact and dialogue a chance.
Kamphangala said while it is a wish of each and every Malawian to see the 2025 elections credible, transparent, free and fair, the way the NRB and Mec are discharging their duties is questionable defeating free and fair 2025 elections.
“Malawians are praying for the return to the 1994 Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to oversee the 2025 elections, Mec has been proved that it is not ready to handle the 2025 elections labelled by Malawians that is being driven by the MCP,” said Kamphangala.
