As various sectors continue to attack President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika from left and right, Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has trashed the call for the immediate resignation of Mutharika as advocated by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), saying the call is an emotional statement which is far from being a solution to the country’s problems.
Writing in his official Facebook Page, UDF Spokesperson Ken Ndanga said CSOs are supposed to criticise government where necessary and provide solutions to problems the country is facing for those in authority to act.
Ndanga said democracy without a vibrant civil society cannot thrive.
He, however said Civil Society leaders have no monopoly of wisdom and not all what they say is the right thing to do.
“It is an open secret that Malawi is sailing through troubled waters. The economy is very sick and we need to find solutions. Public service delivery is in disarray and we all know the reasons.
“The IMF program which is off track and is not good news to our economy because it erodes the confidence of development parterners as well as that of potential investors,” wrote Ndanga.
Ndanga urged all Malawians to play a role in rescuing the country’s economy by doing the right thing.
“We should never think that there will be a Santa or Father Christmas to give us free money.
“Resignation of the president is not a solution to our economic woes but rather it will simply create unnecessary anxiety,” said Ndanga.
He said Civil Society ‘must avoid at all cost to give ultimatums’ which may give pressure to themselves in the end.
“On the other hand cabinet should always be on top of the game by making sure that the citizenry is kept abreast of the developments in government.
“Cabinet is key in making sure that it provides much needed support to the presidency and giving confidence and hope to the public,” he added.
He added: “Communication should be well coordinated and consistent as opposed to disjointed pieces that have the potential to mistrust between the people and the executive.”
Ndanga also advised the opposition to accept the fact that that the 2014 elections are gone and that the rigging story is now stale.
“The electoral reforms currently undeway provide an opportunity for all of us to correct some challenges facing our way of conducting elections. Our focus should not be only on 2014 elections but 2019 and beyond,” he said.
