CSOs Won’t Cancel Demonstrations If Only One Institution Return NAC Funds
Plans
to hold national wide demonstrations demanding Beautify Malawi Trust (BEAM) and
Mulhako Wa Alhomwe to refund money accessed from National Aids Commission (NAC)
can never be cancelled if only one institution refunds the money.
Burnett Chinsinga who represented ten Business persons from Blantyre and
Lilongwe, on Tuesday
refunded K5 million that BEAM got from NAC. Chinsinga said by raising the money
hoped that CSOs will cancel their planned January 13th
demonstrations because business people are concerned that such demonstrations
may affect their businesses.
Chinsinga was in the company of chairperson of
the Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC), Robert Mkwezalamba, the Health
Rights and Education Programme (HREP) Executive Director, Maziko Matemba, and
chairperson of the Right to Food Network, Billy Mayaya,
However
NAC has rejected the money saying the businesspersons did not follow procedure
of returning the money which is writing NAC and send the money through
Treasury.
Trapence: We will cancel demonstrations if all institutions return the funds to NAC |
Centre
for Development of People (CEDEP) one of five civil society organisations planning
for the Anti-Nac gate demonstrations says CSOs shall cancel demonstrations only
if ‘all’ institutions return the money before 13 January 2015.
CEDEP
executive director Gift Trapence in his reaction to the attempts being made by
concerned business persons said even if the group successfully returns the
money on behalf of BEAM, still demonstrations will be on as planned because
CSOs will be asking Mulhako to return the money.
“What
we want to see is all the institutions returning the money to NAC” he said. “Because
we want that money used for impact based activities”
While
welcoming gesture by concerned business persons and encourage Mulhako to do the
same, Trapence mentioned that had business person’s return the money to NAC for
BEAM, CSOs would still have demanded a receipt indicating that NAC has received
the returned money.
Trapence
however said CSOs will be meeting on the incident to make official stand.
Meanwhile
BEAM has maintained stand that they will never return the money because it was
not given out as cash. BEAM said had the business persons consulted BEAM then
BEAM could have instructed them not to refund the money.
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