By Pemphero Malimba:
A group of former Malawi Young Pioneers (MYP) officers has expressed concern over what it describes as a failure by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to adhere to a 21-day ultimatum to pay off their terminal benefits worth K51.5 billion.
On July 21, 2025, the ex-MYPs wrote to OPC demanding payment of the terminal benefits.
“We demand that terminal benefits and compensation should be paid first before conducting tripartite elections because we no longer want our terminal benefits to be channelled into political party campaigns,” part of the letter read.
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The group also attached a special power of attorney to the letter.
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In the power of attorney dated July 18, 2025, the group gave OPC 21 days to facilitate payment of the benefits.
However, the 21-day ultimatum has elapsed without any action from the office, the group claims.
Its Deputy National Coordinator, Austin Mkoka, said it was unfortunate to see that the office had yet to adhere to the ultimatum.
“The 21 days have expired. There is nothing to show that the government is committed to addressing this matter because there has been no contact from them to tell us how they are addressing the matter,” Mkoka said.
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He said many of the ex- MYPs were struggling to sustain themselves and that their only hope for survival lay in the potential payout.
“We were hopeful that we would use the funds to invest in various businesses for our survival but this is affecting us a lot. We still have hope that the government will address this issue,” he said.
OPC spokesperson Geoffrey Kawanga asked for more time before commenting on the issue.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation Executive Director Michael Kaiyatsa reiterated the need for the government and the ex- MYPs to engage in contact and dialogue on the matter.
Kaiyatsa said there are numerous other groups also demanding compensation from the same government and that some of them claim that they were victimised by the same MYPs during the one-party system.
“It is important for the government to have a comprehensive plan to address all these issues. It is unfortunate that the current government has not done anything,” Kaiyatsa said.
He added that the matter was complex in nature and that the government could be reluctant due to such complexity.
“These people are claiming their dues. One could argue that if indeed these dues are what they are owed, then they need to be given what they are owed, but the question has always been that the MYPs were not part of government; they were a political arm,” Kaiyatsa said.
The group, which claims to have about 2,000 members, worked under the one-party rule before it was disbanded in 1994.
