PACPWA wants Peter Mutharika’s action
By Macdonald Thom:
Poor and Concerned People with Albinism (PACPWA) officials Thursday asked President Peter Mutharika to provide solutions to the killing and abduction of people with albinism (pwas) in Malawi.
PACPWA Chairperson Francis Masambuka and the association’s secretary general, Ellen Khonje, made the demands when Mutharika hosted them at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe to strategise on issues surrounding the abduction and killing of pwas.
“It is our hope that these demands will be met. We need answers. You are key to ending this issue. We need to bring this to an end,” Khonje said after Francis Masambuka had given her an opportunity to read out some of the things which they want Mutharika to implement.
Khonje said the National Plan of Action on Persons with Albinism must be immediately financed, saying the K45 million which the government says has set aside is not enough.
She also said PACPWA demands an inquest into the death of Buleya Lule, a suspect in the case of the abduction of a boy with albinism in Dedza, Goodwin Makanjira.
Khonje also said politicians, in the government and opposition, must stop politicising pwas issues.
Speaking earlier, Mutharika said the government would buy 3,000 gadgets for pwas to be using to alert the police of any possible danger to their lives.
Mutharika also said he had instructed the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to engage experts in investigating the attacks.
The President also said a reward of K5 million would be given to any person giving credible information leading to the arrest of people behind the killing and abduction of pwas. Some 24 pwas have been killed and 160 attacked since 2014.
“We must stop politicising albino killings. Instead, let us work together in dealing with this problem,” Mutharika said while pledging to implement the National Plan of Action on People with Albinism.
Association of Persons with Albinism (Apam) Board of Trustees Vice-Chairperson, Abigail Dzimadzi, said some of the association’s members shunned the meeting not because they felt it was not important, but they are frustrated.
“People are afraid. They are frustrated. They feel this is time for action. There has been a lot of dialogue but we believe this particular one will be a turning point. We don’t want one more person to die,” Dzimadzi said.
Earlier, Apam President, Overstone Kondowe, said the association would shun the meeting, insisting that they would go ahead with plans to hold a vigil at Kamuzu Palace gate from March 6 to 8 2019.
Thursday’s meeting was expected to follow a diplomatic approach considering circumstances prior to it. However, the leaders of the delegation made it clear to Mutharika that the solution to the problems which pwas face in Malawi lie in him.
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