REACTION ON THE RECENT REMARKS BY MALAWI CONGRESS PARTY(MCP) SPOKESPERSON DR.JESSIE KABWILA LIKENING PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND AIDS(PLWAs) TO CORPSES. INTRODUCTION Health and Rights and Education Programme (HREP) is a Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO) involved in advocating and promoting for health rights of all the people of Malawi and in particular HIV/AIDS. Studies conducted so far singles out stigma and discrimination as a major challenge hampering the fight against HIV/AIDS in Malawi. It is against this background that various stakeholders involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS are making huge investments to stop stigma and discrimination. OUR CONCERN While government and other stake holders are scaling up activities and initiatives addressing stigma and discrimination HREP is deeply saddened to hear MCP spokesperson through a radio interview likening PLWAs to corpses. Here is what Kabwila told a locally radio station in verbatim. “Pa Malawi pano anthu afika pobera maliro, poyamba timangokamba za cashagate za achina Lutepo ndi Mpwhiyo koma lero anthu akumatenga ndalama zogulira ma ARV’s zimenezi zikutanthauzanji? Sikubera maliro kumeneku?” We at HREP are shocked with suck kind of sentiments especially when we Malawi as a nation and the world as a whole are struggling to contain HIV and Aids. OUR DEMANDS HREP is demanding Malawi Congress Party President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera to do the following: (a)Tell the nation whether indeed what Kabwila said is the official position of party. If yes, MCP should justify such a stand, if not its leaders should publicly condemn the remarks and subsequently expel her from the party. (b) Apologise to all Malawians on behalf of its entrusted spokesperson. (c) In the same vein, we would like to ask Hon Jessie Kabwila Member of Parliament (MP) for Salima North West and the former senior lecture at Chancellor College to say whether her sentiments truly represent the views and aspirations of the constituents that voted for her. CONCLUSION Health Rights and Education Programme looks at the sentiments in questions as stigma of highest order it is even disturbing to learn that such remarks are coming from a spokesperson of the main opposition which can best be described as ‘government’ in waiting this on its own begs a question as whether PWLAs have space in MCP. Unless otherwise stated we are persuaded to believe that the views expressed by Kabwila reflect the views of the party since she is the party spokesperson. Finally, we would like to believe that MCP would not want to keep Malawians waiting for long in clearing the air before Malawians begin to make their own conclusions. We, therefore, demand an unequivocal clarification, withdrawal and an apology on such unfotunate remarks by the senior MCP official from the party. We would also like to make a strong appeal to all political parties’ leaders and Civil Society Organizations to desist from politicizing the National Hiv and Aids response in Malawi. SIGNED BY MAZIKO MATEMBA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 14:48:57 +0000
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