January 6, 2021 Lowani Mtonga - Nyasa Times 9 Comments
There has been calls at different times by different people to discontinue the K1.7 billion former president Bakili Muluzi corruption case which has now entered the 15th year. The Public Affairs Committee has also added its voice to urge President Lazarus Chakwera to discontinue the case.
Malawi’s former president Bakili Muluzi
PAC has questioned the rationale of spending taxpayers money on a corruption case that has failed to yield the expected results for many decades and called for dialogue to secure a political solution. PAC has further justified its position by referring to the observation made by Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, then as a leader of opposition in 2016 that charges against Muluzi have to be dropped. PAC also cites MP Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda’s remarks in parliament who called upon government to drop charges against Muluzi.
For weddings and baptisms, only a limited number of people were allowed.
When the quarantine restrictions were eased, churches could only allow the faithful to fill 30 percent of its capacity.
Senior citizen were not allowed inside church premises.
For Simbang Gabi and the midnight Christmas Eve Mass, people practiced health protocols wore face masks, face shields and kept a social distance.
Sunday Holy Masses were held online.
Religious activities were put on hold in 2020, with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns and quarantine restrictions closing church doors and cancelling traditional religious rites.
(PIXABAY / MANILA BULLETIN)
Among those cancelled were the Holy Week ceremonies, Feast Day procession of the Our Lady of La Naval in Quezon City last October, and the Grand Marian procession in Intramuros held early December.
December 23, 2020 Owen Khamula - Nyasa Times 7 Comments
Two influential democracy defender organisations have sprung up to slam the government over the announced decision to close the country’s borders for 14 days and restrict public gatherings to 100 people following a new surge in cases of the coronavirus.
Matonga predicts strong resistance to the re-introduced gathering restriction to 100 people
Quasi-religious body, the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has faulted the Tonse Alliance administration for failing to learn from the past mistakes on handling matters of national importance.
PAC spokesperson, Bishop Gilford Matonga predicts strong resistance to the re-introduced gathering restriction to 100 people as a measure to contain a second wave of virus pandemic in Malawi.
SIRA, leading foreign relations Think Tank, gets new leadership
On
…Elects Vanguard’s Owei Lakemfa President
The leading foreign relations Think Tank in Africa, the Society for International Relations Awareness (SIRA), has elected human rights activist, labour leader and author, Mr Owei Lakemfa as its new President.
Mr. Lakemfa who for over two decades has run two weekly columns on Nigeria and international affairs in the VANGUARD Newspapers, succeeds Professor Nuhu O. Yaqub, OFR, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, and Sokoto State University.
Disclosing this in a statement, Oseloka H. Obaze (OHO), Chairperson, Public Affairs Committee, said that the new Vice President is Colonel Wilson Ijide (retd), former Training Team Leader, Nigerian Army School of Infantry with wide experience in international peacekeeping. He has a PhD in Industrial/Organisational Psychology and lectures in the Department of Psychology, and Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, Universi
Updated Dec 19, 2020 | 09:53 IST
The Congress party which was not able to capitalize on the anti-incumbency factor against the ruling government is looking to change the strategy in the coming days. Kerala Assembly Elections
Key Highlights
While there is a drop of 200 seats in the LDF tally, the Cong-led front lost over 800 seats
Blaming the party leadership for the humiliating drubbing in the local body election, KPCC working president K Sudhakaran said there should be change at the top to save the party’s prospects in the state During the campaigning for the local body election, the UDF failed to expose the mis-governance of the LDF,” he said while analysing the reason for the defeat.