ACTIVIST NAMIWA RESIGNS AS MEMBER OF COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO CHIKANGAWA AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT

The State President Kamuzu Palace, Lilongwe.
ATT: HIS EXCELLENCY DR. LAZARUS CHAKWERA
Cc: SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT AND CABINET
Cc: THE CHAIRPERSON, THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO THE AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVOLVING MAF-TO3 ON 10th JUNE 2024.

RE: RESIGNATION AS A MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO THE AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVOLVING A MALAWI AIR FORCE DONNIER 228 (MAF-TO3) ON 10th JUNE 2024
Your Excellency, Sir,
The above subject matter refers.
At the onset, let me convey my heartfelt appreciation to you, Your Excellency Sir, for the trust and confidence to appoint me to serve as a member of the above mentioned commission. Nonetheless, I regret to inform you, Your Excellency, of my decision to resign with immediate effect.

For the avoidance of doubt Sir, this decision is in line with principles of transparency and accountability, stemming from the fact that given the magnitude and the huge expectations on the much awaited commission, it was my conviction that witness testimonies, as part of the inquest, would be held publicly, as clearly stated both in the Terms of Reference (ToRs) and the Commissions of Inquiry Act, for the benefit of the inquisitive masses.

Your Excellency Sir, you may wish to also note that the same was demanded by the bereaved families, in a bid to enhance trust and confidence, after the citizenry questioned the composition of the commission.

Since by nature commissions make collective decisions, it is important to highlight that this proposal was shot down by the commission, right at the beginning of its meetings. It is therefore, strange that the commission, which is standing on a thin line of trust, should take such a route. This begs the question; what is it that the taxpayer sponsored commission intends to hide from the public, which has so many unanswered questions?

As an ardent advocate of transparency and accountability, I regret to inform you Sir, that I cannot be party to this commission, in this day and era and also owing to the fact that Malawi is a democratic society. As a matter of fact, a precedent was already set during the elections case in 2020, during which Malawians were accorded an opportunity to exercise their right to access information on matters of national importance.
Yours faithfully,
Sylvester Namiwa
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.