By Sam Majamanda
Phalombe, May 3, Mana: National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Public Trust on Friday distanced itself from allegations that it was involved in partisan sensitization of prospective voters in Phalombe.
In a Press release, NICE’s Executive Director, Ollen Mwalubunju indicated that the Trust has never been involved in any partisan voter mobilization and its employees and volunteers are well aware of the need to remain apolitical.
“The person who posted this allegation might have thought the loud mobile van of political parties belonged to NICE or he might have just been driven by ulterior motives to tarnish the image of NICE,” the statement reads in part.
Last week an anonymous text message had been circulating on social media in which it purported that the Trust’s employees in Phalombe were campaigning for President Prof. Peter Mutharika through a mobile public address system.
Crafted in vernacular, the Whatsapp message questioned whether it was right for NICE to be selling a candidate’s name or simply encourage people to register in the voters roll.
District Civic Education Officer for Phalombe, James Chimpeni observed that there was possibility that the author of the anonymous message mistook party publicity vehicles that are running in the district to that of NICE.
“On this day, NICE was conducting its community mobilization at Khongoloni and other places in Traditional Authority (TA) Jenala; but if you read the text you will see that it alleges that on the same day the person met us at Phaloni in TA Chiwalo and later at Migowi in TA Kaduya; places that our vehicle did not go to,” he said.
A 10-day route plan produced at the start of NICE’s mobilization and pasted at Phalombe NICE office confirms Chimpeni’s assertions.
Meanwhile, the Trust is calling on the public to desist from creating fake news by sending out comments on matters that they are not well informed about in these days of political tension as well as the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
