Dust is refusing to settle over the smuggling of Loan Authorisation Bill to Parliament with fresh calls by the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) which has said it will hold vigils at Parliament building in Lilongwe from August 11 2021.

CDEDI Executive Director, Sylvester Namiwa, has told journalists in Lilongwe that both the Speaker, Leader and Clerk of the House have failed to response to the petition upon the elapse of a 48-hour ultimatum which CDEDI gave the House’s leadership demanding their reaction of the smuggling of the Bill.

Namiwa said: “CDEDI has resolved to hold a vigil at the National Assembly in the Capital Lilongwe, from Wednesday, 11th August, 2021, until the Clerk of Parliament, Fiona Kalemba, together with the Speaker Catherine Gotani Hara, and the Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda, have addressed issues surrounding the mysterious bill that was smuggled into the National Assembly, a few weeks ago.

“CDEDI`s decision to hold a vigil at the parliament building, follows an expiry of a 48-hour ultimatum we gave Kalemba, Gotani Hara, Chimwendo Banda, and the Leader of Opposition, Kondwani Nankhumwa, who has since given his side of the story, as per our earlier demands.”

He added that the vigil is also aimed at demanding immediate set up of a committee by President Lazarus Chakwera to investigate and report back to Malawians on the motive behind the smuggling of the bill.

Namiwa has also written Inspector General of Police, George Kainja, seeking clarification on bail conditions of former President Lazarus Chakwera’s State House Assistant on Special Duties Pastor Martin Thom who was apprehended and later released on the same day.

Details have it that the controversial Bill sought parliament’s approval to secure MK93 billion, as a loan from the bank of Baroda, for the construction of houses for security personnel including Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and police.