The Accountant General has interdicted renown social media commentator, Julius Zimwanda Mithi, commonly known as JFM, on social media, who is also a civil servant working as a Senior Accounts Assistant at the Regional Irrigation and Water Development Office in the Northern Region.
An interdiction order signed by Accountant General, Henry Mphasa, states that Mithi has been interdicted because of his social media post, in which he casitagates goverment and other senior officials.
“We have received a formal report that you are in the habit of writing articles on social media castigating Government and other senior government officials. Such castigations are mostly unfounded, impolite and uncourteous.
The order reads,“I write to inform you that these allegations constitute a serious act of misconduct in terms of the Malawi Public Service Regulations (MPSR), and in particular, MPSR 1:201 (13), MPSR 1:20(17), MPSR 1:201 (19) and MPSR 1:201 (24). In view of this and in accordance with the Malawi Public Service Commission Regulations 42 (3) as read with Regulation 40, I am interdicting you from from exercising the powers and functions of your office as Senior Accounts Assistant (Grade L)… This interdiction is intended to pave way for investigations into the allegations leveled against you.”
In response, Mithi has has criticise the move calling Mphasa the most stupid and rubbishy Accountant General, ignorant of the Malawi constitution.
In two separate Facebook posts, Mithi retorted,“Fr Tomy Mfune this is the letter written to JFM from an MCP boy just Appointed boy, the Accountant General Mphasa who has never worked in Government who doesn’t know the Constitution of Malawi I mean mbewa kuti Khaaaa Khaaaa [sic]”.
He followed the post with another one,“The Most stupid and Rubbish Accountant General I have Ever heard before Welensky Is this boy from Water Aid [sic].”.
MIthi has also disclosed that his lawyer, Lameck, of Lameck and Co has responded to “a stupid letter from a stupid Accountant General who has worked in boma”. The response calls the interdiction order unconstitutional, based on absolete laws, unprocedural, unfair, in violation of Mithi’s rights to freedom of expression and ultimately illegal.
Mithi’s lawyer has further asked the Attorney General to rescind his decision.
“In light of the above, we, on behalf of our client, write your good office with a humble request for you to immediately lift the Interdiction Order against our client and to treat him according to the dictates of the said Republican Constitution”, reads the response in conclusion.
MIthi is understood to be a well known sympathizer of the former regime of DPP, having served on second as a Special Assistant to former President Arthur Peter Mutharika which some quarters believed was a reward for his social media propaganda posts for the DPP regime at the time.
Source:Facebook
