A group of Civil Society Organisations trading under the banner, Mzuzu Civil Society Network has called on the donor community to respect the country’s sovereignty by offering suggestions and guidance diplomatically with dignity and respect in the spirit of the following the United Nations Viena Convention.

The call comes in the wake of government partners allegedly setting targets and conditions for their support associated with unnecessary gagging or forces to act in a direction that please them.

Speaking during a media briefing held in Mzuzu on Thursday, CSO leaders took turns advising the head of state, Lazarus Macarthy Chakwera to simply effect the rules that governs the removal of the Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General, Martha Chizuma from office and arrange the recruitment of a new one.

“We appeal to the president to simply effect the rules that governs the removal of the ACB Director and arrange to recruit a new Director who will pick up the issues from where the current office holder left them,” reads the statement in part.

The statement further states that Ms Chizuma’s return at ACB won’t be productive but will be one full of vengeance and will be costly to the tax payers money.

Earlier this week the United States Embassy issued a statement condemning the Attorney General’s application to vacate a court order which it described as culminating two months of harassment by government of Malawi officials against Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Director General.

“As a democratic partner the US Embassy looks to the Government of Malawi to actively pursue the fight against corruption and not to wage a campaign of intimidation against Anti-Corruption champions,” read the US Embassy’s statement in part.

The United States Embassy further stated that the step taken seek to reinstitute the action by the Secretary to the President and Cabinet to interdict the ACB Director General.

Some of the notable CSOs present at the press conference include: the Christian Justice Network, Young Politicians Union and the Young Human Rights Network

In a related development, on Wednesday, High Court Judge, Mike Tembo threw out an application filed by the Attorney General to stop the permission for judicial review granted to the Malawi Law Society over the interdiction of Martha Chizuma for alleged misconduct of a public officer in accordance with the Public Service Commission regulation over a leaked phone interview.