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The demonstration was about changing government policies and laws because people feel that the President and his Government do not respect democratic principles and the rule of law.

Some of the problems include:- acute fuel shortages, a shortage of foreign exchange, electricity and water supply problems, threats to deffenders of human rights and trade unionists and high taxation due to a zero deficit budget.

At the end of last year the government passed a law which empowers the Minister to shutdown any media houses - whether electronic or print - if the minister is satisfied that the news that has been broadcast or printed is not in line with Government policies on regulating news. Further, the ruling party passed a Police Act which allows any police officer to search you without a court warrant and many believe that this is a similar law to that used by the police in Zimbabwe who were torturing people who were against the Robert Mugabe government.

Also, when the opposition parties and civil society were critising the President and his Government, he instructed the youth wing (cadets) to attack critics and then there were a number of opposition leaders and civil society groups being threatened by party or government agents.

Therefore, a demonstration took place on 20^th July 2011where workers and many other people were on the streets of Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu while the President was making a speech at the State House. The civil society groups and MCTU also presented petitions to the District Commissioners in all the major cities in Malawi. Unfortunately in these demonstrations, 18 innocent people were killed by police officers who used live bullets instead of rubber bullets.

The MCTU is calling upon all UNI affiliates to send solidarity messages to help them make their Government more accountable to all issues that are critical to the lives of working people. The President subsequently made a national address calling for contact and dialogue so that the country should move forward, but 24hrs later he made a threatening statement to the organisers of these demonstrations where he said that they will be dealt with if they try to go on the streets again.

Please send messages of solidarity and support to the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions - Luther Mambala - President, Robert Mkwezalamba - Secretary General at Email: mctusecretariat@mctumw.com Tel: (265) 1 755614/754 581/752 162. Or, MCTU, Area 3, Next to Tutla Supermarket Behind New Building Society, PO Box 1271, Lilongwe, Malawi.