By Rick Dzida
DPP Secretary General Peter Mukhitho’s arrogant ban on unsanctioned church prayers is a fascist attack on basic human rights.
Threatening members over attending spiritual gatherings violates Section 33 on freedom of conscience and Section 38 on freedom of assembly under the Constitution of Malawi.
Mutharika and Ansah must resolve their ego fights peacefully through mature mediation, clear structural separation, and formal party arbitration without turning party members into religious hostages.
Peter Mukhitho stood in Blantyre and spat in the face of our supreme law. He commanded citizens to skip church if the party did not approve. This is not party discipline. This is raw tyranny.
Mukhitho acts like a dictator in a banana republic. He treats the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a prison camp. He wants to control who worships, where they pray, and how they bow their heads.
Mukhitho’s orders are illegal, null, and void. They tear apart the very fabric of our democracy. Let’s dive deep into the intricacies of this issue further.
Section 33 of the Malawi Constitution respects freedom of conscience that every person has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Mukhitho has no right to police the altar.
Section 38 of the same Malawi Constitution mandates the freedom of assembly so that every person has the right to assemble and associate with others. Political bosses do not own people’s feet or faith.
Furthermore, Section 26 of our beloved and lovely constitution reveres our culture and language in such a way that Malawi Citizens are entitled to enjoy free participation in cultural and communal life. Needless to overemphasise that prayer is a fundamental communal right.
What is the interim effect? The perceived power struggle between President Peter Mutharika and First Vice President Jane Ansah has poisoned the party. This is why Ansah seeks solace in houses of prayer. Why should Mukhitho and his cronies panic like guilty cowards?
If Mutharika and Ansah have internal differences, they must fix them like leaders. They can stop using heavy-handed tactics against innocent members by adopting these three civilized approaches.
First, hire neutral arbiters. Bring in trusted religious bodies, like the Public Affairs Committee (PAC), or respected retired statesmen to chair peace talks.
Second, hold private, neutral meetings away from party headquarters to talk honestly without media noise or cheering crowds. Patriotic Malawians are not interested in intra-party squabbles.
Third, draw a clear line between Ansah’s personal, spiritual life and her official party roles.
Fourth, accept that a leader visiting churches is a normal civic action, not an automatic coup or an act of rebellion. Now Malawians are wondering, where is the fear emanating from.
Lastly but not least, bring grievances to the party’s internal structures properly, rather than shouting threats at rallies. You can do better than this.
In conclusion, it is imperative that DPP as party must use lawful, written rules to resolve leadership differences instead of inventing dictatorial decrees on the fly.
