The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has appealed to political parties to propagate issue based campaign during this official campaign period in preparations for the Constitutional Court July 2 sanctioned fresh presidential elections.
MEC chairperson. Jane Ansah sremidned all political parties that the official campaign period is time for contesting candidates and political parties to freely sell themselves to the electorates.
“The Commission is reminding all candidates and political parties that they signed to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates and we expect them to abide by it. During campaign, tell the electorates the substance of your manifesto and not focus on castigations and hate speech, reads the statement.
Jane Ansah
The statement further tells political parties to take this period as a defining moment and avoid taking it as an instrument to harass, humiliate, demonise, defame, intimidate and repress each other.
“If a candidate or political party is associated with this, they should be cautious because that might rebound. Parties and candidates have the responsibility to seriously address real issues, elaborate their manifesto, so that voters judge them based on ideas and on how they would resolve problems facing our nation, said Ansah in the statement.
The Commission has also appealed to political parties to find other innovative ways of reaching out to the electorates due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and various public health guidelines and restrictions.
In an interview, MCP secretary general Eisenhower Mkaka welcomed MEC’s plea with reservations, saying the Commission lacks the biting teeth to deal with complaints related to political violence.
“As a party we are ready to do issue based campaign with focus on what we will do once elected. However, our major concern is on MEC itself for failing to punish perpetrators of political violence in Mulanje and Thyolo who on different occasions hacked MCP and UTM party supporters in a Local Government by-election and their monitors during voter registration exercise respectively,” Mkaka said.
DPP secretary general Grezelder Geoffrey could not be drawn to comment on whether her party is ready to adhere to the Commission’s appeal.
However, a political commentator George Phiri expressed reservations on the matter, saying it is doubtful whether parties will comply with the call by the MEC chairperson
Mponela Police has expressed worry over the drastic rates at which road accidents are happening especially along the M1 road from Lilongwe to Kasungu within the first four months of the year.
The concern has come following the deaths of seven people who died in different fatal road accidents in just a space of seven days.
According to Inspector Kaitano Lubrino, Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mponela Police Station, the current trend was bad as many lives have been lost due to continued road accidents.
The PRO said this, citing one of the recent road carnage in which a woman was hit to death by a car on Tuesday and a head on collision that happened prior to this which also claimed one life.
Kaitano Lubrino
“The trends are bad this year especially with the drastic occurrence in the past week. Out of 33 road accidents registered from January to April this year, 33 victims were seriously injured, while 11 lives were lost against 10 lives of same period in 2019,” he said.
Lubrino said that Mtiti Bridge, Mponela, Madisi and Mtengowathenga Trading Centres are the areas that have been prone to road accidents hence he warned motorists to drive with caution.
Mponela Police Station Traffic Officer, Inspector, Harris Mbirimtengerenji attributed most of the accidents in the area to speeding which shows that some of these accidents are not inevitable.
“Road users should abide to all road traffic rules and regulations so that road accidents in the country are reduced. These rules should be observed at all times as it has been noted that most of these accidents happen during the night,” he said.
Meanwhile, Police are pleading with road users to be mindful at all times when using roads as the death toll keeps on rising.
Two cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic have been registered in Blantyre , Minister of Health Jappie Mhango has confirmed.
Mhango said the two patients of Covid-19 are Tanzanian nationals. One is truck driver while the other is his assistant.
“They came into the country on May 2 2020,” said the minister.
Health Minister Jappie Mhango
The new two cases now brings the total cases in Malawi to 41.
So far, Lilongwe has registered 23 cases with two deaths while Blantyre has recorded 11 cases with one death. Mzuzu has three cases. Chikwawa, Zomba, Nkhotakota, and Karonga have registered one case each, respectively.
On March 12 2020, World Health Organisation declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic.
President Peter Mutharika on March 20 2020 declared a State of Disaster.
The Mponela First Grade Magistrate Court has sentence 49 year old man Lackson Billiat to 36 months Imprisonment with Hard Labour (IHL) for sodomizing a 14 year old boy who also happens to be epileptic.
According to Mponela Police Deputy Public Relations Officer Sergeant Macpatson Msadala, the court through state prosecutor Gladys Jentala heard that the victim was playing with his brother in the presence of his mother when he tightly held his young brothers arm in a way that he was hurting him.
When the mother jumped in to stop him, the victim said that he wanted to teach his brother how to have sexual intercourse through the anus just as he did with the suspect.
“The response prompted the mother to question the victim more about it. The victim explained to his mother that Billiat did this to him in a maize field and that it had happened three times” he said.
The victim was later taken to Mponela Police station from where he was referred to Mponela Rural Hospital for testing and the findings proved that the 14 year old was indeed defiled.
Billiat pleaded not guilty to the charge of sodomy, a charge contrary to section 153 (A) of the penal code. The state prosecutor therefore called in three witnesses to testify and the suspect was convicted.
The state prosecutor asked the court to pass a stiff punishment to the offender to deter other would be offenders and First Grade Magistrate Yohane Nkhata sentenced the convict to 36 months IHL.
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has officially launched the campaign period for the July 2 fresh presidential election five days before receiving nomination papers from the aspiring candidate with calls to political parties to develop innovative ways of reaching out to the electorate amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and social distancing measures.
MEC chairperson Justice Jane Ansah SC explained that the campaign period is being launched before receiving nomination papers scheduled for May 6 and 7 at Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre because Section 57 of the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Act provides that the period of official campaign in public shall be 60 days, ending 48 hours before start of polling.
The official campaign period for the fresh presidential elections will run from May 2, 2020 and end on June 30, 2020 at 6 AM.
“It is not in conflict of any provision of the law that the period of official campaign in public is commencing before the nominations.
“In accordance with Section 48 paragraph (b) of the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Act, the 1st polling day must then be a day not less than 21 days after the nomination day or last nomination day.
Jane Ansah and MEC launching
“This clearly means that campaign period does not necessarily have to commence after nominations all the time. According to the law, the nomination days and period of campaign may overlap.”
Considering that the campaign period will be done during the virus pandemic, Ansah asks all candidates to find other innovative ways to of reaching out to the electorate while observing the various public health guidelines and restrictions that are in place.
“All candidates and political parties are expected to follow proper procedures especially the COVID-19 preventative measures when booking venues and notifying the Police,” Ansah said.
“The campaign period is, therefore, a defining moment for all political parties and their candidates. It will be especially challenging in the era of COVID-19 as they have to come up with innovative means of reaching out to the electorate with their messages,” she said.
She has reminded all candidates and political parties that they signed to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates and the commission expect them to abide by it.
“During this period, all Malawians are looking forward to an issue- based campaign as well as one that is safe and will not spread the Coronavirus further.
“Please tell the electorate the substance of your manifesto and not focus on castigations and hate speech,” Ansah advised.
She reminded the candidates, political parties, supporters and all stakeholders that MEC will be monitoring all campaign activities to ensure compliance during the campaign period and that I n accordance with the law, all public officers and government agencies — including traditional leaders — are expected to treat all candidates equally and give them all the support.
“…The era for taking the campaign period as an opportunity or instrument to harass, humiliate, demonise, defame, intimidate and repress political opposition is over.
“If a candidate or political party is associated with this, they should be cautious because it has tendency to rebound. Parties and candidates have the responsibility to seriously address real issues, elaborate their manifesto, so that voters should judge them based on their ideas and on how they would resolve problems facing our nation today.”
“In this campaign, we stress that our politicians should emphasise on physical distance, above average hygiene standards, electoral tolerance and leverage on issue-based campaigns.
“The obvious lack of issue-based campaigns among our politicians, is a source of serious concern. Malawians are looking forward to campaigns that will transform their lives and livelihood.
“They want to see campaigns that will consolidate and strengthen our democracy beyond individualism, ethnicity and regionalism.”
She encouraged Malawians to get themselves informed of the manifestos of various political parties and candidates, saying that a sound manifesto should articulate achievable programmes that will enhance the development of the country and improve people’s well-being.
This, she said, will enable “the electorate to decide to vote for the party or candidate that has a programme which is best for the nation”.
“Another area of serious concern is the manner in which political parties and candidates have at times abused the youths of this country. We have seen politicians sponsoring the youths to indulge in violence, disrupt political rallies and doing other unpalatable things.
“This is unacceptable and must be arrested forthwith. The youths have a noble role to play in the country as leaders and must never be abused.
“They should be given positions and not sent on disruptive errands for opponents’ meetings.”
On the role of the Police and all security institutions, Ansah expects — as usual — for them to ensure a conducive political environment, saying if they do not perform their duties professionally, that can easily erode the efforts of all other stakeholders to achieving credible elections.
“Elections cannot be touted to be free and fair if they are conducted in an environment full of fear, intimidation and violence. Presence of these factors deters some eligible voters from participating in electoral processes like registration and polling.
“If elections are marred by violence, intimidation and fear, chances are high that the losing side will not accept the results.
“You will agree with me that it is one thing to lose in an election and it is another thing to lose an election marred by violence and intimidation. In such situation allegations of rigging are rife.
“What losers say after elections is also crucial in maintaining peace and order. Peace will be sustained if losers lose in a freely and fairly contested election.”
She added that it is an honest expectation of every citizen that the Police will ensure that those who commit electoral offences are brought to book and that the Police should ensure that all candidates and voters are protected.
