The effects of the constitutional court ruling have become visible today when former Vice President was sworn in as Cabinet Minister for the newly created Ministry responsive for disaster management affairs and publi events.
Chimulirenji has taken the oath of office today, days after President Peter Mutharika created the ministry.
Chimulirenji being sworn in as minister today
Chimulirenji was President Mutharika running mate in the last elections which automatically made him vice president of Malawi following the May 21 presidential elections.
Howeer, the Constitutional Court nullified the presidential elections and ordered that the status in the presidency revert to the period before the elections when Mutharika was president and Saulos Chilima vice president.
Social media has been awash with comments ridiculing the whole creation of a new ministry and Chimulirenjis misfortunes
A mother and her two sons have drowned in Lilongwe river behind Jafali Mosque at Kawale 2 on saturday
Linda Longwe aged 40 drowned in the river as she was trying to rescue her son Vinjeru Nyirenda 20 years of age.
According to Sub inspector Joseph Njikho, police public relations officer for Lilongwe Police, Upon realizing that his mother and elder brother have drowned , Taonga (14) also jumped into the water in an attempt to save the two. Unfortunately, he drowned as well.
The search of the three is still in progress.
The three hail from Mthakapoli Village, Traditional Authority Mtwalo in Mzimba district.
Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) leaders today stormed a local market in Lilongwe to buy padlocks and chains to be used for shutting down Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) offices.
The grouping will hold nationwide demonstrations on Thursday to force MEC Chairperson Jane Ansah and the other commissioners to step down following the nullification of the May 21 Elections
HRDC Chairperson Timothy Mtambo and His Vice Gift Trapence were spotted at a local market in Lilongwe buying padlocks and chains in preparation for the protests.
Speaking at the market, Mtambo said shutting down MEC officers is the only way to get the MEC staff out of the office.
Mtambo and Trapence
“Tomorrow we are going to shut down MEC offices and we will open the officers when the Commission have assigned new staff, they have to know that this country belongs to citizens not them and they can’t do opposite to what the people wants”, Mtambo said.
Mtambo further added that the demonstrations are going to be peaceful demonstration and he asked the police and Malawi Defence Force to make sure security is tight.
HRDC has been organising demonstration since last year demanding Ansah to step down but the MEC chairperson has always defied the calls.
This week, the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament has been meeting the MEC commissioners starting from Monday as ordered by the Constitutional Court to enquire into their competence.
The Constitutional Court has thrown out applications by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and President Peter Mutharika’s applications for stay of the 3rd February ruling that nullified the 2019 Presidential Elections.
The court delivered its ruling this afternoon in Lilongwe following a hearing on Wednesday morning.
In his application, Mutharika argued that his constitutional rights will be infringed upon if the appeal at the Supreme Court succeeds and the stay is declined. Mutharika also argued that he will lose money in campaigning for fresh elections if the elections are held but later his appeal succeeds.
The court, however, ruled that citizens also have the right to be governed by people elected through due electoral process and these rights are more important than the rights of those who voluntarily decided to be candidates in an election.
Judges
The court also dismissed Mutharika’s argument that there would be chaos if the fresh elections produce a different president and his appeal at the Supreme Court succeeds since there would be two presidents.
According to the court, it is highly unlikely that the fresh elections will take place before the Supreme Court of Appeal makes its determination on the appeal filed by MEC and President Peter Mutharika.
“In the unlikely event that elections take place before the appeal is determined, there will not be chaos as suggested by the respondent (Mutharika) because the Supreme Court of Appeal will exercise inherent powers to make consequential orders to reflect the proper constitutional order in relation to the presidency,” the court said.
In its application, MEC argued that fresh elections will cost K43 billion and this amount will not be recovered if the MEC’s appeal at the Supreme Court succeeds.
However, the court ruled that MEC will not use its money and cannot contend that it will suffer loss.
“If any loss is to be suffered, it will be the people of Malawi who would have suffered such a loss as a consequence of the second respondent’s (MEC) mismanagement of the May 21 presidential elections,” the court said.
The court then dismissed MEC’s application for the stay of the 3rd February ruling.
Speaking after the ruling, Khumbo Soko, one of the lawyers for Saulos Chilima who is one of the petitioners, said the decision is a continuation of the monumental decision handed out last week.
“We are glad that the court has thrown out the applications,” said Soko.
On his part, Mutharika’s lawyer Charles Mhango said he will await guidance from his client.
I have been following Malawi Politics since my early teen, back in Malawi. Thank God that I was also lucky to have witnessed Kamuzu’s Malawi and even saw Kamuzu several times, although at a distance, but I take this as a privilege. When Multi-party democracy was introduced, as a young boy I walked to attended a rally by Chakufwa Chihana in City Centre – in-between Capital Hill and Chinese Gardens. Then going back to my secondary school days at Phwezi, it was all politics as the school was run by politicians, we use to see in the evenings convoys going to the white House. This is directors office at Phwezi, located on hilltop overlooking the school. But all this time never understood what Politics was all about. Until I arrived in the United Kingdom.
It is sad that today even the learned amongst us, does not understand what politics is all about. There is a massive gap in political education in Malawi starting from secondary schools to colleges. I think as we are becoming more mature as a democracy, we need people to understand what politics is all about and how the systems of government functions. This need to start from secondary school, as many young people in our country are showing more interest in. Politics.
One famous political scientist- Harold Laswell defines politics as, who gets what, when and how. I think this is a great definition of politics – it is all about distribution of national resources to benefit the country, not only one part or region.
This distribution of national resources has to benefit all people, the communities, the wards and the constituencies. This is atask that involves elected politicians to use their skills to bring development in their areas or using their political influence through lobbying. When it comes to the executive, Ministers need to come up with policies that can change the public services to benefit the needs of Malawians through quality service delivery.
Politics As a Public Service
Politics should not only be about serving our own interests, but be about public service – servant leadership as Dr. Lazarus Chakwera preaches – serving the people, not serving ourselves – this means making policies that can uplift peoples lives. If every politician was in politics for this reason, Africa could have been transformed by now. I consider myself very lucky that I have the opportunity to get involved in Politics in both the United Kingdom and Malawi, this has allowed me to apply comperative politics and have good understanding. In the United Kingdom those that join Politics already have interest to make change as activist – champion a certain cause and they just wait for their time and opportunity to make the change they want . This is why we see when someone is given the opportunity, within a short period, we start seeing change. In Africa people become politicians just by appointment because or because of their community status, something that is dangerous.
Politics should be about public service, introducing policies that will make people remember your tenure. Most of the people that are rushing for presidency but have been in government – if we ask, what changes have the contributed to Malawi. Im sure they cant point a single successful policy that has transformed the livelihood of poor Malawians.
Our Failure to Hold Politicians Accountable
Most of our politicians in Malawi have failed us, especially those that have been in government from the Vice president to cabinet ministers, they cannot point a single peace of policy or legislation they have championed and successfully achieved. But when we try to scrutinise them, their followers will come out and defend them.
I think I we need to see change in Malawi, there is need to properly scrutinise those that have been in government on their track record. We need people who can go into office to make a difference. I applaud Dr. Lazarus Chakwera he promised Malawians that he will end the rigging, alot of people did not believe, but now Malawi has been saved, we will have laws that can safeguard peoples votes. The next thing is corruption, nepotism and regionalism and I have great home that if Malawians can all rally behind Chakwera we will see change.
