MZUZU-(MaraviPost)-Here comes the end of the year 2019. As we are winding up this year, people, families and the society at large are as busy as bee trying to stock-take how the year started, what it has taken us through and most importantly where it has left us; particularly as a nation.
A bit of a background, as a country that is founded on sound political and legal blueprints, Malawi is said to be a democratic state which is supposed to go to polls and conduct fresh elections for new president, parliamentarians and councillors every five years.
As per such a democratic trend, the year 2019 was one such year when Malawi went to polls and legitimately elected new office bearers. As the month of May was fast approaching, every political being was up and down in anticipation of the same.
Towards the month of May, a lot had been said about the polls. Political demagogues called the polls different names: some said it would be watershed elections, looking at how politicians and their supporters branded and repositioned themselves in readiness for the show.
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), the body that is constitutionally mandated to manage the elections, National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) and many other electoral stakeholders were all over the country with their missive of orienting and alerting all and sundry about the elections.
No sooner had we waited for 21 May, 2019, the date for polls than it came around by itself. This day and the whole of that week, were the peak of public and political events in the country. The election brought its own shenanigans.
Whilst polls were still underway, rumours of poor administration of the same characterised by the complaints from candidates at all its levels, were rife. How the complaints and concerns by candidates were addressed is a topic for the posterity; but what does not need rocket science to be understood is that results were announced and winners at all levels were declared.
It was this announcement of winners of the polls; particularly the presidential winner, that opened the Pandora’s Box that plagued the nation to this day.
Following dissatisfaction and displeasure with the results of the polls, Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) , a grouping that claims to be a fighter for and protector of the rights and freedoms of ordinary Malawians, took to the streets protesting against maladministration of the the polls and immediate resignation of MEC Chairperson, Dr Jane Ansah.
On the other hand, Dr Saulos Claus Chilima of United Transformation Movement (UTM) and Dr Lazarus McCarthey Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) went to court to file a lawsuit against the same.
Of particular mention is the countrywide demonstrations which HRDC continued to conduct pressing for the resignation of the Chairperson of MEC, Dr Jane Ansah, SC JA. According to HRDC, Ansah had to resign for her poor and unprofessional management of the polls. However, the harder HRDC pushed for Dr Ansah to resign, the more put she stayed. But what was very clear was the anachy Malawi went into.
Everyone was doing what and how they pleased. We saw Malawi getting into autopilot. This kind of governance had done more harm to Mother Malawi than good. More lives and property were lost and damaged. At some points in time, the anti Ansah demos reached the extent where the law enforcement agency was overpowered and this led to death of some dedicated officers. May their souls rest peacefully.
Some civilians, too, were injured and killed in the process. The worst anti Ansah demostration aftermath revealed itself in October when our men in uniform, whose primary responsibility is to protect lives and property, behaved weirdly towards innocent and unarmed women and girls at Msundwe, Mpingu and Mbwatalika in Lilongwe.
In reaction to the death of one Superintendent Usumani Imedi, one of their own, these men of professional vows threw themselves on the powerless women and girls and this development won the country some international accolades of immorality and indecency of the first degree.
Following such an eyesore, the security agency put in place its own independent investigation into what really happened on the material day. The Office of the Ombudsman also instituted its investigation into the same.
But it is the latter’s investigation whose findings were brought to light. And according to the findings, the men in uniform premeditated their actions on our mothers and sisters.
As for the report by the Police, probably that will be our first public feed in the year 2020.
As the year comes to the end one major political event takes itself across into 2020. The Constitutional Court sitting in Lilongwe, which was hearing the presidential elections case for over two solid months is yet to determine its judgment on the same in the next 35 days or so.
Here dies the year that has gone into the annals of history of the country: 2019.
Let’s exit it and enter 2020 with our national visions authored about two decades ago! Happy New Year!
