By Nenenji Mlangeni
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-They started well; but, I must be honest, the rate at which the so-called coalition of the people—the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC)—is behaving has not only become outrageously unusual but also unfortunate as far as the progress of this country, democracy-wise is concerned.
I have said, and I will keep repeating in this write-up, Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapence have gone haywire. Of course, it is an undeniable fact that they have done their part in having our checks and balances on check. No one can object to that fact. Not someone who is level-headed.
But it is a bit dismaying now. No. It has become rather unfortunate that the HRDC leaders now think that they are above the law to the extent that they can just wake up one morning and decide whatever. It is sad that while they are at the fore in claiming they respect law and are custodians of the Constitution, they are, unfortunately, going the other way.
I am not cooking this up. The recent behaviour of HRDC as regards their suggested vigils at the New Parliament Building have been done in a manner that I never expected Mtambo, a former Speaker of the Student Union of Chancellor College (SUCC) and his colleague Gift Trapence with knowledge of philosophy and critical thinking, can stoop so low to subvert the very same aspects they claim to stand for—including respect for the rule of law.
Well, everyone knows that this country or this government has three arms namely the Judiciary, the Legislature and the Executive. I may not go into the nitty-gritties of all the arms but the truth is—and we all know—that these arms have equal power. They are equal.
Now, it is quite baffling that HRDC is failing to understand these basic things about how our government runs. How HRDC is poking its nose in the affairs of Parliament is nonsensical. In fact, it is absurd. The Judiciary understood that it cannot run all affairs on its own knowing it has limited powers. What did the Judiciary do? It referred the matter to the Legislature—the Parliament.
Good people, parliamentarians are our lawmakers; and, fortunately or unfortunately, these are the people we elected—you can add ‘duly’—so that they can decide on what happens with our laws. So, just like the Judiciary did its good job, why can’t we leave the Legislature alone? The behaviour by Mtambo and company to disrupt parliamentary proceedings is uncalled for.
Why am I saying HRDC thinks it is above the law? Well, they wanted to hold vigils this Wednesday and it was only on Tuesday that they delivered their notice to both the Lilongwe City Council (LCC) and the Lilongwe Police—24 hours before the recommended 48 hours. Now, when these two denied them permission to go ahead were they wrong? Somehow, HRDC, I can safely say, is simply trying to make this country a lawless state.
Can HRDC get sober please and leave the Legislature—the Parliament—free to do their business? I feel time has come for the law to take its course on HRDC ring leaders for the peace of this country. Actually, in some of our democratic governments like Rwanda and Tanzania this would not have been happening. And, surely, Malawians deserve better!
