Former Malawi President Dr. Kamuzu Banda was wrong when he warned that democracy would bring war to Malawi. Democracy has not brought war to Malawi. What it has brought is drama.
A lot of drama, continued ruling political party bravado, and arrests in low and high place. Since Malawi became a democracy in 1994, former presidents have been thrown in the slammer, two sitting vice presidents have seen the world from behind the bars of a prison cell, and lately the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
People’s reactions to these arrests, show how divided the nation has become, twisting and bending the Constitution to suit the position of their support.
Before unpacking the Republican Constitution of Malawi, which exists to defend all Malawians, do Malawians know how the following people are related?
People like Peter Mutharika, Justin Malewezi, Lilian Pater, Justice Msosa, Justice Jane Ansah, Joyce Banda, Janet Karim, Edward Chitsulo, Rosemary Kanyuka, Catherine Banda, Vera Chira, Grey Mang’anda, Emmie Chanika, Eddah Chitalo, Nga Mtafu, Queen Gondwe, Catherine Chipembere, Justice Kamanga, Mary Shawa, Hetherwick Ntaba, Harry Thomson, Edward Bwanali, Dumbo Lemani, Elton Singini, Modecai Msiska, Kamlepo Kalua, and Mary Nyandovi-Kerr.
These and a variety of many more Malawians, are the Founding Fathers and Mothers of the Malawi 1993, 1994, 1995, and 2007 Constitutional Conferences that shaped the modern spirit and letter of the Constitution, a document that has guided Malawi’s painful walk through democracy boulevard.
It has been painful, because despite being a democracy, the leaders behave bad at every turn, using the courts and police to harass, intimidate, and sadly in some cases terminating the lives of innocent lives.
Again and again since 1994, the police has been used to harass, arrest, and intimidate Malawians.
Heavy-handed government spewed court cases with frivolous charges, have been leveled against Malawi citizens; and since 1994, ordinary and even high-level Malawians have suffered an unjust system that has been manipulated with the political party machinery pulling strings government and encroaching the powers of governance in a democratic Malawi.
The very fact that the political parties (UDF, DPP, and now MCP), when the president at State House is from their party, have in the past 28 years continued, unchecked, to act as if Malawi is still a single political party state.
The continued presence of political parties hoisting higher flags, has grossly undermined the work of government, reduce governance benchmarks, and spirals Malawians in the vortex of poverty, while politicians controlled by their political parties amass fortunes in the quicksand of corruption.
I get upset and was lyrical with anger every time I watch Malawian politicians break out bad, behaving as if our freedom either from the clutches of colonial rule or the one party system that former Life President Dr. H. Kamuzu built over 31 years of treachery, fear, imprisonment (detention), suspicious car accidents, and people getting jobs because of political support or losing jobs due to political manipulations.
My lyrics go to another list of heroes; this time the 1959 political heroes that spent over one year in federal detention in Gwero or Khami prisons in then Rhodesia (current Zimbabwe).
Among them with Kamuzu were three sets of two brothers (Wales and Jasper Mbekeani, Augustine and Harry Bwanausi, Dunduzu and Yatuta Chisiza). These brothers wer also bundled up with people like David Rubadri, Aleke Banda, John Msonthi, Orton Chirwa, Lewis Makata, Chdzanja-Nkhoma, Lewis Makata, Emma Phombeya, Willie Chokani and many others.
The self-lessness that went into these men and women spending over one year culminated into Nyasaland gaining from then colonial ruler Great Britain (current United Kingdom).
Almost all the development that is visible in the country the country is attributed to the MCP era. During this time, factories with inputting and end-user industries that provided employment were established and flourished.
Additionally farm-based activities complete with managing national entities such as ADMARC, SUCOMA, Dwanga, Press Corporation, tea making companies were in abundance.
Many of these were based in the prison-based dreams of Kamuzu. The dreams were 1.
University in Zomba, Lake Shore Road, and the capital moving from Zomba to Lilongwe, complete with the purpose-built Capital Hill, that have the Presidents and VP’s offices.
Speaking of the President and the Vice President must enjoy immunity as they serve as President and Vice President. This I because when one talks of the Presidency, one is talking about the President and the Vice President.
We are not in Kamuzu Banda’s time. We are a democracy; the President and Vice President are tied at the hip: in together in 20220. Out together in 2025! FULL STOP.
Malawians must wash their fanciful hearts out of thinking they can wash or whisk away the Vice President.
Additionally, the whole world watched the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in the few months before the elections.
There is an agreement and it must be respected; resist the evil-kadablas and please respect the Chakwera-Chilima 2020 agreement that gave us the Tonse Government.
The agreement must stand, politicians remove your nose out of the affairs of running the government and other government business.
Malawi is a democracy; continued insistence by politicians from the political parties will unravel our democracy.
Concern is expressed for the arrests of the VP His Honor Dr. Saulos Chilima, and this week’s arrest of ACB chief Chizuma, are a great disservice to our democracy.
All Malawians must be concerned on both arrests, they put our democracy on shaky and breakable ground. Your Excellency, forgive all involved. Piecemeal forgiveness is calling for selective justice. The Ethics Peace and Justice Commission (EPJC) of the Evangelical Association of Malawi would like to condemn in the strongest terms possible the arrest of the ACB Director General, Ms. Martha Chizuma.
The arrest and the manner in which it was carried out is horrific and mortifying.
The intervention of Parliament and the Head of State to bring some semblance of sanity in the management of the Ministry’s affairs, forging Chizuma is not enough. Forgive everybody. The selective forging will not heal our land.
Malawians must rid itself of this selective forgiveness and selective justice.
