Malawi police is govt tool of ‘mass destruction’ says pressure group
Malawi’s political pressure group, Forum for New Direction (Fond) has condemned President Bingu wa Mutharika’s government for using of the police to infringe on people’s freedoms to engage in peaceful demonstrations.
Fond was reacting to the police conduct in Mzuzu city recently for barring the clergy of the Livingstonia Synod in their attempt to present a petition to the City Executive Officer on issues bordering: education and quota system in secondary schools, colleges and universities; issues on the rule of law; the flouting of the constitution on local election issues and increasing intolerance of other communities instigated by highest political leaderships.
The pressure group’s spokesman, Msenga Mulungu said Malawi Police is not a “Service” that government touts it to be, but rather still a government tool of “Mass Destruction, a Force”.
“Therefore, the obstruction of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia to demonstrate against the issues deemed of national interest and nation building was unconstitutional.
“The clergy have a right to express disaffection with policies that are discriminatory in nature. FOND commends the CCAP’s Livingstonia Synod initiative in speaking out on behalf of the people on diverse issues that have come out into the public domain. It has become a voice of reason in the same manner as the prophetic action of the Chilembwes and others.”
Fond says the role of the church on issues political is “proverbial and only those that have an evil agenda have the audacity to derail this effort by the synod”.
The group reiterate that any functional official opposition in the country is now the Malawian people, who “through established democratic avenues of media and civil society must be vigilant and stand up against the violation of trust bestowed on our leaders”.
Mulungu said citizens must continue to agitate and demand “true democracy” to take roots.
The pressure group said its position on quota system policy is that while the President Mutharika’s arguments might have merits, the intentions to introduce this system are malicious and made in bad faith to discriminate the north.
“The pieces of evidence are many including here the secretive nature and total lack of transparency in the comportment in which this policy issue was made available to the public, coupled with the president’s hateful and conflict-ridden remarks over the same – where the worst fears of the residents of northern Malawi as to the skimmer of this scandalous policy (Bingu Mutharika) were confirmed.
“FOND is concerned that this policy has brought disunity and will continuing to bring disunity among the peace loving Malawians as long as the government does not heed the concerns of those that feel disaffected.”
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