Ansah must go! Demand for Malawi Electoral Commission chairperson’s resignation
The civil society organisations (CSOs) under the banner of Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HDRC) have demanded Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Jane Ansah resignation over incompetence in how she has handled the missing voter registration kit.
The southern African nation will choose a new president, members of parliament and local government councillor on May 21 2019 .
But electoral stakeholders are raising doubts Malawi will have a credible vote with Ansah at the helm.
The civil society under the banner of HRDC are leaving voices against Ansah’s ouster after revelations that a biometric voter registration kit used in the ongoing voter registration exercise was found on a train in Mozambique this week.
“We are sick and tired of people running government business a s a criminal enterprise. How can the Electoral machine go missing only to be found un Mozambique? It goes missing the nation is not informed only to be told that it has been mysteriously found, what a childish joke,” said Timothy Mtambo the HRDC chairperson.
The HRDC, in their statement, said the silence on the part of MEC compels them to conclude that the electoral body has failed to be accountable and transparent to the people who entrusted it with management of elections.
Mtambo said they demand the whole MEC leadership to be “reconstituted”.
He said: “We can no longer trust them. We need a new team of MEC commissioners and MEC senior management [and] the recruitment of the new management must be done un a transparent manner.”
Mtambo said the missing of the registration kit was an “organised sundicate” to rig the elections.
But MEC has since ruled out any possibility of data in a biometric registration kit found in Mozambique being used to rig the 2019 elections, saying the information in the machine was for civic education and not voter registration.
However, the commission was at pains to justify the apparent secrecy by not divulging the missing and recovery of the kit to stakeholders as well as the public.
“We reported the matter to police and we are still waiting for them to give us the facts of the case. In the meantime, we are treating the matter as an issue of theft,” MEC chairperson for elections services committee Jean Mathanga told a news conference on Friday
According to Mathanga the commission also feared that other stakeholders could exaggerate the matter by making wild allegations of rigging.
The concerns about rigging of elections emerged in July this year, when Vice-President Saulos Chilima, while launching the United Transformation Movement (UTM), alleged that he is aware that government has procured a spying machine.
But MEC chairperson of civic and media committee Moffat Banda has described as “shameful and unfortunate” claims by Chilima about the existence of a rigging machine in the country.
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This matter dos beyond voter roll. The bigger issue is over 6 million biometric data has been compromised and probably already mined by unscrupulous people in Mozambique. The machine had the capability to access the MEC server and therefore could have transferred the (biometric) data to another unknown server. Our biometric data is out there probably and could be used for all sorts of things. This is isn’t a small matter…it’s a national security matter that goes beyond the voters roll.
ansa achoke
Well, it (kit) got lost on transit in Malawi but surely someone must have been continuously moving it from one mode of transport to the other especially again that it moved through borders. Malawi has become a country of “educated thieves”. Not very surprising. How can you have a party in government continuously accepting/taking in members into their party who are answering cases k are known to have serious cases) in court. Oh sorry joining their fellow mbavas, I forgot.
Not supporting mbavaz but allegations are not guilty a charge! i think the court says innocent until proven guilty respect that and their right of association just as you at liberty to join any party too!
I don’t think anyone has declared Ansag guilty but rather that she erred. The machine has the capability to access very sensitive biometric data for 8 million Malawians registered voters. Most likely unscrupulous people have already accessed the MEC server and mined the data. Technically over 6 million biometric data might be sitting with criminals and could be used for all sorts of things. When citizens have their biometrics taken, it is on the understanding it will be secure and protected and used for purpose. This time MEC has failed to protect the data and the machine was in another country. This is a serious national security matter. Why is it that Malawians don’t understand the security implications. At its lowest level, passports, IDs, Credit Cards can be printed using biometrics mined by criminal elements. I shudder to think how else the data can be used by criminal elements
Forensic experts from the EU ought to examine all laptops and other electronic equiment to be used in may 2019 elections for malware. This laptop was found but similar others may have gone to and fro Mozambique without notice.
Do such checks until election day. Having a neutral party hold an image for all laptops to be used on election day for installing fresh copies of software is the way to go.
I had respect of Jane Ansa but I list it when I started hearing stories that she is having a secret affair with Mr. Moffat Banda. This is an indication. Education does not mean much when you lose wisdom. This is not a woman to lead a credible national election. Mayi Msosa is my best woman, please bring her in now..
Abusa achinyengo mayi Ansah achoke basi. We have someone who is not faithful to us.
Achoke achule onse ku MEC. Anastasia Msosa can do better than Ansa. We want a team that does not tow the blue line or favour any party.
How about we first find out what happened to the machine? Facts not the silly propaganda that thousands of people are being registered in Mozambique etc… after that we can know who should resign.
@ bigman
How do you define facts in this context ?. You don’t understand the gravity of this whole issue. We are talking about national elections here cadet and not primary elections. Elections can make or unmake a country. Avoid being naive and insensitive on issues as sensitive as elections. Anyway I should waste my time on people like you. It’s not worth it.
@BigMan is only being prudent and reasonable. And to accuse him of being a “cadet” is disingenuous also.
Moreover, these days, he’s a “conductor” for the bus company aka UTM. That’s obvious by his latest comments; so don’t be misguided.
We need a clear explanation please, not what Jean Mathanga was trying to justify why and how the gadget was found in Mozambique. She was speaking as if she was talking to her nursery kids if at all she has any. Why is DPP silent?
These Muhlakho women at MEC ( Jean Mathanga and Jane Ansah ) are making me sick.
Koma iwe blatant tribalist eti?
MEC should stand any test of scrutiny and this time they have failed. The fact that the Commissioner is defence is telling. MEC should not only be credible but be seen to be credible. Given that the Commissioner has failed to demonstrate lack of understanding of the role of MEC and a Commissioner, she should just step down otherwise the elections are already declared not credible. It will be e recipe for disaster come May 2019 when the results are announced. The head of state should do the right thing. If it doesnt matter who the Commissioner of MEC is then this is no brainer for Peter.
Ine ndili kuma stand kuonelera
Kuyamba ndi ku Police kulengedza a Mathanga Police yake iti Jose Mediocrity Police Service akhala akufufuza mpaka Hon Dr Professor Jose mpaka adzapita ku retirement ndithu mbamba kkkkkk eeeeeh!
Was Ansah at the press Conference?
This is one indefensible case. Which driver transported the machine from LL to Mwanza? Who was the recipient in Mwanza? Why does such an important asset travel unaccompanied on Vale train? OK. MEC reported the missing machine to Police. Shouldn’t the police have alerted the general public for anyone who knew the whereabouts of the missing machine to report to the nearest police station or MEC at the following numbers……..?
The disappearance was planned and was one way of Ansah assisting DPP to rig May 2019. By the way, the machine is the same one which was used in Kasungu, Ntchisi and LL, all MCP strongholds. How sure are we data has not been tampered with?
And DPP are pretending to be angered by the incident. Sure, they must say something otherwise silence would be proof they are party to the crime.
Ansah is a coward because she delegated the press conference on this very serious issue to a junior for fear of probing questions. She must resign.
agree
JANE ANSAH YOU ARE A SUPREME COURT JUDGE AND THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOUR GOOD IMAGE IS TO RESIGN BECAUSE YOU ARE SORROUNDED BY DPP CROOKS .
Heads must roll at MEC.
This is just a tip of an iceberg
I’m sorry Ms Namathanga how can you treat it as theft when you don’t have the facts from police??? And if that is your argument then is it fair to say that MEC officials were negligent, reckless in safeguarding very crucial government property???
No matter how you spin it we have lost confidence in the whole electoral process!!!! the only way to build trust is to fire all MEC office bearers including Jane Ansah and start the process all over again
Democracy has been violated ! All voter registration must be halted, voided and nullified immediately
BAKILI ANATILANGIZA KALE
KUTI NDEWUTU NDI ZONSE
KAYA UMULUMA KAYA UMU GENDA NDI NDEU BASI
It is shocking. This person is an educated person and above all one of the very few who Fear the Lord – a strong Christian. What has gone wrong in Malawi today. Elections are the only voice and power of the poor people. Please let us give them a chance to express themselves according to their constitutional right.
YES! …….she must go and she must go NOW! This is as serious as it gets, MEC must be dissolved for gross recklessness,
THE BIOMETRIC VOTER KIT
WAS FOUND IN MOZAMBIQUE
WITHOUT MEC KNOWING THAT
IT WAS MISSING —THE SAME THING THE VOTE WILL BE MISSING WITHOUT MEC KNOWING — CHILIMA AND CHAKWERA WITH THE HELP OF WELL WISHING MALAWIANS SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE VERY VERY CLOSELY —
Someone has been registering people of a certain tribe who live across the boarder so that they should come and vote in 2019. Mbendera analira atalephera kuyendetsa chisankho.
When we hear names like Jean Mathanga at MEC, we fear for the worst