Attorney General fumes at leakages in Malawi govt: Warns against personal delusion to morph into institutionalized pettiness

The Attorney General (AG) Dr. Chikosa Mozesi Silungwe has taken a swipe at public officers who have continuously leaked to the social media his legal advice to the government.

Silungwe: Silly and immature

Silungwe says he has noted with disappointment the leakage of his opinions to the social media.

“Since I assumed office, a number of Opinions I have given to Ministries, Departments or Agencies have been leaked to the social media. This is unprecedented. The leakages have generated unwarranted cyber—debates often leading to conclusions that I have misapplied the law,” says the AG in a statement he has issued Friday

Since he took oath of office on June 29, 2020, Silungwe has had two of his legal opinions leaked to the social media, much to his disappointment and frustration.

On Thursday, 11 February, 2021, two opinions that he gave to two senior offices in the government were leaked to social media.

These include opinion of 12 August, 2020, which tackled the legality of interdiction without pay and the second opinion was made on 20 August, 2020, and it was about the composition of the Electoral Commission.

But Silungwe exonerates officials from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, stressing that they are not behind the leakage of his opinions.

“There are a number among us — public officers — who have deluded, personal agenda that tends to be driven by a condescending attitude towards other public officers. This personal delusion must not be allowed to morph into institutionalised pettiness that threatens the professionalism required in public service. The people of Malawi deserve better from their public officers,” he reads the letter in part.

Silungwe says under the country’s constitutional order, the President can fire one public officer for giving wrong legal advice.

He emphasizes that that person, at the moment, is Chikosa Mozesi Silungwe and therefore nameless lawyers or nameless senior government officials do not bear the constitutional obligation to provide legal advice to the government.

“I bear that constitutional obligation. It is an obligation that I take very seriously. The people of Malawi can be assured that I will not let them down,” he stresses in the letter.

Silungwe states that he would not have accepted his appointment as the 19th Attorney General of the Republic if he knew that he is incompetent for the position.

He challenges that he accepted the appointment because he knows that he is competent to serve the people of Malawi as their Attorney General.

“I joined a team of solid and professional lawyers who are fiercely dedicated to serve the people of Malawi. When I issue an Opinion on a matter, it is the manifestation of the product of rigorous in—house legal research. At that point, I have made up my mind that the Opinion I am issuing is one I can stand by. The Opinions of 12 August, 2020 and 20 August, 2020, are Opinions I will stand by. The Opinions are correct at law,” emphasizes Silungwe.

He says it will be serious neglect of his constitutional obligation if he were to provide unsound legal advice to Government.

“I will have let myself down. I will have let the people of Malawi down. Since I know that the leakages are not from the Ministry of Justice, I expect colleagues from other Ministries, Departments or Agencies to be the professionals they must be. Leaking my Opinions in the manner it happened on Thursday, 11 February, 2021 is simply silly and immature. I trust that the people of Malawi have seen the last chapter of this absolute and hideous nonsense,” thus he concludes his statement.

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MCP Diehard
MCP Diehard
3 years ago

When you complain about leaks, just know that you are doing something you should not be doing. What are you trying to hide?

The people don’t just conclude that the AG is misapplying the law out of thin air. It’s based on the opinions and rationale offered by the AG himself.

This guy needs to go. He will not help us clear the rubble.

Zafikapo
Zafikapo
3 years ago
Reply to  MCP Diehard

Ndiye ukufuna kalata iliyonse anthu aziyiona pa Facebook nkumaikambilana.Boma lanji loyendetsara facebook.

KWANTERE
KWANTERE
3 years ago

ine sindikuona cholakwika kuti mtundu wa Malawi uzidziwa zomwe mukupanga. imeneyo ndiye transparency timafunayo. Komanso kull access to information bill imene abwana anu anasayina imatilora ife aMalawi kudziwa chilichonse chaboma ndiye osaopa bwana. Bola ngati mukumalangiza zokomela dziko lathu basi

Zafikapo
Zafikapo
3 years ago
Reply to  KWANTERE

Njira yake yodziwila sikuba kalata kuoffice nkuyanika mbwee pa Facebook.This is not ethical and it is indeed pure nonsense.Amene akumaba makalata munjira yotele sitingasangalare naye ngati A malawi.Facebook sichida chimene tidzitukwanilana.

JAHMAN.
3 years ago

mupwetekana nokha nokha

Tuntyufe
Tuntyufe
3 years ago

U planted seeds don’t forget during DPP mcp and utm thrived on leaked information from government. It is just a continuation of what you started as a group

Taona Nawo
Taona Nawo
3 years ago

Hahahaha during DPP, mr vice president openly said he has friends in the government who inform him about everything happening in government. Don’t you think the same good friends in government have maintain their good job of informing Malawian of what is happening?

Deliwe
Deliwe
3 years ago

The state president asked for legal opinion and you gave him political opinion. Something is wrong here. If the president took heed of this opinion something is terribly wrong with the president. He should have realised that you did not help him and hence not fit for the post. It was also surprising that instead of restricting yourself to the question you took an opportunity to give instructions to other authorities to confirm those incompetent commissioners. One major weakness of Laz is just to keep you in that position and pretends that all is well

Last edited 3 years ago by Deliwe
Zio ine
Zio ine
3 years ago
Reply to  Deliwe

Incompetent commissioner who confirmed the election of an incompetent president

Wakwiya ndi kadeti
3 years ago

Akupwetekana okhaokha ku Capitol Hill. You must classify some of the information to avoid this. Those who leak information must face consequences.

Genghis Khan
3 years ago

Kodi a Mtanga, akupwetekani a kongiresi awa. MCP ikuiwala inalowa muboma chifukwa cha UTM. Advice mukuwapatsayi njomveka kwabasi. Koma pa reshuffle akuchotsani pamenepo, chifukwa Chakwera akufuna kuthana ndi Saulosi. Strategy yabwino nkuyambitsa website ya Attorney General MW Government, imene ikhale ngati instrument yochitira implement Access to Information, where you will post zinthu zaboma. Ma leakage asiya inuyo mukakhala proactive kuchita share information including advice to various government departments. In fact Access to Information ikukulolani kuchita release information even wina asanapemphe. Chachikulu memo yanu osalembapo “Confidential.” Pansi pa memo yanu lembaniponi disclaimer yoti ndi ATI, kalatayo itha kuchitidwa share ndi mtundu… Read more »

Nasibeko
Nasibeko
3 years ago

This is Tonse agents tactical way to distract the citizen on focusing on K6.2bln issue.

Gwede Mantashe
Gwede Mantashe
3 years ago

Jahman!The more u lusa the more ukuipatsa moto

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