Chakwera query new gazetted laws: Rejects Mutharika’s claims on MCP’s link with HRDC

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera has questioned the relevance of the supplementary laws gazetted Friday by the minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi, which have declared the airports and border posts out of bounds for the demonstrators.

Dausi said the supplementary laws have declared airports, land boarders, Capital Hill, prisons, National Oil Company of Malawi strategic fuel reserves and the Reserve Bank of Malawi as protected areas, hence no one is allowed to hold demonstrations at these places, as doing so is treasonous.

According to the new regulations, no one is to hold a demonstration or assemble in protected place, saying that such a person who contravenes the provisions commits an offence.

But Chakwera told reporters in Saturday  that the Minister flawed some important steps that are taken before anything is gazetted to a law.

He accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of displaying its lawlessness in trampling on Supreme Laws of the land by drafting and enacting laws while bypassing Parliament which is duly established for drafting and passing of legislations  in a bid to get what may please them on protected areas.

Chakwera bemoaned the continued attacks on public critics with the recent case of petro bombing of MCP’s Director of Campaign, Moses Kunkuyu’s premises in Blantyre and HRDC Chairperson Timothy Mtambo’s house in Lilongwe a fortnight ago.

He further commended Malawi Defence Force (MDF) for its professional way of controlling the crowd during demonstrations and court session.

Chakwera also distanced his party from the claims made by President Peter Mutharika that his party in collaborating with Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) in organising the ‘higher gear’ demonstrations as the latest of a series of protests it has organised to try and force Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Jane Ansah for allegedly presiding over a fraudulent May 21 general elections in which PreMutharika was declared the winner.

President Mutharika accused Chakwera and his UTM Party compatriot Saulos Chilima of attempting to take over the government unlawfully by supporting the HRDC demonstrations.

He said some  people of Malawi, whom some belong to MCP, are the ones partaking the protests.