Deputy Minister of Homeland Security Norman Chisale has triggered a political firestorm after openly boasting that he ordered the teargassing of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporters and former President Lazarus Chakwera in Lilongwe, declaring that the opposition “does not listen” and deserved the treatment because “it is what they did to me.”
Chakwera tear gassed
In remarks now sending shockwaves across Malawi’s political landscape, Chisale publicly claimed responsibility for the controversial police action that disrupted MCP supporters as they attempted to lay wreaths at the mausoleum of founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda during Kamuzu Day commemorations in Lilongwe.
“Yes, I teargassed them because they don’t listen,” Chisale said during a rally in Ntcheu. “Every village has one chief. Love it or hate it, the chief remains in charge until death.”
He then delivered the statement that has ignited outrage among governance experts, rights defenders, and opposition supporters alike:
“They should remember that this is what they did to me.”
The remarks have intensified fears that Malawi’s security apparatus is increasingly being turned into a weapon for political revenge, with critics warning that Chisale’s comments amount to a stunning admission that State power is now being used to settle personal and partisan scores.
What began as a national commemoration of Kamuzu Banda’s legacy quickly descended into scenes of chaos and political hostility after police fired teargas at MCP supporters shortly after the official state ceremony ended.
The MCP claims it was deliberately excluded from the memorial event, forcing party members and supporters to attempt their own procession to the mausoleum before riot police moved in.
But it was Chisale’s unapologetic justification of the crackdown that has transformed the incident from a political confrontation into a national debate about democracy, abuse of authority, and the shrinking neutrality of State institutions.
Critics say the Deputy Minister’s comments expose a deeply troubling mindset within the country’s security leadership — one in which law enforcement is no longer viewed as a neutral constitutional institution, but as a tool for punishing political opponents.
Under Section 153 of the Constitution, the Malawi Police Service is mandated to operate as an independent organ of the Executive tasked with protecting public safety and upholding the rights of all citizens regardless of political affiliation.
However, Chisale’s statements appear to directly contradict that constitutional principle.
Rather than presenting the police operation as a matter of public order or security management, Chisale framed it as political retaliation against rivals whom he accuses of persecuting him during the previous administration.
Political analysts warn that such rhetoric dangerously erodes public confidence in the neutrality and professionalism of security agencies.
The controversy is particularly explosive because Chisale himself was repeatedly arrested and investigated during the Chakwera administration on various charges that were later discontinued by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Now, his critics argue, his public comments suggest a man driven less by governance than by vengeance.
Political observers say the language used by Chisale — especially his declaration that “every village has one chief” — reflects an increasingly authoritarian tone in Malawi’s politics, where leaders are beginning to equate political power with personal control.
Governance experts warn that when senior government officials publicly celebrate the use of force against political opponents, it normalizes intolerance, deepens polarization, and weakens democratic institutions.
The developments have also revived painful memories of Malawi’s authoritarian past under the one-party era, when security institutions were routinely used to intimidate critics and suppress dissent.
For many Malawians, the image of police firing teargas at opposition supporters — followed by a senior minister publicly bragging about it — represents a dangerous political regression in a country that fought hard for multiparty democracy.
The incident now raises urgent questions about who truly controls Malawi’s security agencies, whether law enforcement can still act independently, and whether political competition in the country is increasingly being driven by revenge rather than democratic tolerance.
As public outrage grows, pressure is mounting on the government to explain whether the teargassing operation was officially sanctioned, and whether Chisale’s comments represent personal rhetoric or a wider political mindset within the administration.
For critics, however, the damage may already be done.
Because in one blunt statement — “I teargassed them because they don’t listen” — a senior government minister may have revealed far more about the state of Malawi’s democracy than he intended.
