Legal expert says council has powers to reroute April 27 protesters
A legal expert has said the Lilongwe City Council has legal powers to reroute the April 27 protesters although they have constitutional right to demonstrate.
Justin Dzonzi said the demonstrators would need permission from the council not to demonstrate but use its roads and streets for the protests.
“Malawians have a right to demonstrate but the exercise of that right on a piece of land that is not yours, is subject to the owners of the land,” said Dzonzi.
Civil society organizations have organized demonstrations to protest against the government decision to splash out K4bn in development fund to legislators, appointment of Rodney Jose as inspector general of police and the ever dwindling cost of life and essential services.
The protesters want to march to Kamuzu Palace and present a petition directly to President Peter Mutharika.
Dzonzi said the protesters can be charged with trespassing if they will just march to Kamuzu Palace without permission.
He said Kamuzu Palace is a high security institution therefore the protesters.
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Dzonzi you may need to update your brain power…. United Nation declared that any citizen has the right to demonstrate without asking permission from Police or City because its their right, if they wish the demonstrators may just inform the police and the city but not asking for permission. a policewo komanso anzanu aku citywo akudziwa zimenezi inuyo sanakuchiten update?
Iwe Chingabwe, paying city rates does not mean kuti wagula msewu. Ukuchita kuonekeratu umbuli wako. Mwinanso umasuta chingambwe chomwecho. Chidzina nacho kunyansa eti. Mbuzi iwe. Upitenso ku sukulu ya kwacha.
Tell them. Enawa they are propelled by umbuli ndi umphawi.
Za Ziiiiiii….
Kumphunzira kwinakunso. This might be true but we are not the first to march in Malawi. The City/Town Councils have been here and the Marching has been there. Bwana Dzonzi mukufuna kutiuza zotani apa? The fact that we pay City Rates gives us the right to walk on the roads of the Cities in Malawi.
Ati legal experts, Dzonzi, I thought legal owners of the land where state house is are Malawians? what are you talking about old man? If it was private residence then I would understand your line of reasoning.
You are assuming that council is a private institution. Which technically is wrong. Councils are public institutions established under statutes and the final owners are citizens of the specific councils. Don’t confuse citizens here. Even the state House does not belong to the president. It belongs to the presidency whose foundation is the citizenry. Therefore no citizen is out of bounds in the grounds of the nation’s state House as long as their presence is justified. In this case the constitutional right to demonstrate peacefully justifies the presence of the citizens at state house. The problem here is that our… Read more »
This is asinine coming from a legal expert. Wadya banzi Justin Dzonzi?