Malawi lawyers to hold demo ‘in defence of independence of Judiciary, rule of law’
Malawian lawyers are mobilising themselves to hold street demonostration in the country’s four cities ; Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba on Wednesday June 17 to push for President Peter Mutharika and an Executive arm of government to respect the independence of the Judiciary and rule of law.
The lawyers have already informed city authorities and the Malawi Police on their plans for peaceful demonstrations in court regalia and face masks.
“This is not only in line with our constitutional right but further is our duty to efend the institution which safeguards our existence as law profession,” reads a statement signed by lawyers John Gift-Mwakhwawa, Ngeyi Kanyongolo, Alexious Silombela Kamangila and Mike Munthali.
According to the notice, the protests in Zomba will start from the district commissioner’s office to the High Court while in Mzuzu, they will begin from Shoprite to the High Court.
In Lilongwe, they will parade from Mbowe Filling Station down Kamuzu Procession Road through Lilongwe Hotel to the High Court and in Blantyre, they will march from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital to the Principal Registry.
The demonstrations by the lawyers will come amidst acrimony between the Executive and the Judiciary, with the High Court of Malawi granting two separate orders stopping the process to have Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda proceed on forced leave pending retirement.
The Southern African Chief Justices’ Forum has since said the Executive’s decision to send Chief Justice Nyirenda on leave is an attempt to interfere with the independence of the Judiciary in Malawi.
The forum said in a statement that the power to decide whether to go on leave pending retirement rests with the concerned judge and should be made in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission.
Meanwhile, law professors and academics from around the world, in a statement made available to Nyasa Times expressed concerns about coordinated attempts by the government to undermine the judiciary, including statements by President Peter Mutharika falsely accusing the judiciary of having staged a coup against his government and claiming that Parliament is supreme in Malawi, and an attempt by the government to repeal the two judgments via Parliament.
The judgments of the High Court of Malawi sitting as a Constitutional Court and of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, which held that the presidential election held on 21 May 2019 was marred by unlawful and unconstitutional actions and irregularities, and therefore that there must be a fresh presidential election.
These judgments also provided guidance on the standard to be used when determining the winner of a presidential election.
“We call upon the government of Malawi to uphold the rule of law and constitutionalism and to respect all court judgments. The government must refrain from attacking individual judges and from undermining the judiciary,” the law professors and academicians stated.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Number one keep on going gents.
CJ kuthawa holiday
I am not sure whose idea it was to send the two justices on forced leave…..but whoever that person was, he need to be fired forth with for painting a very bad image for our president. That person who advised the president to get lid of the Chief Justice should have known that this move will backfire……if that person did not for saw this then they must be the most dull and incompetent person the world has ever known. The president is being condemned left and right from the whole wide world, including from his fellow professors, the presidency has… Read more »
DPP has got very bad legal advisers.Even himself as a lawyer need to think first and see the bottom of the advises he gets before going on public.
Yes protects YOUR RIGHTS by protecting your Rights YOU PROTECT OUR RIGHTS.
Long live Democracy in Malawi where there is a RULE of LAW and Respect for The Jurisprudence
You lawyers don’t bore us with your useless demos just because you know one day you may become judges. How many people have been forced to go on leave pending retirement or contract expirely? Do you think APM a lawyer himself and Muhara once a Judge are not aware of such elementary laws? In fact if the judiciary was transparent enough it must tell us how many leave days has the CJ accumulated and how they will be disposed before the he retires. Its not on for the judiciary to intimidate the executive because as the SACJ Forum said it… Read more »
If the rule of law is not respected, the one on the wrong has violated the constitution of Malawi osangom’manga bwanji?
Mwambi wa lero: Ukaputa njuchi usati asakhwi afumbula
That’s the way to go lawyers.
Wonderful Lawyers.
The police have been at the recieving end as being incompetent, cadets, DPP affiliated etc. and now here you are needing them for your security. All demos except those conducted by the DPP have always been designed to terrorize the society resulting to breaking into shops, burning roads, buildings and stripping naked policewomen and killing policemen.I fear for your security and that you won’t regret this move because if all goes bad, you will be more criticized than ever before.
Shame!I think you are deaf and blind.
In a few week’s time, Mutharika, his closest relatives and some DPP officials will be slammed with US travel sanctions
Ndiye azathawira kuti popezaso kuno tizawagenda?. Chuma chao chakubacho tizaotcha?
How can the whole CJ accumulate 572 days without going on lesle? Amaona anyamata amumana ujeni !!!. Kkkkk.