Malawi Police probes Rev Maurice Munthali over ‘inciting revolution’
Malawi Police detectives are reportedly investigating a case of incitement to insurrection against the Joyce Banda administration for placing the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in the armpits of Vice-President Khumbo Kachali, Nyasa Times understands.
In making her first cabinet reshuffle since assuming office in April following her predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika’s sudden death from cardiac arrest, President Banda removed Kachali as Minister of Health but, among other departments, she placed MEC under his office.
The move attracted resistance from civil society, analysts and opposition parties who feared for the independence of the elections body.
Police were investigating an e-mail which is said to have originated from Reverend Maurice Munthali, general secretary of multi-faith based pressure group Public Affairs Committee (PAC), in which it allegedly incites revolution.
“Surely, if we don’t oppose this evil plan now, the lady (President Banda) will be if she’s not already the worst dictator Malawi (our mother land) has ever had,” the e-mail circulated to many stakeholders reads.
The e-mail reads: “She must know outrightly that she doesn’t own this country. If this is what she can do without being elected into power, how worse will it be when we she’s made into a lioness come 2014?”
The mail calls on Malawians ro rise up.
“If it were Egypt I could as well have asked us all to rise against this woman. She is actually out of her head, to say the least.
“We are already praying, but lionesses of this type need to be chased out of the kraal. We need our own Tahrir Square if she resists the call to retract. This is not being radical; it’s only being jealously patriotic.”
It concluded: “ Let’s rise and defend our only Malawi.”
Police source said: “We are indeed investigating an incitement case against Rev Maurice Munthali. Our team is in the process of gathering evidence that will assist us in the investigation.”
However President Banda has justified her action to put MEC under the vice-president office for smooth operations of the 2014 tripartite elections.
Malawi will in 2014 hold presidential, parliamentary and ward elections together for the first time.
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