Malawi political tension worries envoys of various governments
Malawi’s escalating political tension stemming from disputed presidential elections has worried envoys of various government who have issued a joint statement calling for unity and respect for the rule of law “at this important moment in the country’s history.”
The statement made available to Nyasa Times, the envoy’s of United States of America, United Kingdon, European Union (EU), Japan, Norway, Germany, Ireland, Iceland state, Nigeria , Tanzania said their governments are committed to supporting Malawi to achieve its goals of democracy and development.
The envoys’ said they have watched the rising political tensions with growing concern.
“We believe that in order for Malawi’s progress towards a stronger and more inclusive democracy to be deepened, it is critically important to refrain from using inflammatory language, and to show restraint when it is used by others,” they advised.
They have further called on Malawians to work together to “deescalate the situation and focus on the common history and experiences that unite Malawians which are far greater than what divides them.”
The envoys also urge all political parties, the civil society, religious and traditional leaders, and all peace-loving Malawians to deeply reflect on the principles of national policy under the Constitution of Malawi especially the one which calls for peaceful settlement of disputes through negotiation, good offices, mediation, conciliation and arbitration.
“ This is the time for dialogue and peacebuilding, not deepened divisions which could undermine the unity of the country,” reads the statement.
The foreign government stated that it is equally important for everyone to respect the rule of law at this important moment in the country’s history.
“This means abiding by both the letter and the spirit of the law and the Constitution, and for authorities to be upholding it consistently in all cases,” the statement said
The envoys said they welcome the commitment of all of the main political parties to abide by the verdict of the Constitutional Court on 3 February 2020, and the judgement that the Supreme Court will issue after hearing the appeal against that verdict in April.
“We call on political leaders to reaffirm their confidence in the judiciary, their willingness to find common ground, and their commitment to democratic norms and values.”
Political tensions started rising in May last year when opposition leaders rejected election results that showed President Peter Mutharika winning a second term.
Since then, a civil rights group, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition, has led protests pushing for the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission Chairperson Jane Ansah for mismanaging the polls which the constitutional court and parliament also reaffirmed.
Authorities say the protests, vandalism and violence have affected the country’s development.
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You are the same stupid envoys who were congratulating this idiot APM. He benefitted from a staged election…..now here you are telling us to slow down when we we have sorted out things by ourselves to date????..
Amatero????? Can this be true??? You side with APM because you make funny funny deals. ….. you chinese will pack up.and go soon. You are not helping us get rid of this dictator
We got one citizen who does not follow the rules of Malawi, Peter Munthalika, this is where all problems are coming from.I think he should read Malawi history again, when Malawians want Change, change does come.Dpp is destroy itself.Lomwe people has discovered that the whole time they have supported the DPP asauka kwabasi.Change will start in the following districts; Mulanje Thyolo Phalombe and Chiradzulu.Half of the registered voters will not vote for the DPP.kuba too much this party.
Very interesting. I note that China is not part of the concerned diplomatic missions.
I suppose not being forthright is part of diplomacy.
Otherwise it is plain and clear who the problem is. I don’t think leaders of opposition parties are the issue here. All they are trying to do is to ensure the country is governed according to democratic principles Malawians chose. Unfortunately someone does not want it that way.
That’s where the problem is.
The most feared part of a snake is its head, even the python, after squeezing it victim to death still has to use the mouth which is part of its head, to swallow the victim. It is clear that if Malawi had a more level-headed Head of State, he would have by far already provided visionary leadership to extract Malawi from the deepening political quagmire and sorry state of social welfare of the masses. Unfortunately for Malawi, the Head of State has become the most dangerous ‘snake’ as judged from his toxic political speeches uttered by his tongue which is… Read more »
There is only one person and group of followers who are the main cause of this political situation and they are APM and DPP mugs. They have acted with impunity and think they are above the law. When DPP and APM get out of government, if the new government (inevitably) does not take these people to task for breaking the law with impunity, I strongly believe there will be many individuals out there willing to take people like APM and his DPP gang to court. We should set examples for all in future that no one is above the law.… Read more »