Malawi Women Lawyers petition Mutharika over Cabinet: Demand Mchacha to be fired
Members of Women Lawyers Association have presented a petition to President Peter Mutharika for reducing the number of women in Cabinet from four to three in the 20-member team.
The Women Lawyers on Monday stormed the Office of President and Cabinet at Capital Hill, Lilongwe where they presented the petition to Chief Secretary to the government Lloyd Muhara.
The women lawyers led by their president Sarai Chisala are protesting against poor women representation in the cabinet.
The government has said women empowerment is more than being appointed to serve in the Cabinet.
However, Women Lawyers in their petition argue that “The Cabinet is an important organ of government where decisions affecting the nation are made.”
Reads the petition seen by Nyasa Times: “Malawi has a number of women who are well qualified to work as Ministers in all the Ministries duly established in the nation. The decision to appoint less women Cabinet Ministers is in violation of our Constitution which in Section 13 declares it to be a principle of our national policy to actively promote the welfare and development of our people by pushing for gender equality through the full participation women in all spheres of Malawian society on the basis of equal opportunities with men.”
But Minister of Information and Communications Technology Henry Mussa, who is the official government spokesperson, said people should not only look at Cabinet as there are many positions headed by women.
He said: “The Malawi Electoral Commission [MEC] chairperson is a woman as well as Competition and Fair Trading [CFTC] chief executive officer. Then we have women leaders in embassies, Parliament [First Deputy Speaker], parastatals and even principal secretaries.”
The Women Lawyers Association said they have noted with concern that recent appointments to some Boards of Statutory bodies have not included any women.
“For instance, the recently appointed Board members for the National Water Resources Authority are all male. This is in total disregard of the provisions of the Gender Equality Act which mandates an appointing authority to appoint no less than forty percent (40%) and no more than sixty percent (60%) of either sex in public office. As such the recent appointments are unlawful and have the effect of robbing women of their right to participate in affairs that concern their lives,” reads the petition.
The lawyers said the appointments are in “total disregard” to the Constitution that President Mutharika swore to protect and are in clear breach of the Gender Equality Act.
Nonetheless, Women Lawyers have protested the appointment into Cabinet foulmouthed Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regional governor for the South Charles Mchacha who is accused of demeaning women.
The Women Lawyers Association said they are “shocked and deeply disheartened” by the appointment of Mchacha to the role of Deputy Minister of Homeland Security.
“Mr Mchacha has in the recent past unashamedly attacked, insulted and used derogatory and undignified language against women at various political rallies. His behaviour towards women who are participating in public life as equal members of our democratic nation is extremely disturbing,” reads the petition.
They argue that appointment of Mchacha in Cabinet puts into question Malawi’s commitment to the plight and welfare of women in Malawi, in particular the promises made to protect women from violence in an effort to encourage more women to run for office.
Mchacha’s appointment in Cabinet seemingly condones and rewards disrespect of women generally and women in politics in particular, the lawyers observed.
They said the development is an “affront to decency, morality and contravenes the Constitutional values and national policy principles” that President Mutharika swore to uphold.
The Women Lawyers Association therefore calls upon the office of the President to review the recent appointments and increase the number of women in the Cabinet and to include women in all Boards that have no women.
They have also demanded President Mutharika to remove Mchacha from the Cabinet for his derogatory language against women and condemn the abuse of women by all officials.
The lawyers also demand the President to ensure that all future public appointments comply with the law and the spirit of all human rights instruments that Malawi has signed up to.
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The description Malawi Women Lawyers is insufficient. It should appear some disgruntled Malawi Women Lawyers. I know some of the Prominent respected Lawyers that are not part of this disgruntled group of Lawyers. I will not mention them because you know them. These are very respected and cannot be part of these so called Women Lawyers. My question to these disgruntled women lawyers is that, are you sure that the only case you have seen in Malawi that has concerned you is of Mchacha and few women representation on the current cabinet list? If you are Malawians and that you stay in Malawi, are you ok with what some of you women are doing? Have you ever congratulated the president when more women are put in positions? One wonders whether you are serious on what you are talking about now or you have an agenda to promote Chilima.
DPP has just lost a large voting block……….women……..how dare you Mr President?
UTM WILL PROMOTE MORE WOMEN TO BIG POST
Leave mchacha alone, Mchacha is not the problem here because we have many idiots in this country just like him or worse but they are not any where near the government offices but confined in farms, the biggest problem is the person who thinks out the whole population of adult Malawians Mchacha is a genius enough to serve as a cabinet minister, really? That’s the top most idiot that needs to step down or be petitioned. Bcoz how many more idiotic decision will he make even if mchacha was to step down today? Is that the person we would trust with our Tax money?Mchacha is simply one of his idiotic decision so let’s not uproot the bad fruit but the whole tree producing bad fruits, bad economy, bad policies, bad governance n, bad bad bad everything. Leave mchacha alone.
Women lawyers women lawyers….Ma Lawyer ake ati? Ntchito kuyenda ndi Amuna aeni? How come ma Lawyer onse amene anapita ku Capital Hill alibe Amuna? Kuyambira Sarai Chisala, tionetseni mwamuna wake. Nanga Ombudsman Martha Chizuma? Nanga Phoebe Chikungwa? Nanga Martha Kaukonde? Nanga Sara Nayeja? Basi ntchito kungokhalira kunjonjola ndi Amuna aeni? Bwenzitu mukumakhala serious!
By the way, Law Commissioner Mzimayi. Secretary for Justice Mzimayi. MEC Chair Mzimayi. Ombudsman Mzimayi. CFTC CEO Mzimayi. NCIC CEO Mzimayi. MEDF CEO Mzimayi. ADL CEO Mzimayi. Air Cargo CEO Mzimayi. Clerk of Parliament Mzimayi. Mwati Azimayi amenewa mitu yawo ikugwira ntchito? Kapena amakafunsira chibwenzi kwa Muhara?
A very prominent lawyer and women’s rights activist who is conspicuously missing from this group of women is Seodi White. Akhuwa bwanji atapana banzi pakamwa Kkkkk!!!
The most unfortunate and ironic thing about all these theatrics by you women is that come May, 2019 you are all going to vote for Mutharika and his DPP en masse. What you should be doing is to actively and visibly campaign against him and his DPP. Campaign for any other presidential candidate but him.
The majority of voters is women so use that power and vote for your own woman. You failed your own Joyce Banda and now you marching to a man to do it for you. Kampezeni Yesu. Women must learn first thing, support each other first. You let down Joyce Banda.
Ask this poor man of God who is based in south africa who owns many cars than Abramovich (chelsea owner)called Salanje for an opinion.
Damn. Those are some ugly women
Oh me gosh! Those are some beautiful women.
Koma. Cadet maso anafa basi. Akazi okongola ngati awa, komanso a nzeru. Your justice madams, ulemu wanu
So your eyes only see discrimination of women when it comes to political appointments yet in your own work place women are discriminated against and you remain quite. Otherwise the motivation is not really the plight of women but an attempt to see the fall of APM and his DPP. Ingoyambisani chipani kapena join zipani zotsutsa zomwe zilipo kalezi.
IT WAS WOMEN WHO FIRST DISCOVERED THAT JESUS CHRIST HAD RISEN FROM THE DEAD —- LIKEWISE OF LATE IT’S OUR VISIONARY WOMEN SENSING/FEELING THE DANGER A HEAD /AROUND MOTHER MALAWI
kusowa chochita basi.
I hear you lady lawyers. Unfortunately this lawyer leading this country is deaf.
kkkkkkkkkkkk !! Don’t put us to test please. Maina ake omwe amachita lidi timagulu ngati iti ndiokhaokha. Why are you so bitter ?
The derogatory language is actually what has made Mchacha a minister APM is a politician people tend to forget his educated enough but doesn’t listen to the public why? cause he knows malawi politics is like that!! He knows his cadets are thugs but if he is to stay on top he allows that can doesn’t care what happens to those poor thugs! The guy got 70 mill plus 2 mill USD and assets….wake up malawians
MWACHITA BWINO ZOONA KUCHOTSA MAYI KUIKANSO UJA AMTUKWANU ETI KUMANENA AZIMAYI KUIT MAHULE PA NSOKHONO OTUKWANA PANO NDI MINISTER ZOOONA BWANAWA AKUGANIZA BWANJI KODI PAMENEPA MWINA AZIMAYI ADABWAPO
Why should Mchacha be removed? Women lawyers or whatever you call yourselves, you have shown your political side by demanding the removal of Mchacha just because one day he described what patrician kaliati is. Just yesterday at the UTM rally in salima, calista chapora talked bad things about the president. Can you comment on what your fellow woman said.
what did she say?
Bena Mhango bakuba na zeru. Iwe uchindere uwu ulikutola kochi? Shupiti zako
Nkhani yabwino ndithu iyi koma vuto ndi loti mmene mwateremo basi zathera pompo. Nkhani iyi ya uyu salvage ochedwa Mchacha ndi nkhani yopweteka kwambiri. Azimayi nonse okonda Malawi mukanagwirana manja kuti Mchacha achotsedwe pa unduna. A police omwewo azimupangila sawacha Mchacha azikazi awo anatukwanidwa zobisika, kupathikiza azikazi a asilikali, aziphunzitsi, ndi ena onse. Kodi ku Malawi ko akuti anthu ophunzira kulibe amene angakwanitse ntchito imene amupatsa salvage yo? Apa a Malawi tatoledwa kuti nzoonadi ndife amantha. Koma ndikudziwa kuti uku nkuyamba chabe, azimayi wa atumidwa kuti ayambe kusonkhela moto, something big will happen. Mark my words! Enough is enough.
Well done female lawyers. That’s the way to go. No point just talking on social media etc without action.
Oho dikirani maloya a akazinu Mchacha akutukwanani zamkabudula at the next rally! Simumamudziwa eti? He is the president’s most favourite stooge!
Our Honourable women, I for one think it’s to your advantage that you are not well represented in this rotten government. Your dignity is spared.
Mchacha is a brute, savage and an embecile who is drowning the DPP name into the mud. If such people are not removed from senior positions, some of us will definitely withdraw our support from the DPP. Nchacha makes the rest of us look like idiots.
Mchacha funsirapo m’modzi pamenepa you will see they will all stop making noise. Ndi umbeta wawavuta awa. Amuna akuwaopa kuwafunsira chifukwa ndiophunzira
Maliseche game yamukulira apa basi
They want to use their position as women to put APM in the corner. There many women in important positions in Malawi. People should not be appointed just because they are women.
show me 5 law firms in Malawi successfully being run by a woman? so what makes you think u caan now run government affairs. 50:50 should be based on merit