Mutharika launches Malawi policy on National Security
President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika on Tuesday launched a National Security Policy (NSP) that is expected to coordinate and integrate activities of all national security organs in response to emerging security challenges.
Speaking during the launching ceremony held at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe, President Mutharika said that progress and prosperity for any nation works best if there is peace and security and that the new policy should help to facilitate such a process.
“There is no peace without human security and we need to feel safe if we are to prosper as a nation. Our investment and border must feel safe,” Mutharika said.
He added that his government will ensure adequate provision of social and national security in all its forms including food, military and financial security.
Mutharika further said that lack of proper mechanism in protecting national resources was the main catalyst for the looting of public funds that culminated into the infamous “Cashgate” scandal and that there is need to eliminate this problem through the new policy.
The President also pointed out that the country and the whole world is facing a number of security challenges like cybercrime, which need coordinated response to address them.
Chief Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet Lloyd Muhara said the new policy clarifies institutional frameworks through which all security organs should coordinate their works towards developing this nation through provision of security.
“No society can attain reasonable social and economic growth without peace and security,” Muhara said.
The formulation and development of the National Security Policy started in 2013 by a taskforce team headed by former Malawi Army Commander Retired General Marko Chiziko.
Earlier on, Chiziko gave a brief overview of the policy’s formulation process in which he highlighted a number of key priority areas that will provide for a safe and secure Malawi in a well-coordinated and structured manner.
Chief among them is the establishment of a National Security Council that will have representation from national to district level.
The former army chief said the policy will not only serve the interests of security bodies but of all citizens. He then called on all Malawians to own this blue print on national security.
“We want every Malawian to be responsible for this policy. Sometimes we behave like this is not our nation by leaving everything in the hands of security officers.
Current security challenges go beyond the expertise and understanding of our officers. There are issues like financial, cyber and environmental security that needs interventions from various sectors,” Chiziko said.
The policy will be reviewed every five years to respond to current trends in the security sector.
Patrons at the event, who included Vice-President Saulos Chilima and and leader of Opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera who is also president of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and came up close to the President when he was in a line of officials representing societal sectors that had the privilege to receive the National Security Policy document from Mutharika.
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Is the policy anywhere available on the internet, so that citizen can complement the effort taken?
Let the government show citizens that mob justice is wrong on radio and through security organizations teachings .Recently Malawi would again on world news for attempt mob justice killings of BBC reporters in Karonga.This shows people are still too behind in terms of freedoms.More must be done,I feel first to recognize victims of Blood suckers as a country,People should actually hear what actually happened to individual victim and how that would have been avoided.The population is exploding any slow down of activity will burst in to lawless world.
BLOOD SUCKERS victims must be taken care first ,do not just ignore these people who lost lives and property in the hands of fellow citizens.Mulli would have taken them to court of law.The weak will
ever suffer in their hearts.Families of the victims are people like presidents relatives.Check on that,
Malawi has nice national policies. Most of them are gathering dust on shelves. The challenge is putting them in action and inability to monitor them. This is not the first time Government has held pompous ceremonies for producing national policies. There are hundred of them and many more are to be held. One wonders whether poor Malawians (the most affected by insecurity) were consulted and how their inputs taken into account. Looking at the front row its security is guaranteed because they live in well protected environment and can walk away with impunity when they act unethically. For a policy… Read more »