Opposition demand Malawi national IDs suspended: ‘Its DPP rigging scheme’

Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) said the national  identification card exercise which has been put as a prerequisite for one to be eligible to vote in the 2019 Tripartite Elections.the national  must be suspended claiming it is the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government tool to rig elections in 2019.

Malawi rolling out national ID project, introducing biometric voter registry for 2019 elections

The MPs said this on Thursday in Parliament after forcing an adjournment on the matter.

The matter was raised by Kasungu central legislature Amon Nkhata who proposed that the IDs should not be used as a voting cards in 2019 general elections.

Speaking on Standing Order 14 on issues of national importance, Nkhata asked the Minister of Home Affairs to clarify why registration officials were sending pople back because a quota was reached for the day.

“There are irregularities in Kasungu at Boma School where there was inadequate stationery and there are reports that workers are demanding a fee from people to process the registration,” he said.

Nkhata further said the process is taking three days before a card is printed.

He said there was a possibility that some people would not come back to collect their cards.

“This is why we see it as a rigging process. If people were aware that their names were being registered for election purposes as well, they would register en masse,” Nkhata said.

Lilongwe North MP Patricia Mkanda (MCP) urged the authorities to suspend the registration because of the challenges.

She argued that starting the registration in the Central Region would mean that those aged below 16 in the region would not be registered while those in Northern and Southern regions would be registered because they will have turned 16 by November.

Dowa West MP Alexander Kusamba Dzonzi (MCP) said the registration age should be reduced to 14 because these would be aged 16 by 2019.

According to the MP, there are  concerns of poor public awareness, no forms for others , poor planning and faulty equipment.

“If the  exercise faces such kind of problems, how do you expect that the elections will be fare?,” he wondered.

Mchinji west MP Jephter Mwale said “as in my area, all the computers are not functioning. This means that many people in most areas in the central will not registered than in other regions.”

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) chief whip Lobin Lowe wondered why the Malawi Electoral Chairperson disclosed to Malawians that the IDs will be used in 2019 elections some weeks after the exercise started.

Mzimba south west legislature Khumbo Kachali asked the minister of civic education to say if there is a plan to use the IDs in 2019 elections.

In her response, Minister of civic education Cecelia Chazama admitted that MEC signed the memorandum of understand with her ministry and National Registration Bureau (NRB) on 31 May, 2017.

Leader of opposition who is also MCP President Lazarus Chakwera asked the house to come up, with a committee that will be mandated to monitor the whole process.

The government side was just silent during the discussion.

Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Grace Chiumia conceded that challenges were being experienced in the exercise such as the breaking down of equipment.

On people being sent back, Chiumia said there was a cut off number of 80 a day to allow registration personnel capture data accurately.

However, she said the ruling DPP has no plan to rig 2019 general elections using the process.

The project has been funded by the Malawi Government and development partners to the tune of $49 694 000 (about K36.5 billion). Currently, over 100 000 people have been recorded to have been registered with the registration process expected to end in December.

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santana
santana
6 years ago

Mwayamba kale mwayamba kale kunjenjemera!!!!!!!

Keen Observer
Keen Observer
6 years ago

I agree with Cheryl Wanimiliyoni he has correctly or clearly put it. And just to add on that issue of lack of awareness I believe that the MPS themselves are obliged to make sure that their constituents are well aware the importance of this registration. I’m outside the boarders of our beautiful country but I know about this campaign of mass registration very well so how about someone who is in the Republic? Just work with the government to rectify wherever there are hitches. Come on guys. Rigging votes?

Che Wanimiliyoni
Che Wanimiliyoni
6 years ago

I stand to be corrected but my thinking is that NRB can not manage to issue IDs to every eligible and legitimate Malawian within 2 years. This is just a free mass registration exercise and the process is on-going but it will be paid for after that. What MEC said was that all those who will have managed to get this ID they will use it as a primary identification for registration during the 2019 General Elections but those who will not have managed to have it they will use the other means of identification not that they will not… Read more »

Munthu
Munthu
6 years ago

Thank you tell them. You cannot suspend the exercise it stupid and shows lack of foresight. For those who will not have registered MEC will devise alternative ways to ensure that nobody is denied the right to vote. Unfortunately Hon. Chazama is sending wrong messages

lottie
lottie
6 years ago

These fears are baseless.

mjomba
mjomba
6 years ago

ine national Id ndikuifuna kaya anthu adzaberana zisankho izo ndi zao koma national ID ikufunika mu dziko muno, amene mwajambulitsa kale musapangitse azanu kuti asakhale nayo national ID. ngati mwapeza kuti boma lidzabera chisankho bwanji osangopeza njira yoti asadzakubeleni.
ndale zisamasokoneze chitukuko ayi, moti mabungwe apeleka ndalamawo sakudziwa zakubazo. otsutsa timakulemekezani koma izi zokha zisiyeni. osamayang`ana za chisankho zokha ayi, bwanji lero mutuluke mu Parliament`mo ndikuyenda mu mseu kuliuza boma kuti lilipile maphuzitsi ana alowe mkalasi osati zopusazo.

odala
odala
6 years ago

Ife a DPP kubela kuli m’magazi. There are so many ways of killing a cat so long if you are serious of killing it. Do you remember that its the same DPP that suffocated PP’s phones. They could not hear each other during 2014 elections. When one door is closed for cheating another door opens for us. We are not pompus at all but election cheating is in our blood. If we did it when we were outside the government, what more when we are in the government. More undistinguished fire.Remember central region ruled Malawi for 30 years, south will… Read more »

mcfield
mcfield
6 years ago

This is from the deep down of Malawian citizens that this IDs should not be used as voter IDs otherwise we will never stop singing the same song of rigging. Oppositions do your best to stop this.

Chikuniwenda
6 years ago

dzenje lolionera patali silivuta kudumpha .opposition parties standup its high time you have lobbed your victory

chimanga
6 years ago

DPP yatchera ku mwezi nkhanga zaona

smart
smart
6 years ago

Let the National ID progress but that is should not used in the national voting exercise.MEC SHOULD COME UP WITH THEIR OWN IDS

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