Rev Gama sides with DPP against 50+1 provision: ‘To harm Malawi economically’

CCAP Blantyre Synod general secretary the Reverend Billy Gama has taken the same tonne of governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to oppose the 50+1 provision of electing the country’s President, saying  it will do more economic harm the country.

Gama said the law set to be passed following a Constitutional Court clarification on an earlier interpretation of “majority”, may bring economic repercussions  and that the country should continue using  first-past-the-post in electing the President.

“The obvious reason is that it is going to be so costly and it will cripple the country because we will need K43 billion to run the fresh election,” Gama said in quotes reported by The Nation daily newspaper.

In its February 3 2020 judgement, the court recommended that Parliament should legislate laws to support the existing statutes that provide room for the President to be elected by the majority of voters.

The DPP has been working to suffocate the passing of the 50+1 provision.

The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) and Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) synods of Nkhoma and Livingstonia agree that the Bill, which was among a set of Electoral Reforms Bills Parliament shot down in December 2019, is in the best interest of Malawians.