State House yet to respond to Misa Malawi on ATI

State House is yet to respond to media body, Misa –Malawi which insinuated President Peter Mutharika lied when he said one of the inconsistencies in the Access to Information Bill include a clause that says no parliament in future shall repeal the law.

Legal advisor to Misa-Malawi, Mandala Mambulasa recently told a newspaper that there is no clause in the draft bill that declares that no parliament shall repeal the Access to Information Bill.

“Maybe the President was misled. If parliament can repeal the Republican Constitution, what can stop it from doing the same with this law,” said Mambulasa.

State House is yet to clarify that.

Mutharika, who boasted that he has the finest lawyers in his cabinet singling out minister of Justice Samuel Tembenu, ministers of Energy Bright Msaka and Foreign Affairs minister George Chaponda said the cabinet legal affairs committee is scrutinising the bill.

The President, who is a law professor himself, said he would not work under pressure from either donors or civil society organisations to have the bill passed.

Mutharika also said the government was not comfortable that the bill would allow people to seek information on issues which happened before it came into effect.

Spokesperson for Malawi Congress Party Jessie Kabwila jokingly said Mutharika was afraid Malawians would easily find out the people he took to the UN general assembly in September.