Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera says he will stick to the oath of office he took as the state president, saying some people want him to be in full control of every government business something which he claims contravenes the constitution.
Chakwera made the marks on Monday 12th June, 2023when he presided over the official opening of a two-day conference on separation of powers which is being held at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in lilongwe.
Addressing the gathering, Chakwera wondered why a certain section of the Malawi population want him to govern the country the same way it was during one party system.
Chakwera said this clearly shows that more people never know the functions of the president and separation of power as stipulated by the Constitution, but says he will continue to preserve and defend the supreme law of the land, the Malawi Constitution.
“In everyday discourse, people expect ‘kuyendetsa Boma, which has a connotation or metaphor of a driver who has an absolute control of a machine. But the reality is that the function of a President is similar to that of a traffic police officer who controls the flow of machines but does not have absolute or full control of the machines,” said president Chakwera.
The Malawi leader further said the citizenry should hold accountable all the heads of the three branches of government which include the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature who were given mandate to use state power.
Chakwera also revealed that on several occasions he received calls from individuals who wanted to be favoured in other businesses and said he was also encouraged to deal with anyone who speak against him a behaviour he said should not be condoned.
“Then there are those who try to intimidate me and threaten me because they don’t agree with a government policy that I know is right for the country, as if they don’t know that the oath I took had me swear to fulfil the functions of my office without fear.
“Then there are those who advise me to use the powers of my office to grind an axe against people who criticize me or speak ill of me and to reward those who flatter me, as if they did not hear me swear three years ago that I would fulfil the functions of my office without affection or ill-will,” he added.
The Malawi president was however optimistic that the conference will prove to be a teaching moment for everyone that will as well fosters mindset change that was named as a necessary enabler for the implementation of Malawi 2063.
The conference is co-hosted by the heads of the three branches of government, namely Chakwera as Head of the Executive, Chief Justice Rezine Mzikamanda as the Head of the judiciary, and the Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara as the Head of the legislature.
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