Lawyers in the country say they are going to demonstrate on Thursday, 12 September 2024 to force the Ministry of Justice to publish and table in Parliament three Judicial Reform Bills.
The demonstrations will be held in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
According to the statement released by Malawi Law Society (MLS) Honorary Secretary Gabriel Chembezi, a majority of 73 MLS members at the EGM meeting held on 27th August passed a resolution to hold the protests to compel the Ministry to publish the bills.
Initially, the society’s extraordinary general meeting on August 26 2024, resolved to hold the demonstrations tomorrow, 9 September.
However, the date was shifted after the Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice Alison M’bang’ombe advised that the ministry already submitted the Bills to the Cabinet for approval.
He also told MLS that the Cabinet can only be convened to look at the Bills once President Lazarus Chakwera returns from his trip to China.
“Given this development, the executive committee met and resolved to shift the demonstrations to Thursday, September 12 2024 to allow for the Cabinet process.
“It is hoped that in the interim, significant steps will be taken by the executive branch of government to have the Bills introduced in Parliament and, further, abridge the time period necessary for giving notice according to the enactment of the said Bills,” reads part of the statement.
According to the statement, the Malawi Law Society resolution was sent to the Ministry of Justice through the Solicitor General on August 29 2024. It was also sent to the Judiciary on the same day.
The legal practitioners want to hold the Executive accountable due to continued delays in taking to Parliament the Judicial Service Administration (JSA) Bill 2024, the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Courts (Amendment) Bill 2024.
Members resolved that the society should present a petition to the Minister of Justice during the demonstrations for the Executive to introduce the Bills for debate in the current sitting of the National Assembly.
