Chakwera pledges rule of law amid rising concerns over state-sanctioned lawlessness
After turning Malawi into what many now describe as a lawless state, where opposition figures and suspected dissidents are arrested, assaulted, and even elected lawmakers face threats, President Lazarus Chakwera and his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) are now promising to deliver the rule of law if re-elected this September.
The contradiction is especially glaring in the wake of the June 26 attacks on peaceful demonstrators in Lilongwe, where machete-wielding thugs brutally assaulted several citizens, including activist Sylvester Namiwa in full view of both Malawi Police Service officers and Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldiers.
Additionally, despite CCTV footage clearly showing individuals intentionally deflating the tyres of a vehicle belonging to opposition Member of Parliament for Zomba Malosa, Grace Kwelepeta, police have not made any arrests four months after the incident.
The media files of the two incidents, which circulated widely on social media, identified faces and actions of the suspects, yet law enforcement has remained silent, deepening public concerns about selective justice and political bias within the Malawi Police Service under the President Chakwera watch.
Yet despite the obvious failures, Chakwera insists his administration has laid a strong foundation for justice, and is now seeking a fresh mandate to strengthen the rule of law. In his newly launched manifesto, he cites achievements such as recruiting over 6,000 police officers, establishing the Malawi International Arbitration Centre, completing the High Court’s Commercial Division, and signing over 100 pieces of legislation aimed at restoring legal order.
“He (Chakwera) has ended the inhumane and cannibalistic killing of persons with albinism,” reads part of MCP manifesto on rule of law “He has resisted public pressure to abuse the powers of his office and practice mob justice against anyone based on unsubstantiated social media propaganda and unlawful smear campaigns, thus fulfilling his Oath of Office to ‘do right to all manner of people according to law without fear or favour, affection or ill will.’
Chakwera further claims that his government has improved transparency in asset declarations by senior officials, and upheld the independence of regulatory institutions such as MACRA, MERA, and the Office of the Ombudsman.
Judging by the reactions from Malawians, particularly on social media, Chakwera’s promises of reform on rule of law are being met with deep scepticism.
More people argue that unresolved incidents of political violence and growing perceptions that key institutions have been compromised, proves a difficult sell to his pledge to uphold the rule of law.
