Churches against LGBT public hearings

The Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), a grouping of over 60 Christian churches and organisations, has spoken out against the ongoing public inquiry into the country’s controversial anti-homosexuality laws as illegal.

The Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) is currently engaging various stakeholders on their take on the country’s anti-homosexuality laws. But in a written submission The Nation has seen, EAM says only a referendum is constitutionally accepted to solicit public opinion on the matter.

The public inquiry, apart from the laws, is also seeking public input on other issues concerning the plight of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT).

“We would also like to state that the only accepted ‘public inquiry’ to inform government as to whether to remove those laws that criminalise homosexuality is a referendum—not a stakeholder-centred public inquiry as the government would want to make us believe.

“This is so because any change or removal of the laws that criminalise homosexuality will, by implication mean, a change in the definition and scope of marriage and family as held in our Constitution and other domestic laws.

EAM further appealed to government not to bow down to pressure to outside pressure on the matter, arguing that even globally there is no consensus on the issue.

In an interview yesterday, MHRC executive secretary David Nungu said the Commission will not respond to the matter although it welcomed EAM’s input.

“We will look at their input. We are inviting all inputs so that we receive all kinds of views. We will not react to this query, but we will get as much submissions as we can,” he said.

Since 2010 when Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steve Monjeza held the first all-male traditional engagement ceremony in Blantyre, attention has been focused on Malawi’s colonial laws which observers say criminalise sexual orientation. n