Equip registrar of political parties, says governance commentator

Government has been urged to provide adequate resources and support to the office of the Registrar of Political Parties to ensure that it fulfils its mandate.

Governance commentator Undule Mwakasungula made the appeal in a statement on Thursday following the confirmation by Public Appointments Committee (PAC) of Parliament of Kizito Tenthani as Registrar of Political Parties.

Tenthani is the first registrar to be hired since the office was established in 2018. Prior to his appointment and subsequent confirmation this week, Registrar General Chikumbutso Namelo was acting on the position.

And, in his statement, Mwakasungula said the office will be critical in levelling the playing-field for political parties and strengthening democratic institutions.

Part of the statement reads: “It will, therefore, be in the interest of every Malawian to see that the government provides the registrar’s office with the necessary resources and support to fulfil its mandate effectively”.

The absence of the Registrar of Political Parties was often criticised by governance experts and institutions who perceived the situation as challenging for the execution of duties of the office as per its mandate.

Now that a registrar has been appointed, Mwakasungula said the office will be critical in ensuring transparency, accountability and professionalism within Malawi’s political landscape.

He said it is the duty of every Malawian to ensure that the office works without interference.

He described Tenthani, who has been Centre for Multiparty Democracy executive director, as an ideal candidate for the role.

In April this year, the Malawi Law Society (MLS) besides calling for the appointment of the Registrar of Political Parties, recommended the need for more reforms to ensure effectiveness of the Political Parties Act.

In a report on various recommendations published at its annual general meeting, the lawyers’ body said: “Further, there is significant weakness in terms of implementation of the Act itself with the Registrar of Political Parties, an office established under the Act, failing to carry out its duties since establishment”.

MLS also took a swipe at the Act that it allows anonymous donations while not providing a cap on them and only prohibiting handouts from private donations and not public ones.

The Registrar of Political Parties office came into existence after establishment of the new Political Parties Act of 2018. The Act also prescribes a new process of registering political parties, outlaws handouts and compels political parties to disclose their sources of funding.