Vice-President-elect Jane Ansah, Senior Counsel (SC), says she holds no grudges against those who insulted or criticised her for her handling of the nullified 2019 presidential election.
Speaking during Thanksgiving Prayers at Christ Citadel Church in Area 47 in Lilongwe yesterday, the retired Justice of Appeal said the insults and criticisms left her family traumatised and was hopeful that it should serve as a reminder of the harm that careless words and unfounded attacks can cause.
Ansah, who was Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson at the time, said she remained unshaken by the post-election demonstration and harsh public criticism, but her family was left bruised.
“I was simply doing my job within the confines of the law and committed no wrongdoing,” she said.
But Ansah said her husband, the Right Reverend Joseph Addo Ansah, lost much of his vision and can now barely walk unaided while her mother suffered memory loss and temporarily lost her ability to walk. She said both were severely affected by the relentless verbal abuse and online vitriol, which triggered dangerously high blood pressure and stress-related complications.
“It was difficult to watch,” she said. “The false accusations and hateful words on social media had real consequences. My mother had to be taken to the UK for treatment before she could recover.”
“This is not about seeking pity,” she clarified, “but about helping people understand the real cost of speaking ill of others.”
Despite the ordeal, Ansah said she believes the experience was part of a greater purpose.
“I know all this happened so that God’s will could be fulfilled in my life,” she said.
Ansah, who to the surprise of many was picked as President-elect Peter Mutharika’s running mate on a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ticket in the September 16 General Election, pledged that she and Mutharika will serve the nation with humility and reverence for God, committed to driving meaningful transformation and addressing the challenges Malawians face.
A five-judge panel of the High Court of Malawi sitting as the Constitutional Court on February 3 2020 nullified the 2019 presidential election and ordered a fresh election within 150 days. The verdict was upheld by a seven-member panel of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal in May the same year.
During an appearance before the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament on February 12 2020, Ansah insisted that MEC did not err and did not break any law by announcing results which were extensively altered using correctional fluid, Tippex, saying the law allows the practice.
The Constitutional Court had highlighted that by using Tippex, MEC breached some critical electoral laws and procedures.
In the case, two of the presidential candidates in the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections—UTM Party’s Saulos Chilima (the first pet itioner) and Malawi Congress Party candidate Lazarus Chakwera (the second pet i tioner)—asked the court to nullify presidential election results over alleged irregularities, especially in the results management system. Mutharika was the first respondent with MEC as the second respondent.
