IF I WERE:Jane Ansah (Part II)

Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), I would realise that it is unfortunate and inappropriate for the commission to proceed with preparations for a by-election in the Liwawadzi Ward even after the Constitutional Court exposed glaring shortcomings in the way the electoral body under my watch managed the May 21 2019 presidential election.

If I were the judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, I would concentrate on ensuring that my team is ready to appear before the Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee which the court tasked to assess if MEC and its commissioners are competent to conduct a fresh election within five months.

Oh yes, if only I were Justice Jane Ansah SC, I would swallow my pride and accept the harsh reality that it is not morally right for me and my team to preside over the by-election just a month after the court found us guilty of gross mishandling of last year’s polls to the extent that the result could not be trusted.

Instead, I would appreciate that this is the time for MEC leadership to conduct some soul-searching as the writing is on the wall that many Malawians have lost trust in the commission whose image has been severely battered.

Under such circumstances, my entire team and I would do the needful—resign. Every story comes to an end.

But I am not the MEC chief of the madando 147 fame, am I?