The tragic plane crash on June 10 2024, which claimed the life of Vice-President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight other Malawians, remains one of the darkest moments in our national history. It was not just an accident; it was a national tragedy that left us in deep pain. To this day, the tragedy is unforgettable.
The question now being raised by some civil society actors, like the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives, on whether Malawi needs another commission of inquiry is valid, though this needs to be approached with sobriety, and responsibility.
First, we must ask ourselves: What are the convincing reasons for a new commission? Was the first report fundamentally flawed? These are valid questions that must deserve attention. We must be careful not to rush into another inquiry without clearly defining its purpose.
One critical issue is whether calling for a new commission means completely rejecting the findings and recommendations of the first one. In my view, the first commission may not have been entirely perfect, but it does not mean everything in that report was wrong. Instead of trashing it entirely, we should identify gaps for the fresh inquiry to address.
Personally, I can accept the argument that a fresh inquiry could help clarify what really happened on that tragic day. A new commission if properly constituted could help answer lingering questions and possibly provide a national closure. But, this only will make sense if it is clear what the new commission of inquiry will do differently.
That said, I disagree with the conspiracy theory suggesting that the aircraft was deliberately brought down. In my view, Malawi simply does not possess the technical, operational, or institutional capacity to deliberately down an aircraft in the manner being alleged. Such an act would require extensive planning, advanced technical capabilities, multiple actors across different institutions, and a high level of coordination. It is highly improbable that such a complex operation could have been executed without detection or exposure, even before the aircraft took off.
Where I do agree is that someone, somewhere, did not do properly what they were supposed to do on that day. Serious questions such as who authorised the Vice-President, the second most powerful person in the country, to board an old and reportedly outdated aircraft? Did the aircraft have a black box, as required, despite conflicting reports? Why were the pilots allowed to fly without proper briefing when weather condition was already known to be bad? Why was there a long delay before the nation was officially informed about the crash? These are legitimate questions that deserve clear answers.
We noted the previous commision report mentioned several individuals who played key roles prior to the crash. It might, indeed, raise questions as to why these individuals were not summoned again to provide further explanations, especially where gaps existed. The previous government did not seriously pursue this option, and this failure has contributed to public mistrust and the rise of many conspiracy theories.
I also have reservations on the calls to arrest commissioners who served on the first commission. These commissioners were discharging a constitutional mandate entrusted by the State President. Remember, the commission comprised distinguished traditional leaders, members of the clergy, legal practitioners and many others. Subjecting them to arrest merely because some parties disagree with the first commission’s findings would constitute unfair victimisation and undermine the independence of constitutional processes.
Whether we have a new commission or not, I am not a fan of inquiries, even the first, I did not fully support, largely because Malawi has a poor record when it comes to implementing recommendations. We have had many inquiries with no recommendations implemented, and nobody cares. With ‘business as usual’, this one, too, nobody cares.
Therefore, much as calling for a new commission is legitimate, in order to prevent another painful tragedy we will require fixing our deep-rooted systems that failed on 10 June. I believe that should be our direction.
