In a rare spirit of solidarity, the country’s former presidents Bakili Muluzi, Joyce Banda and Peter Mutharika yesterday condemned last Wednesday’s violence perpetrated by unidentified ruffians that attacked and dispersed opposition protesters in Lilongwe.
In a joint statement, the ex-leaders also demanded action against the violence and for authorities to immediately deal with the concerns.
Government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu and a security expert Master Dicks Mfune welcomed the ex-presidents sentiments in separate interviews yesterday.
Citizens, mostly from opposition political parties and civil society organisations (CSOs), organised the protests demanding Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and National Registration Bureau (NRB) to address electoral concerns ahead of next year’s General Elections.
However, the Malawi Police Service (MPS) officers assigned to provide security turned into spectators as the masked hoodlums, armed with pangas and other objects, descended on the demonstrators and chased them away.
In separate interviews Banda’s executive assistant Arnold Mnelemba and chief of staff in Muluzi’s office Lameck Mombera confirmed the signing of the statement by the two leaders.
Mutharika referred to the statement when he addressed his party’s National Governing Council in Blantyre yesterday.
“The call to end violence and the unity of purpose to ensure free and fair elections is paramount. It must be a responsibility of any responsible leader to denounce violence of any sort,” said Mnelemba from Baku in Azerbaijan where Banda is attending the Climate Change Conference of Parties (CoP 29).
During the abortive protests, the demonstrators had planned to march to MEC offices to deliver their petition demanding the resignation of MEC chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, MEC chief elections officer Andrew Mpesi for allegedly being associated with the Malawi Congress Party, and NRB Principal Secretary Mphatso Sambo for alleged failure to comply with the High Court ruling to issue national identity cards to all people who avail themselves at voter registration centres.
In the statement, the ex-leaders condemned the violent and unlawful actions, saying such acts are not only unacceptable but also a direct affront to the principles of justice and order the nation stands for.
“This brutality against peaceful demonstrators, who were rightfully protesting the chaotic registration process for the 2025 General Elections, represents a grave assault on democracy,” reads the statement.
The former presidents said the alarming events represent a critical breach of the country’s constitutional principles and international standards.
“It is imperative that citizens are allowed to assert their constitutional right to participate freely in choosing their leaders. Let their voices be heard,” reads the statement.
They have since demanded Inspector General of Police Merlyne Yolamu to launch an immediate investigation, arrest, and prosecute the perpetrators as there is ample evidence to initiate swift action based on the clips that have gone viral on social media.
The ex-leaders have also demanded President Lazarus Chakwera and his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) to categorically condemn the violence, distance themselves from it, and reassure the citizens that such acts will not be tolerated again.
They have also asked NRB to immediately comply with the court ruling mandating its presence at all registration centres, ensuring that every eligible citizen receives their Nzika card without delay.
Further, the ex-presidents say they are aware that MEC’s election management devices (EMDs) are failing to pick the unique numbers of the new registrants in the NRB system as such “this must be resolved immediately to prevent the voters’ roll from being irreparably compromised”.
During the violence in Lilongwe, police officers were seen casually watching the spectacle from a distance as the hoodlums terrorised the demonstrators. Ironically, the police had earlier thrown tear gas canisters at the protesters to foil the march.
Already, following its Wednesday’s conduct, the police have been under fire from the Malawi Human Rights Commission, Youth and Society, National Advocacy Platform, CCAP Blantyre Synod’s Church and Society Programme, Human Rights Defenders Coalition, Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation, opposition political parties and other individuals while calling on the law enforcement agency to investigate the events and arrest the perpetrators.
In the course of the commotion, several people sustained injuries. The ugly scenes also disrupted businesses in Lilongwe Old Town, where shops remained closed for the most part of the day.
This is the first time former heads of State in the country have jointly condemned an incumbent President and demanded immediate action from him.
But when asked for her reaction to the former presidents’ demand, Yolamu said “unfortunately I have not seen that letter” before cutting the line.
On his part, MEC communications officer Richard Mveriwa asked for more time to respond to the demands.
However, Kunkuyu, who is also Minister of Information and Digitisation, welcomed the former presidents’ condemnation of violence, saying it amplifies Chakwera’s preaching on respect for human rights and peaceful coexistence.
Said Kunkuyu: “The President may express himself on this and any other acts of violence as he usually does from time to time but as all Malawians know, there’s an inscription of ‘Peace’ on Dr Chakwera’s face all the time’’.
Master Dicks Mfune, an expert in peace and conflict management, saluted the ex-leaders for coming up with a joint effort to condemn the rising violence ahead of next year’s elections.
“It also solidifies the stand of the opposition political parties on the issues that have led to the mess. They have taken the right direction,” said Mfune, a lecturer at Malawi School of Government Mpemba Campus.
At the party’s NGC meeting, Mutharika also emphasised the need for the party to rebrand to correct public perception about the DPP, urging the new NGC to work towards a peaceful and clean organisation.
“Rebranding is very crucial because there has been a wrong perception that DPP as a party is arrogant and has been performing with impunity. We need to portray the tru image of the party, which is a caring party, inclusive, and a party that believes in the rule of law.
—Additional reporting by
Promise Wataya
