The CCAP Synod of Livingstonia says it is praying for embattled chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Jane Ansah to resign from her position.
The Synod, through its moderator Douglas Chipofya and general secretary Levi Nyondo, claims Ansah is the architect of the current woes in Malawi and must honourably leave her position so that the country is healed.
Said Nyondo: “As a church, we are praying that she [Ansah] should resign quickly, and we will not stop because she is the cause of everything, she is the denominator of everything. So, we are still praying.”
The two made the remarks on Saturday at Uliwa in Karonga when an arm of the Synod—Church and Society—presented bicycles to community-based educators (CBEs) for use in its Children, Youth and Community for Change (CYCC) project.
The nine-year advocacy project in Rumphi and Karonga seeks to improve the well-being, rights and life opportunities of children and youths in poor communities.
Nyondo said most youths are now in the streets with Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) because they are facing various socio-economic challenges, adding the election results have simply aggravated that anger.
To help the youth, he said there is need to find solutions to the cause of their frustration and said the CYCC project is one such solution, as it will, among other things, mobilise them in propelling development.
The general secretary reiterated that the synod supports the HRDC-led demonstrations, saying they are justifiable and that Ansah should resign as the country awaits determination of the court case on the outcome of the May 21 presidential election.
Said Nyondo: “For five months now, Jane Ansah has not resigned, but let me tell you, Rome was not built in a day. Even building a house takes time. If nothing changes, it means they are creating more problems. But for us as a church, our prayer is that we should have a listening government. The Bible says pray without ceasing until you achieve your objective and this is what we are doing.”
On his part, Chipofya said they are also offering prayers for the Constitutional Court hearing the elections petition case to deliver justice.
He said: “We believe the courts are able to rule in whatever way they see justice. We just want the truth. As for by-elections in November, the current MEC leadership must not run those elections. If we give them that platform, we should expect the same irregularities that happened on May 21.”
The HRDC has been holding nationwide protests since the announcement of the May 21 presidential election results.
They are demanding that Ansah should resign for allegedly mismanaging the election.
Ansah, a judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, has dismissed calls, saying she would only step down if the court hearing an elections petition case found her leadership to have failed to discharge its duties.
