BY FYSON CHODZI
The constitution shall reign supreme.
Reports emanating from Parliament indicates that the Public Appointment Committee (PAC) of parliament is currently sitting to recommend the firing of Malawi Electoral Commissioners Mrs. Jean Mathanga and Ms. Linda Kunje.
This comes on the background against legal opinion from the Attorney General to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) and also Parliament own order of suspending parliament and committee meetings due to Covid.
President Chakwera through the Speaker of Parliament is forcing PAC to make a recommendation to him to fire the two Commissioners.
This move is unconstitutional and unlawful and the President need to be reminded that he swore to defend and protect the constitution.
MEC is a collective body and not individuals and whatever wrongs done by the previous Commission, does not apply to the current commission as this is a new commission in place.
Similarly, the AG states that the two Commissioners were legally appointed by the Presidency and the current commission is with a new mandate.
Members of PAC need to rise above politics and ensure that the law is followed to the latter and only make recommendations based on the law.
Chakwera needs to tread carefully on this matter as it exposes his Presidency.
If his argument that the two are illegal commissioners, does it therefore not extend that his Presidency was declared by Commissioners who were illegal?
Can an illegal persons make a legal decision of the elections of the President?
MCP want the two replaced at the Commission in readiness of the 2025 elections which among other plans include bringing in MCP Richard Chapweteka as a Commissioner and removing the entire MEC Management and replace with MCP people.
With that kind of MEC, MCP Is convinced that it will not need UTM as an alliance partner in order to win the 2025 elections.
