By Falles Kamanga
Unbelievably, three weeks are gone since the High Court in Lilongwe reserved it’s ruling on the matter of eligibility of Leader of Opposition in Parliament, a case brought before the court by an injection obtained in 2022 by Kondwani Nankhumwa against Dr George Chaponda who was elected by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as per parliament’s standing order 35.
The effect of the delay caused chaos in Parliament when the Democratic Progressive Party legislators (DPP) refused to acknowledge Nankhumwa as the leader of Opposition, when the Speaker of house Catherine Gotani Hara recognized Nankhumwa on the basis of the 2022 court injunction.
In a move to rectify the lawlessness that followed in the august house, George Chaponda and the DPP moved the court to vacate the injunction after the speaker failed to recognize his appointment from the party.
According to Public Affairs Committee (PAC) Spokesperson Bishop Clifford Matonga, parliamentarians, or the concerned political party should push the court to resolve the issue fast, as it has potential to disrupt discussions in the august house as earlier witnessed.
“It is in the interest of all Malawians to ensure that the issue is dealt with as quickly as possible”, said the PAC Spokesperson, who believes that the strong oppositionin parliament is critical in providing checks and balances of government.
Matonga hopes that the injunction will be vacated before parliamentarians return to the chamber saying leaving the injection as it is in the court, will put leader of opposition in awkward situation as Nankhumwa clings to the position while the opposition DPP which has mandate to choose leader of opposition does not recognize him.
On his part, Human Rights Defendants Coalition (HRDC) National Coordinator, Kelvin Chirwa called upon concerned parties to adhere to democratic principles and the rule of law.
He says it is crucial to uphold the integrity of the court processes and ensure that the opposition is duly represented and functioning effectively within the democratic framework.
“The current standoff threatens the ability of our opposition to provide the much-needed checks and balances on the executive’, he lamented while pleading speedy process of resolving the matter.
In an ideal situation where justice system works for the betterment of the citizens, the current standoff could have been history.
The recent Episcopal Conference of Malawi pastoral letter titled ‘The sad story of Malawi, the bishops lamented the behavior of the courts of delaying cases that affect Malawians.
“Some judges and magistrates are accountable to no one. They take years to hear a case, yet the Judiciary does nothing to discipline them. Instead, they are rewarded with promotion”, complained the bishops, as the leader of opposition case is just one of the many cases that the courts are sitting on.
As the members of parliament are expected to go back to the chamber in the coming week, more drama is expected since the matter has not been determined by the court despite promising to handle the case with urgency it deserves.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor
