Main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera has trashed the supplementary laws gazetted on Friday by home land security minister Nicholas Dausi, which have declared the airports and border posts out of bounds for the demonstrators.
The supplementary laws were gazetted after the anti-Jane Ansah protests organizers planned to hold demonstrations in all exit and entry points of the country and airports.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson for allegedly mismanaging the May 21 elections in which Peter Mutharika was declared a winner.
The supplementary laws have declared airports, border posts, Capital Hill, prisons, National Oil Company of Malawi Strategic fuel reserves and the Reserve Bank of Malawi as protected areas, hence no one is allowed to hold a demonstration or assemble in protected place, saying that such a person who contravenes the provisions commits an offence.
But speaking to the media on Saturday, MCP president Chakwera said the minister flawed some important steps that are taken before anything is gazetted into a law.
He accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of displaying its lawlessness in trampling on supreme laws of the land by drafting and enacting laws while bypassing parliament which is dully established for drafting and passing of legislations in a bid to get what may please them on protected areas.
Chakwera also bemoaned the continued attacks on public critics with the recent case of petro bombing of MCP’s Director of Campaign, Moses Kunkuyu’s premises in Blantyre and HRDC Chairperson Timothy Mtambo’s house in Lilongwe a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, President Peter Mutharika has ordered the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and Malawi Police to stop the planned protests scheduled from 26 to 30 August.
