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Idriss A. Nassah

@mynassah

11 Aug

The President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, has a weekly radio address in which he updates the citizens on progress made and sets down the tone and direction of his leadership. Last Saturday’s address was perhaps the most interesting yet

This, in part, is what he said;

Fellow Malawians,

I have noted with delight that there is much interest in my plans to trim the powers of the president. Because of that interest, I am confident that when this project is well underway, it will have your full support.

Reducing presidential powers is something that is often promised but never delivered, but I think you know by now that I do not say something unless I mean to do it. But to get this done, I need your support.

But it is important that we all understand what these powers are.

Read 15 tweets

Idriss A. Nassah

@mynassah

15 Apr

In February, Malawi's Constitutional Court held that Pres. Mutharika was not duly elected because of “systematic irregularities" during the May 2019 elections

The 500-page ruling had some interesting things to say about the conduct of the Malawi Electoral Commission

But first:

In the highly contested election, Peter Mutharika was declared the narrow winner with 38% of the vote, followed by opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera with 35% and Vice President Saulos Chilima in third with 20%.

The Court was not convinced that a candidate could become president with less than 50% of the vote. It held that a true meaning to the term “elected by a majority of the electorate” is that such person must secure a minimum of 50% plus one vote of the total valid votes cast

Read 22 tweets

Idriss A. Nassah

@mynassah

13 Apr

In 2012, Joyce Banda became Malawi's first female president & Africa's second. Following the disastrous last years of Bingu wa Mutharika, she had enough goodwill to last her a lifetime.

But in just two years, she was out. Here are some of the mistakes that cost her presidency:

1: After Bingu died in office, the same old opportunistic and greedy politicians joined Mrs Banda’s party such that her new party was new in name only. With them they brought the cronyism, corruption, executive arrogance etc that people disliked with the previous administration

2: Refusal to Declare Assets

Section 88 sub-section 3 of Malawi’s constitution compels the president and members of the cabinet to declare their assets.

Joyce Banda refused to declare her assets and, with that, she quickly lost the public trust.

Read 10 tweets

Idriss A. Nassah

@mynassah

10 Apr

In April 2012 the president of Malawi collapsed and died.

Between the day he died and the official announcement of death, a LOT of things happened, including attempts to elbow Vice President Mrs. Joyce Banda out.

Here is a little of it:

Joyce Banda had fallen out with President Bingu wa Mutharika who had begun to position his own brother, Peter Mutharika, to succeed him. As vice president Joyce Banda opposed this arrangement so she was sidelined and eventually left the party to form her own opposition party.

In Malawi, the president cannot fire a vice president per the Constitution of the country. A vice president automatically assumes power in the event of death or incapacitation of the president. So, with Bingu dead, Joyce Banda had to be president.

But there was a problem:

Read 39 tweets

Idriss A. Nassah

@mynassah

7 Apr

The open and transparent manner in which the British are handling the matter of Boris Johnson's illness reminds me of the secretive and confusing way in which Malawi handled the illness and death of President Bingu wa Mutharika in April 2012.

Here is what happened:

Bingu wa Mutharika, was fine at the beginning of the day on Thursday, 5th April 2012. He had his breakfast with the First Lady as usual. While in the office, he attended to some few telephone calls and started meeting some of the people who had appointments with him that morning

Then, around 11:10 am the president collapsed in the audience room while having audience with a Member of Parliament from his party at the State House in Lilongwe.

Pandemonium then ensued:

Read 30 tweets

Idriss A. Nassah

@mynassah

5 Apr

10 Chinese nationals arrived in #Malawi on March 18. Six of them were deported following President Mutharika’s declaration of a State of Disaster in the face of #Covid_19. Four of them were granted a court order to enter the country by High Court Judge, Kenyatta Nyirenda.

Many were unhappy, including the government of Malawi, through the Information Minister, who said the order allowing the 4 Chinese to enter Malawi showed the Judge's lack of patriotism and undermined local and global efforts to protect people from #coronavirus

In their court applicaton, the Chinese claim they were stopped from entering because of corona fears, yet they were not examined or shown to be a risk. They said they had come to visit and “explore the beauty that Malawi is”

Read 36 tweets

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