Malawi’s former President Bakili Muluzi on Sunday urged government to respect the rule of law in order to consolidate democracy in the country.
Addressing a political rally in Chiradzulu, a district 30 km east of the commercial city of Blantyre, Muluzi said the government should not take the hard-worn democracy backwards by deliberately breaking the country’s laws.
This was in apparent reference to the government’s insistence that the country’s parliament should pass the budget instead of discussing the country’s constitution and its section 65.
The former leader, accused by government of being behind the impasse in parliament over section 65 which calls for the dismissal of MPs who defected to the government side in May 2004, said this part of the law was meant to safeguard democracy.
"This is a pillar of multiparty politics in the country. Without this section our democracy would collapse," Muluzi told his supporters.
He said he was aware of government plans to pass the budget first and then adjourn the House without ever discussing the issue of the defections at all.
"This is why my (former ruling United Democratic Front) party and other oppositions are insisting that the debates on the budget and Section 65 should go concurrently," he said.
Muluzi blamed government for politicising the defections when the matter was only a constitutional issue.
Unless discussing the defections was made a priority in parliament, UDF MPs would continue to boycott passing the national budget when the House resumes sitting Monday afternoon, Muluzi vowed to the delight of his supporters.
Monday, 6 August 2007
Madonna's adoption of Malawi boy hits snag
U.S. pop star Madonna's adoption of a child from the impoverished nation of Malawi hit a snag after the court-appointed official assigned to the case was denied permission to travel to Britain.
One of Malawi's leading weekly newspapers reported on Sunday that Minister of Women and Child Development Kate Kainja had barred Penstone Kilembe from making his planned trip to assess the suitability of Madonna and her husband, film director Guy Ritchie, as the boy's adoptive parents.
The minister was not immediately available for comment, but Kilembe confirmed the minister had stopped him making the trip.
Madonna was given custody of David Banda last October when he was 13 months old after his father, Yohane Banda, had placed him in an orphanage following the death of his wife.
The High Court of Malawi appointed Kilembe to travel to Britain twice and was to have relied on his testimony in ruling whether Madonna's adoption of the child should be formalized in a hearing next year.
The Malawi News newspaper reported that the minister accused Kilembe of obtaining an air ticket and money from Madonna without government approval.
"We have already contacted Madonna that someone else and not Kilembe will come to asses her, because we feel Mr. Kilembe personalized the whole issue when other people can go," the Minister told the newspaper.
Kilembe dismissed suggestions that he personally asked Madonna for an air ticket.
"What this means is that the whole adoption process may crumble and David sent back to his village," he told Reuters.
Justin Dzonzi, a lawyer who led a 65-member human rights group in challenging Madonna's adoption, also said the minister's decision could halt the adoption process.
"The Minister cannot change what the court set by having another person to do the assessment. The court will not listen to anyone else apart from the one it appointed," he said.
Dzonzi filed the case arguing that Malawi laws forbid international adoption and therefore the government broke its own laws by granting Madonna an interim adoption.
One of Malawi's leading weekly newspapers reported on Sunday that Minister of Women and Child Development Kate Kainja had barred Penstone Kilembe from making his planned trip to assess the suitability of Madonna and her husband, film director Guy Ritchie, as the boy's adoptive parents.
The minister was not immediately available for comment, but Kilembe confirmed the minister had stopped him making the trip.
Madonna was given custody of David Banda last October when he was 13 months old after his father, Yohane Banda, had placed him in an orphanage following the death of his wife.
The High Court of Malawi appointed Kilembe to travel to Britain twice and was to have relied on his testimony in ruling whether Madonna's adoption of the child should be formalized in a hearing next year.
The Malawi News newspaper reported that the minister accused Kilembe of obtaining an air ticket and money from Madonna without government approval.
"We have already contacted Madonna that someone else and not Kilembe will come to asses her, because we feel Mr. Kilembe personalized the whole issue when other people can go," the Minister told the newspaper.
Kilembe dismissed suggestions that he personally asked Madonna for an air ticket.
"What this means is that the whole adoption process may crumble and David sent back to his village," he told Reuters.
Justin Dzonzi, a lawyer who led a 65-member human rights group in challenging Madonna's adoption, also said the minister's decision could halt the adoption process.
"The Minister cannot change what the court set by having another person to do the assessment. The court will not listen to anyone else apart from the one it appointed," he said.
Dzonzi filed the case arguing that Malawi laws forbid international adoption and therefore the government broke its own laws by granting Madonna an interim adoption.
Malawi’s Parliament Reconvenes to Debate Budget Amidst Controversy
Malawi’s parliament is scheduled to reconvene today to deliberate and possibly approve the government’s controversial budget. President Bingu Wa Mutharika ordered the speaker of parliament to convene the legislative body amidst a political standoff between the president and the opposition-controlled assembly. The opposition, however, is accusing the government of employing thugs to intimidate them to rubber stamp the budget if parliament reconvenes today. The opposition coalition has refused to debate the budget until a dispute over what it called the poaching of its members of parliament by President Mutharika’s government is resolved.
Atopele Muluzi is an opposition member of the Malawi parliament. From the capital, Lilongwe he shares with reporter Peter Clottey his expectations for today’s business of the house.
“We were informed that the president has asked parliament to reconvene this afternoon, but we are not yet aware of the agenda. However, we have been informed that the business that is to be transacted would be the passing of the budget. This is highly irregular, of course, as you know, the budget needed to be deliberated for at least about 21 days according to our rules, whereby members are able to scrutinize the expenditures, projected expenditures, as well as the past expenditures of government,” Muluzi noted.
He said speculation is rife that the government would intimidate opposition parliamentarians into approving the budget.
“When we are expected to reconvene this afternoon amidst quite a lot of tension in the country, as members of parliament, we are made to understand that thugs have been sent to the gates of parliament, where oppositions members would be forced, would be intimidated in an attempt by government for us to rubberstamp the budget,” he said.
Muluzi said although the government may be acting unconstitutionally, he is sure the budget would be approved in due course.
“We are going to pass the budget. That is not the question. The problem that we have at the moment has to do with the fact that 41 cabinet ministers who are members of parliament who have cross the floor or have defected from the party, decided to join another political party in the house, violating the constitution in that process. Now, in an attempt to subvert the rule of law they have attempted to put the budget as a tool, in which they can hide behind to say the opposition does not want to pass the budget,” Muluzi pointed out.
He said the opposition coalition wish the speaker of parliament would make a pronouncement on those who have defected from one party to another in parliament.
“What we want is that the issue of Section 65, which is not a matter for discussion in the house, is merely a matter for the speaker to make a declaration. That must take place,” he said.
Muluzi declared unconstitutional President Mutharika’s order for parliament to reconvene to deliberate on the budget when parliament is already in session.
“The problem that we have at the moment is that the president has decided to unconstitutionally convene parliament. As you are aware, the Malawi parliament has been sitting, is in session as we speak. It’s just been suspended temporarily. What the president has done is to convene an extra ordinary session of parliament, when the national assembly is already in session, which is highly irregular,” Muluzi noted.
Atopele Muluzi is an opposition member of the Malawi parliament. From the capital, Lilongwe he shares with reporter Peter Clottey his expectations for today’s business of the house.
“We were informed that the president has asked parliament to reconvene this afternoon, but we are not yet aware of the agenda. However, we have been informed that the business that is to be transacted would be the passing of the budget. This is highly irregular, of course, as you know, the budget needed to be deliberated for at least about 21 days according to our rules, whereby members are able to scrutinize the expenditures, projected expenditures, as well as the past expenditures of government,” Muluzi noted.
He said speculation is rife that the government would intimidate opposition parliamentarians into approving the budget.
“When we are expected to reconvene this afternoon amidst quite a lot of tension in the country, as members of parliament, we are made to understand that thugs have been sent to the gates of parliament, where oppositions members would be forced, would be intimidated in an attempt by government for us to rubberstamp the budget,” he said.
Muluzi said although the government may be acting unconstitutionally, he is sure the budget would be approved in due course.
“We are going to pass the budget. That is not the question. The problem that we have at the moment has to do with the fact that 41 cabinet ministers who are members of parliament who have cross the floor or have defected from the party, decided to join another political party in the house, violating the constitution in that process. Now, in an attempt to subvert the rule of law they have attempted to put the budget as a tool, in which they can hide behind to say the opposition does not want to pass the budget,” Muluzi pointed out.
He said the opposition coalition wish the speaker of parliament would make a pronouncement on those who have defected from one party to another in parliament.
“What we want is that the issue of Section 65, which is not a matter for discussion in the house, is merely a matter for the speaker to make a declaration. That must take place,” he said.
Muluzi declared unconstitutional President Mutharika’s order for parliament to reconvene to deliberate on the budget when parliament is already in session.
“The problem that we have at the moment is that the president has decided to unconstitutionally convene parliament. As you are aware, the Malawi parliament has been sitting, is in session as we speak. It’s just been suspended temporarily. What the president has done is to convene an extra ordinary session of parliament, when the national assembly is already in session, which is highly irregular,” Muluzi noted.
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