By Vincent Gunde
One of the journalists who fought courageously for the country’s change to the better writing as a concerned citizen of Malawi Jones Gadama, says the recent injunction obtained by former President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera preventing the Police from conducting a search of his residence in Lilongwe, is not only raising questions about equal application of the law but challenging the integrity of justice and governance in Malawi.
Gadama said the nation has witnessed numerous Police operations where searches have been conducted at various households suspected of involvement in criminal activities saying these searches are carried out under the authority of the law and order.
He said when it comes to the residence of a former President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera in connection with alleged missing of shepherd dogs who are Police officers, a different standard appears to apply describing the situation as undermining the fundamental principle that all Malawians are equal before the law.
Speaking through an audio clip, Gadama said the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) is vested with the responsibility to uphold justice and ensure that the rule of law prevails calling upon him to review and challenge the injunction obtained by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera.
Gadama said it is imperative that the DPP moves swiftly to have this injunction vacated to allow Police to perform their duties without fear or favor observing that the law must apply uniformly, and no individual regardless of their status should be above scrutiny where there is a legitimate basis for investigation.
He said the injunction obtained by President Chakwera is not an isolated case, the country has witnessed similar injunctions obtained by Army Generals and Police commissioners resisting redeployment, saying such legal maneuvers stall the effective functioning of the country’s security institutions and disrupts the efforts of the government to serve its citizens diligently.
The citizen has called on the DPP to extend his mandate to address all the recent injunctions in ensuring that they do not become tools for obstructing lawful administrative decisions expressing fears that the prolonged existence of such injunctions results in detrimental precedent that emboldens others to misuse the courts to evade lawful actions thereby weakening the justice system.
“Vacating these injunctions will be for equality below the law, a cornerstone of democratic society, when the law is applied selectively, it breeds resentment, erodes public trust, and threatens national security,” reads Gadama’s speech in part.
He has called upon all Malawians regardless of their political party affiliations to stand united in demanding fairness, transparency, and accountability from their institutions saying together, they can build a Malawi where justice is not selective, where the law protects every citizen equally, where the nation moves forward on the solid foundation of integrity and respect for the rule of law.
