President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera says everyone who has the privilege of state power in the country must be held accountable by the citizenry on how they are discharging their duties.
The President has said this today in Lilongwe during the first-ever National Conference on Separation of Powers underway in Lilongwe.
The two-day conference is being held under the theme; Separation of Powers: A Development Catalyst or Hindrance?
The discussions at the conference will centre around consolidation democracy through observance of the concept of separation of powers in a bid to build strong partnership among the three arms of government namely; Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. The logic around the concept is that the three arms must play a watchdog to one another to ensure that there is no abuse of power by anyone.
In his remarks, the Malawi leader called upon the citizens to play their rightful with full understanding of the parameters of all state organs.
“Without a proper and collective understanding of the powers the constitution gives to different branches and bodies, citizens will not play their rightful role of holding accountable those whose offices have been given a mandate to exercise elements of state power.”
The Malawi leader also pledged that he will stand by the oath he took to always observe the rule of law in his mandate as Head of State and Government.
Since attaining power, President Chakwera has displayed commitment to constitutional order and rule of law. For instance, he has appeared before Parliament on several occasions to answer questions from Members of Parliament as per the provisions of standing orders.
In his remarks, Justice Minister Titus Mvalo commended President Chakwera for being a true democrat who has ensured that other arms of government are working without interference from the Executive.
Also speaking at the event, Head of the Judiciary Chief Justice Rezine Mzikamanda thanked the President for creating an enabling environment for all arms of government to dialogue in matters of great importance.
Malawi has had two stints as a democracy; first briefly in the early 60s and then from 1993 to date. It is in the latter phase, however, that the doctrine of separation of powers has been entrenched deeply across various regimes under five Presidents.
