CHRR wants parties to eliminate treason law
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has urged opposition parties in the country to stop being cry babies and instead push for reforms on treason and sedition laws.
According to the Executive Director for the human rights watchdog, Timothy Mtambo, laws on treason and sedition need review because they are being abused.
“Parliament is an institution that can propose the review and expect the opposition to utilise their numbers. For instance, the issues to do with sedition tramps on the right to freedom of expression and are used elsewhere to shut the mouths of the critics so that people should not be able to comment on issues affecting them,” Mtambo said.
He said political parties should push for progressive and democratic change rather than just complaining on social platforms that the government is politicising the issues to target them.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president and Leader of Opposition, Lazarus Chakwera, said the politicians can speak out on such issues outside Parliament as they are entitled to those rights like everyone else but said MCP is making efforts to bring about the reforms.
“Everyone is free to comment on anything and you don’t have to be crybabies to do that. When talking about reforms in Parliament and so forth, you have to prioritise on what you want to look at and how to look at things. We have started embarking on a project of that nature,” Chakwera said.
He, however, said such reforms can be difficult as the system constitutionally gives more powers to the executive.
Spokesperson for People’s Party (PP), Ken Msonda, said their focus at the moment is to work towards solving the current hunger crisis among other issues but faulted the government for politicising treason issues.
“We represent Malawians on civil forum not only these reforms. We are looking at what should be done first. At the moment we are looking at hunger and the economic hardships we are in as a nation. The reforms are long-term solutions. Should we talk about the treason reforms when people are dying?” Msonda said.
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