{"id":71325,"date":"2025-06-26T11:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T11:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/stop-the-madness-discrediting-mec"},"modified":"2025-06-26T11:35:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T11:35:00","slug":"stop-the-madness-discrediting-mec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/stop-the-madness-discrediting-mec","title":{"rendered":"Stop the Madness: Discrediting MEC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. <\/strong><\/span>Let\u2019s be honest: elections are too important to be turned into political theatre. What\u2019s happening now\u2014this push to undermine the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC)\u2014is not only reckless, it\u2019s a dangerous recipe for chaos.
\nBy villager Anthiny John Mukumbwa
\nI say this not as an outsider, but as someone who has been deeply involved in the inner workings of MEC. And here\u2019s the first truth you need to hear: MEC is not a one-woman or one-man show.<\/p>\n

MEC is a Collective Body \u2013 That\u2019s the Law<\/b><\/p>\n

There are seven decision-makers at MEC: six commissioners and one Chairperson. Not even the Chair, alone or with the CEO, can make decisions without the rest. That would be illegal. Every decision\u2014from procurement to process\u2014is debated, voted on, and agreed upon collectively.<\/p>\n

So, when political parties like MCP and DPP\u2014who each have three commissioners sitting at MEC\u2014start attacking the same commission, you\u2019ve got to ask: are they attacking themselves? Because if they truly believed MEC was broken, why did they renew the contracts of these very commissioners?<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t say someone is incompetent while re-signing their contract with the other hand. That\u2019s hypocrisy, plain and simple.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Like MEC? Then Use the Law, Not the Streets<\/b><\/p>\n

Calls for the Chairperson and CEO to resign are not just misplaced\u2014they\u2019re pointless. Malawi\u2019s electoral laws clearly state how a Chair or CEO can be removed, and spoiler alert: it\u2019s not by shouting in the streets or waving placards.<\/p>\n

Remember Jane Ansah? People protested for months, but the law had the final say. If you have genuine grievances, take them to court. That\u2019s how democracy works. That\u2019s how the rule of law survives.<\/p>\n

Smartmatic and the System: Let\u2019s Get Real<\/b><\/p>\n

This fuss about Smartmatic? It\u2019s a distraction. The procurement of Smartmatic was consultative, involving all commissioners and key stakeholders. No one smuggled it in through the back door.<\/p>\n

Even more important: votes will be counted and results announced right there at polling centres. Everyone\u2014political parties, observers, the media\u2014will get signed copies of the results. It doesn\u2019t matter whether MEC uses a spaceship or a donkey to send results to the tally centre\u2014because everyone already has the original copies.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the panic? If anything goes wrong, everyone will know immediately. The results will be flying on social media long before MEC speaks.<\/p>\n

Stop Undermining Confidence\u2014It\u2019s Irresponsible<\/b><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the heart of the matter: by constantly attacking MEC, you\u2019re not helping voters\u2014you\u2019re confusing them. You\u2019re destroying trust in a system that has been painstakingly reformed through years of blood, sweat and negotiations. That\u2019s not activism. That\u2019s sabotage.<\/p>\n

If you love Malawi, then build voter confidence. Educate your followers about how voting works, how counting is done, how results are transmitted and verified. Help them understand the system\u2014not fear it.<\/p>\n

Focus on the Real Battle: Monitoring and Risk Management<\/b><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re serious about safeguarding elections, stop wasting time with empty protests. Use your energy to strengthen monitoring systems. Hire independent experts to conduct risk assessments on each stage\u2014voting, counting, transmission, announcement.<\/p>\n

The battlefield is at the polling station, not the street corner.<\/p>\n

Malawi deserves credible, peaceful elections. Let\u2019s not blow it by chasing shadows. MEC isn\u2019t perfect\u2014no institution is\u2014but discrediting it without facts, especially when your own party is part of it, is not patriotism. It\u2019s political malpractice.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t afford that\u2014not now, not ever.<\/p>\n

Source:Nyasatimes<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Malawi<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. Let\u2019s be honest: elections are too important to be turned into political theatre. What\u2019s happening now\u2014this push to undermine the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC)\u2014is not only reckless, it\u2019s a dangerous recipe for chaos. By villager Anthiny John Mukumbwa I say this not as an outsider, but as someone who has been deeply […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":71324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,7,8,410],"tags":[233,371,234],"class_list":["post-71325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","category-to-homepage","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-malawi","tag-malawi"],"yoast_head":"\nStop the Madness: Discrediting MEC - Malawi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/stop-the-madness-discrediting-mec\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stop the Madness: Discrediting MEC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Malawi. Let\u2019s be honest: elections are too important to be turned into political theatre. What\u2019s happening now\u2014this push to undermine the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC)\u2014is not only reckless, it\u2019s a dangerous recipe for chaos. 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