All Bingu's appointed judges are northerners

By Lucy Liponda

All recently appointed four judges by Malawi State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika are northerners, Malawi Digest understands.

The new judges, join another judge from the same region who has been promoted to the Supreme Court of Appeal.

The five were sworn into office in the commercial city, Blantyre on Wednesday at a function presided over by the State President himself.

This is contrary to some beliefs and reports that President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika has been favouring people from the southern region more than any other region in the country.

The appointment of the four High Court and Supreme Court judges is the latest in the last three months where Ngwazi Dr Mutharika has entrusted people from the northern region with huge responsibilities.

The appointed judges are Justice Edward Twea of the Supreme Court of Appeal, Judges Maxon Mbendera, Joe Chirwa, Godfrey Mwase and Kenani Manda.

Judges Twea, Mbendera, Chirwa, Manda and Mwase are all from the northern part of the country.

Malawi Digest has established that although judge Mwase sometimes indicates that he comes from Chileka in Blantyre, he actually comes from the north as it is only his mother who comes from Chileka.

About two months ago, Ngwazi Dr Mutharika appointed Dr Bruce Munthali as Chief Executive Office for one of Malawi’s biggest companies, the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC).

Tobacco is Malawi’s biggest foreign exchange earner and offers employment to thousands of people.

However, despite making all these positive moves to entrust huge responsible positions to some people from the northern part of the country, Dr Mutharika’s critics have ignored them and choose to remain silent.

Although Dr Mutharika has avoided to work based on regional lines by appointing people into decision making positions on merit, his strongest critics appear now come from the northern region.

The latest is Harry Mkandawire who recently wrote a letter with scathing remarks to the State President.

Interestingly, Mkandawire and those sponsoring him have decided to remain silent on Mutharika’s positive moves.

Leading human rights activist Emmie Chanika of the Civil Liberties committee has appealed to Malawians to look at national issues with a sober mind and avoid regionalism saying this would divide the country.

Although Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika has made all these five appointments on the judges on people from the north, nobody from the central, southern or eastern region of the country has made a fuss about these appointments thinking that they appointments were done on merit and that Malawi operates as one country without necessarily looking at particular regions-Malawi Digest.