EDITORIAL | The Forum

President Peter Mutharika deserves commendation for withholding assent to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Constitution (Amendment) Bill. It was the right decision, taken at the right time, and for the right reasons.

The Forum has not been shy in its previous commentaries in calling for the outright rejection of this amendment. We argued then — and maintain now — that the Bill was fundamentally flawed, self-serving, and constitutionally reckless. By stopping it in its tracks, the President has shown that he understands what time it is: Malawi can’t afford distractions, power grabs, or legislative misadventures masquerading as reform.

The truth is uncomfortable but necessary: many MPs were driven by greed. The amendment was less about improving development outcomes and more about reclaiming control over billions of kwacha in public funds. Lawmakers can’t be allowed to write laws that benefit themselves at the expense of accountability, constitutional order, and the people they are elected to serve.

The High Court had already settled the matter by removing MPs from executive roles in local councils, citing the clear violation of the separation of powers. This amendment sought to defy that ruling through the back door. That alone should have disqualified it from serious consideration.

At a time when Malawians are being asked to tighten their belts, it would have been obscene to entrench a system that concentrates financial influence in the hands of politicians with limited oversight. Presidential assent is not a rubber stamp, it is a constitutional safeguard. President Mutharika has used it exactly as intended.

By directing that clear guidelines be developed to manage the CDF, rather than constitutional shortcuts, the President has sent a strong message: development must be people-centred, transparent, and accountable, not MP-centred.

Malawi needs leadership that moves the country forward, not backward. On this occasion, the President has made it abundantly clear that he has no time to waste. We can’t agree more.

Public office is a trust, not an entitlement. Parliament would do well to remember that as members will get another chance to vote on the measure after amendments are made.

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Image creator: Stuart Miles

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