Justice Maxon Mbendera cautions JB on monopolizing resources, wants her to free resources

It was a polite delivery that was met with stern faces and a sad silence from the PP faithfuls that had crowded the COMESA hall this morning having braved the rains to escort their leader, Joyce Banda, and her running mate, Sosten Gwengwe, to submit their nomination papers.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson, Justice Maxon Mbendera SC, this morning found time to reprimand the country’s President for the monopoly of resources in this time of ‘campaigning’.

Speaking after receiving the nomination papers of President Banda, Justice Mbendera said that as it were that President Banda was a sitting President, it was also clear that with such a position came both advantages and disadvantages towards the elections.

Mbendera said that it was impossible for the President to be asked to step down from the office of the Presidency so that she does not enjoy such benefits as that would create a vacancy in the office of the Presidency but she urged the President to as well understand that her having an edge over others should not make her deliberately step on the others.

In a polite way, Mbendera told Banda that, for instance, as much as she had the privilege to enjoy the privileges of the state broadcasters (both MBC tvm and radio) she also had to see to it that the broadcasting had to be fair.

Mbendera’s remarks came high on the heels of people complaining that the least that the state broadcasters could do was to broadcast the nomination process of all the Presidential candidates, a thing that the state broadcasters are yet to do.