Opinion: Lilongwe City Council must stop using Police “busy” excuse to block demonstrations
The right to protest is enshrined in Malawi’s Constitution, a cornerstone of democracy that ensures citizens have a platform to express dissatisfaction and demand accountability. Time and again, CDEDI has attempted to exercise this right in the face of challenges—be it calling for the resignation of government officials over the ongoing fuel crisis or questioning the legitimacy of election processes. And time and again, these protests have been hindered by bureaucratic roadblocks or, more troublingly, by deliberate efforts to prevent them. Using the claim that the police are “too busy” as an excuse to stop protests is not only disingenuous; it is an attack on the very principles of democracy that the police are sworn to protect.
