Livingstonia Synod denounce Land Bills, urges Mutharika not to assent to law
The Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP)Livingstonia Synod has asked President Peter Mutharika not to assent to the Land Bill which was passed by Parliament alongside other Land-related Bills.
The call was made by Synod moderator Douglous Chipofya during the Umthetho Cultural Festival at Hora in Mzimba district on Saturday.
Rev Chipofya said some of the provision in the Customary Land Bill will make Malawias lose their land, which some of them was inherited from their forefathers and accused government of not making thorough consulattions before taking the bills to parliament.
“Let us maintain our cultural values and you cannot separate land if you wat to talk about culture, whose custodians are the vry chiefs we are celebrating today,” he said, adding “may God help us jealously safeguard our cultural values.”
He said land is crucial to Malawian culture and as such” inheritance of land from parents to children should not be disturbed.
Chipofya cited Holy Bible in Numbers 27: 1-11 which talks about maintaining cultural values of inheritance.
The synod’s call comes after chiefs is the Northern Region, notably Inkosi ya Makosi M’mbelwa V of Mzimba and Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe of Rumphi, faulted government for consulting them when the bill has bee passed.
They ssaid they need to consult their counterparts, including Paramount Chief Kyungu, so they speak with one voice on the matter.
The opposition have argued that some amendments will strip chiefs of their authority over land.
Leader of the opposition Lazarus Chakwera said the appeal by Livingstonia Synod shows that chiefs as owners of the land, were not taken aboard during formulation of the bill.
He said the traditional leaders chieftaincy history is enshrined in their land and it is their ancestors who first developed it.
Chakwera cautioned Mutharika’s government to tread carefyllly on matters of national interest to that they are not seen to be doing a disservice to the people they are meant to serve – tax payers citizens.
Mzimba Hora MP, Rev Christopher Mzomera Ngwira also noted that the Lad Bill has several set backs, saying he feels the administration of customary land w will bring many problems for the rulers.
Ngwira said the views byLivingstonia Synod represents the general feeling of many people in the rural Malawi.
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This DPP govt just wants to broaden revenue collection without thinking of negative consequences of this law. If a piece of land is registered under the name of an individual/company it becomes a private property under that person/entity. People of Cholo and Mulanje are suffering because most of land is private property. Yet these Lomwes are seeing nothing wrong with this new law. If land land becomes private property where will public property be constructed? e.g where will be graveyards? Schools? Hospitals? Roads? Airports? etc? Private property owners have a right to protect use of their land by any unauthorized… Read more »
You are just a pathetic tribalist. What has this got to do with Lomwes, Mulanje and Thyolo? Drafting of these land bills started in 1996, gone through four admistrations and passed by the current DPP administration. The objectives of the law is to make the entire Malawi as a planning area and land security for the people. Currently chiefs can just decide to snatch land from a family or an individual and sell it to some rich fool or redistribute to their relatives. This new law is trying to address that by putting checks and balances among communities themselves, not… Read more »
Ayambapo atumbuka. They simply resist any change. You remember they said reforms at road traffic were bad…..but were they really bad? Hard-Up and Foolish people.
The programme on Zodiak on Land Bill was well clarified and Senior Chief Lukwa from MCP hold Kasungu was there. They clarified sections that people did not understand. Where are your fears? It was clearly highlighted that the Law stops chiefs from grabbing land to people who spend long times away from the village. The land every villager claims is now a protected area under the new Law. Land administration still remains in the hands of chiefs, boundaries between chiefs clearly marked, land between villagers clearly marked to avoid milandu imene anthu amalidzana becuase of just 1 foot. Livingstonia Synod… Read more »
DPP always brings undemocratic laws to Malawians. This will changed once Chakwera takes over govt 2019. Don’t worry Malawians God is on our side.
Actually it’s the opposite. How you read the bill yourself or mungolankhulapo muchimbulimbuli pakuti opposition parties atero? Kodi kusintha kuti mfumu idzigawa malo timodzi ndi anthu ake kudzera ku community land committee is undemocratic? Ine nduona ngati mfumu kulanda malo amunthu nkupereka kwa wina popanda wina kufunsa ndiye undemocratic. Don’t be brainwashed baba!
When Livingstonia Synod speaks people listen. It is very influential.
In fact, they are no longer taken seriously. They yap politics, regionalism and tribalism. Tell me if any reputable media house, commentator or the general public has made any remarks towards their yapping other than Nyasatimes? none. If the catholic bishops made a similar remark, everyone would be discussing that, that’s the difference with this Livingstonia Synod PP northern region committee.
Before i go, have you observed that this PP Livingstonia synod club always spumes regionalistic sentiments. Otherwise they haven’t commented on the positive remarks from chiefs in other regions on the same.
When people say some of the provisions in the land bill are not good, and then fail to mention those bad provisions umangodziwiratu kuti they are speaking under the influence of one of the corner stones in our national anthem: Nsanje/envy. They wish kagulu kajaka kakuyendesa boma and not DPP.
It’s obvious no provision is bad in this land bill for Malawians and this is the reason why any of those alleged bad provisions are not cited in this article or by the so called reverend Livingstonia.