President Peter Mutharika’s order to the Malawi Police Service and Malawi Defence Force to use “all necessary force” to stop the planned demonstrations at airports and border posts has irked organizers, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC).

Mutharika gave the order in Monkey-Bay in Mangochi where he was commissioning MDF vessels.

HRDC has planned to hold anti Jane Ansah demonstrations from 26th to 30 August 2019 in the country’s airports and border posts.

Chairperson for the coalition Timothy Mtambo described the president’s sentiments as undemocratic, untruthful and unlawful.

“This is not a dictatorship and we want to let the president know that we are not changing our plans to hold these demonstrations because it is a constitutional right and we as HRDC follow the law,” he said.

“We now know that he is the one who sent the Inspector General.”

Mtambo therefore told the President to be open if he has declared a state of emergency in the country in reference to the speech he made.

“As far as we are concerned he is not above the law, he is not the law himself so he should be open if the country has been declared a state of emergency citing reasons therewith.”