The end of securocracy : the future of security sector governance in Malawi

Abstract

Why was [and still is] there a perception that the President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Police Service when section 78 of the Constitution is clear that he or she is the Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Defence Force only? Why was the President steered into the 'academic freedom' impasse sparked by the Inspector General of Police when section 153(4) of the Constitution plainly stipulates that the political responsibility for the Malawi Police Service is vested in the responsible Minister? Why is the police sometimes regarded as a threat to the population when, in actual fact it is constituted to provide public safety and to protect the rights of all Malawian in terms of section 153(1) of the Constitution? While commending the Malawi Defence Force for its apparent professionalism in discharging its constitutional roles, this article condemns the politicisation of the police in Malawi. It also interrogates the role of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Security in providing oversight of the security sector. Malawi needs to curb or prevent 'securocracy' by reconstructing a security apparatus that is professional, transparent, accountable and independent from politics.