A Malawian opposition official was denied bail on Wednesday after police accused him of inciting people to demonstrate against President Bakili Muluzi’s bid for a third term.
Danga Mughogho, the northern region chairman of the Malawi Forum for Unity and Development, was arrested on Tuesday night after anonymous leaflets began calling Malawians to rise up against renewed efforts to change the constitution to allow Muluzi a third term.
Muluzi, whose second five-year term ends in 2004, has ordered the army and police to suppress any demonstrations against the proposed amendment. Mughogho was the first person arrested since Muluzi’s warning.
Mughogho, officially charged with publishing false news and information likely to cause a breach of the peace, was taken on Wednesday to the northern city of Mzuzu so police could search his house and offices.
Local police officials said they confiscated several documents and would hold Mughogho in custody until they could finish studying them.
Police accused Mughogho of writing a widely distributed leaflet calling on motorists to honk their car horns and other people to make noise at specific times to show their opposition to the third term amendment.
The campaign has caused a stir in Mzuzu, but Home Affairs Minister Mojeza Maluza said police would crack down on the leaflet’s author because it was causing ”anarchy.”
In a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press, Mughogho denied writing the leaflet, called the charges against him ”trumped up” and said he was being held in a cell that was so overcrowded he had to sleep sitting up.
However, he would not give up his fight against the amendment, he said.
The third-term debate has split Malawi, with opponents arguing Muluzi was trying to restore the country’s dictatorship. Supporters say Malawians should have the opportunity to vote for Muluzi again.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Public Affairs Committee, a group of religious leaders, called Muluzi power hungry and said that since the state controlled the media, anti-third term campaigners had no choice but to demonstrate.
”It does not help to intimidate people from expressing their legitimate political views by threatening to unleash security forces on them,” the statement said.
Parliament defeated a previous third term amendment in July, but the ruling party has started a new campaign to reintroduce the amendment in October.
On Wednesday, the National Democratic Alliance, an opposition group, threatened to take the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau to court if it did not take action against opposition legislators who reportedly had been bribed to vote for the first amendment, which was defeated by three votes.
Days before the vote, Jummy Mponda Mkandawire said the ruling party had offered him a 100 000 kwacha ($1 300) bribe to vote for the amendment.
At least 10 opposition legislators offered to testify about bribery offers, but the corruption bureau has not said anything about if for months.
Ian Kanyuka, representative for the opposition group, said the corruption body must prosecute those who took bribes before the new amendment comes up for a vote.
Meanwhile, anti-third term prayers began showing up as anonymous text messages on Malawians’ cellular phones. – Sapa-AP