Malawi’s Parliament, SADC defy new flag

  1. Posted on Friday 26 November 2010 - 09:45
    Mtheto Lungu
    Image of Mtheto Lungu
    Mtheto Lungu, AfricaNews reporter in Lilongwe, Malawi
    Malawi's National Assembly and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) have defied the government of Malawi by flying the old national flag despite warning that doing so is illegal. Government banned the use of the old flag. Mutharika presented the new flag to SADC weeks after the inauguration.
    Malawi Parliament, SADC defy new flag
    The National Assembly and SADC are flying the old flag on their websites www.parliament.gov.mw and www.sadc.int respectively.

    The two institutions are operating contrary to the warning that country’s government gave through the Ministry of Information and Civic Education on August this year that it is illegal to fly the old flag following the inauguration of the new flag by President Bingu wa Mutharika on August 7 2010.

    President Mutharika contended at the inaugural function that Malawi cannot continue using a flag with a rising sun, a symbol of new dawn, with all changes that have taken place in the areas of economy, education, agriculture, health and others.

    The websites are flying the old flag of black, red, green with a rising red sun on the black stripe instead of the new red, black and green flag with a full white sun in the middle.

    Malawi Law Society challenged government that it acted outside the law to ban the use of the old flag, arguing that it is only illegal if government officials hoist or wear the old flag in their official capacity and not as private citizens.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive