Malawian President, Bingu wa Mutharika. Photo: AP

Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has ordered a stop to interdenominational prayers organized jointly by civil society activists and churches to seek divine intervention for neighbouring Zimbabwe’s political crisis.

Government officials claimed the prayers were stopped for security reasons that had nothing to do with prayers.

The candle-lit vigils were initiated by the Civil Liberties Committee (Cilic), the Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation and the Institute for Policy Interaction and had been scheduled for 18 October in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre.

Human rights activists in Malawi are particularly concerned with an amended NGO bill which Zimbabwe President, Robert Mugabe is seeking to enact in parliament, restricting donor aid to non-governmental organizations.

The Malawian civil society groups have condemned the proposed law which is seen as seeking to stifle human rights groups and enabling the perpetuation of abuses of the rights of citizens already suffering serious violation of freedoms.

The Malawi groups urged South African President Thabo Mbeki and his Nigerian counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo to cease their long running “quiet diplomacy” approach and to press President Mugabe to adhere to the United Nations Human Rights Charter.

“We were after all not holding a demonstration and we don’t see why the president had to order police to disrupt the prayers,” said Emmie Chanika, the director of Cilic. She said that it was time Malawians woke up as what was happening in their neighbouring Zimbabwe could also repeat itself at home.

But Malawi’s special assistant to the president on religious matters, Malan Mtonga dismissed claims that the president had foiled the prayers.

“There was no way the president could have stopped the prayers,” said Mtonga, adding, “he is a man who loves God and peace. He in fact encourages people to pray for crises in other nations and issues in Zimbabwe. It could be that the prayers were stopped for security reasons.”

Activists have since indicated they will apply for a High Court order to restrain police from aborting prayers scheduled for another date.

Sources at the Malawi president’s office told the civil society members that it was feared the prayer event would sour relations between Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe and the newly elected Mutharika.