Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has commended Malawi President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera for exercising his executive powers conferred unto him regarding the removal of expiry date for the National Identification Cards.
HRDC Chairperson Gift Trapence says the President’s decision will help to facilitate quick access to IDs which make Malawians to enjoy their right to citizenship.
Trapence says this will allow the poor people who could not afford to pay for the renewal.
“This will facilitate easy access to citizenship ID which will make all Malawians to enjoy the right to citizenship. We commend Government for this decision that will allow poor Malawians who could not afford to pay for the ID to have easy access to the IDs. It is our expectation that Government will put more resources to make IDs accessible to all Malawians,” said Trapence.
HRDC comment comes following the statement which Minister of Homeland Security delivered in Parliament.
Delivering the statement, Kenneth Zikhale Ng’oma said he was pleased to brief the house on the progress his Ministry has made in relation to the issue of expiry date that is part of the mandatory variables placed on the national identity card issued to the citizens of Malawi.
Ng’oma said the expiry date was placed on the National Identity card for Malawians after consultations with a number of stakeholders prior to the Mass ID registration exercise in 2017.
He said that back then, NRB and the stakeholders agreed that the Malawi National Identity card should have an expiry date for purposes of proof of life of an individual person, following international standards, and also for security reasons.
He said, however, over time, the expiry date has proven to be a burden to the citizens of
Malawi in renewing their National Identity cards.
He said the process has also been costly to the nation especially this time when the country is experiencing foreign exchange shortages.
Said Zikhale Ng’oma: “It is for this reason that today I announce to the house that the
Government of Malawi, led by the State President, His
Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCathy Chakwera has today
suspended the National dentity card expiry date until 1t
January 2026. What this suspension means is that NRB will continue to register
and issue National ID cards which will still have the expiry dates.
“However, all relevant stakeholders will not withhold any service to citizens on the pretext of the prevailing expiry date as shown on the National ID card itself until when the suspension is lifted.”