The Executive Committee of the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has endorsed the long awaited All-Inclusive Stakeholders Conference scheduled for early next month.
This follows a meeting PAC had last Wednesday, 8th November, at Blue Fish Lodge in Mangochi to receive updates from the secretariat on the impending conference.
Bishop Gilford Matonga
Both PAC’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governance already adopted the conference while noting that the theme needed to take into account other issues such economy and civil service operations.
PAC Executive Director Robert Phiri confirmed that the committee convened in Mangochi last Wednesday but declined to divulge what was discussed during the day-long meeting.
“Yes, I can confirm that the meeting took place but I cannot talk about in-house issues in the media,” said Phiri.
PAC Publicity Secretary Bishop Gilford Matonga was unavailable when contacted on what the quasi-religious body discussed.
But a source within the committee said during the meeting, among others, a risk analysis was presented on avoiding the conference to end in chaos.
“The Executive Committee also re-endorsed the theme which generally points at the fact that stakeholders should be the ones to define the direction of the country and come up with possible solutions that can be presented to the country’s leadership,” he said.
The source said the conference theme, which was already shared with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Peter Mutharika, will be announced as soon as discussions with the funder are finalised.
According to the source, PAC secretariat is this week expecting to work on the names of presenters and present them to the PAC Board of Governance for adoption.
“The Executive Committee overwhelmingly agreed to the fact that the conference is must now,” he said.
The conference is likely to take place with three main objectives which include securing a shared minimum consensus on the direction the country has to take, leading into conflict prevention mechanisms and developing a common understanding on the economic and governance situation in Malawi.
PAC has previously received funding from UNDP, European Union, United Nations and OSISA to hold All-Inclusive Stakeholders Conferences.
The other thing is to generate debate through media and create a conversation on topical issues such as refugees status and humanitarian challenges that affect Malawians.
The source also said while waiting for the crucial meeting with the conference funder, PAC Executive Director reported that the State House had hinted that an audience with President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera would be granted soon, as precursor, to the talks where the committee would raise issues directly relating to the leadership style.
The State House has been slow to respond to a request from PAC to engage Chakwera noting that the meeting this time around would raise contentious issues that have not been effectively pursued.
The committee last met Chakwera in January 2022 where in his remarks the Chairperson of PAC Executive Committee Monsignor Dr Patrick Thawale, among others, expressed concern with continued reports of nepotism, Tonse Alliance administration’s lack of direction on mitigating the economic hardship and lack of political will to fight corruption in the country.
