PAC warns of civil disobedience: Malawi sitting on governance time bomb
The Public Affairs Committee (PAC), a quasi-religious body and governance watchdog, has warned a huge civil disobedience campaign if the government fails to implement recommendations which delegates to 5+1 All-Inclusive Stakeholders Conference in Blantyre made to President Peter Mutharika’s administration including independence of oversight institutions.
PAC board said all recommendations made by delegates at its conference were plausible and require actions to be resolved.
“The state of governance and public trust are not satisfactory at the moment,” reads a communiqué issued at the end of the PAC board meeting held in Blantyre.
.However, the board which includes the watchdog’s five mother bodies which are Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), Malawi Council of Churches (MCC), Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) and Quadria Muslim Association of Malawi (QMAM), also said it fully supports demonstrations by civil society organizations and interest groups if there will be inaction on the recommendations since the law provides for such actions in a democratic society.
“ Lack of enforcement on corruption incidents and poor state of governance have eroded the trust bestowed upon the state. If left unchecked, indeed demonstrations or civil disobedience could occur,” it said
“That CSOs and Interest groups have the right to conduct peaceful demonstrations should there be no action on their recommendations since the law provides for such actions in a democratic society. PAC believes that this should be a last resort once all remedies for yielding results have been exhausted ,” reads a communiqué.
PAC notes that the “timeframes” given by the delegates at the conference “demonstrated the need for urgency in tackling national issues.”
However, presidential adviser on civil society organisations, Mabvuto Bamusi, has condemned the quasi-religious body for giving “timeframes” and a statement warning civil disobedience.
“It is a careless communication,” said Bamusi.
Bamusi said government will respond to PAC’s position after analysing the communiqué thoroughly.
But the board said the “timeframes” on the recommendations are “conference timeframes” as set by the delegates, saying PAC and government may review them.
The communiqué signed by PAC chairperson the Very Reverend Felix Chingota and the organisation’s spokesperson Father Peter Mulomole disclosed that they were open to dialogue with government as soon as possible to ensure the raised resolutions are implemented.
“Pac’s baseline was premised on the fact that dialogue between Pac and Government did not materialize, and there was no formal feedback from government on resolutions and the way forward,” reads part of the communiqué which Nyasa Times has seen.
PAC said it conference prioritized aspects of advocacy and dialogue for the establishment of a roadmap which the governance watchdog will define with proposed scenarios.
“Should there be failure to tackle recommendations from the conference, delegates defined actions to be taken as a way reclaiming their destiny,” said PAC in the communiqué.
The grouping also pointed out that government constructively responded to previous resolutions, and that it welcomed the implementation of some All –Inclusive conference recommendations such as National Planning Commission and Access to Information Acts, adding other resolutions , there was work in progress.
It said the Executive and Pac need to “ urgently engage each other” to tackle the prioritized recommendations and resolutions to avert mass protests.
“We observe that most recommendations still fit into previous resolutions demonstrating their importance in the current state of affairs,” further reads the statement.
PAC played a critical role during the transition from one party dictatorship to multi-party democracy system of government in the early 1990s.
The body has remained relevant since and stood the test of times.
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God help this politicians to deliver only the best. azivanso
Inu chonde a PAC mukuzitcha nokha kuti ndinu azibusa oitanidwa ndi Mulungu, ndipo Mulungu akudalira inu kuti anthu onse ochimwa abwerere kwa YESU, koma lero mukuti tiyambe kuukirana, kumenyana ndi kuphana zoona??????? bwanji osatiitana tonse tikhale pamodzi munkupemphera ndi kusala kudya kuti Mulungu apitilire kutichitira ife chifundo? If at all you don’t know you so called PAC Pastors … our nation Malawi is passing through such calamities becoz first, you Pastors are not doing the right job which you were called for, and because of this SIN is mutiplying like AIDS to everyone. Secondly, you have lead most innocent people… Read more »
After 53 years of independence what progress has been made in Malawi>? The mass of people have no running water supply – they still rely on a bucket of water to bathe behind a screen and their toilet is a pit latrine outside; they still cook their staple food of maize over three stones or on mbaula with charcoal; there is no local electricity supply and decent roads are few and far between for travel even if there was good reliable transport. Blanyre/Limbe and Lilongwe cannot be used to measure progress as most of the population lives in rural areas… Read more »
Do you see anything wise in Chingota even if given a chance? PAC(Chingota and Mulomole) has no people on the ground except those from MCP and PP. It is very unfortunate that the name PAC is being used for the goals of Chingota and Mulomole. These two guys have already received shame because of how they have run this PAC. It is during under these two puppets that the Committee has been hit left and right by Malawians. Those who will go to the street are the same opposition supporters who think after the demos their leaders will occupy Sanjika,… Read more »
A PAC even if you incite the civil disobediance, muononga dziko la ndani? La Peter Mutharika????
This proves that Malawi is just full of doomed leadership. In politics, in churches, families, NGOs, civil service etc.
This country has everything but its people are rotten.
Word up!
Time has gone for a leader to remain at state house for 5 years out of sympathy rather than delivering the goods. Being a leader in Malawi is not a voluntary job. Malawians are spending a lot to service a leader. If leader feels is failing to deliver because of some reasons beyond his/her control, better resign rather than kukamira.
we support civil disobedience.
I understand why some religious leaders would want to disassociate themselves with PAC. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Don’t confuse issues Mr. Basi – PAC had just facilitated this meet, it was the delegates that came up with with recommendations and deadline.
whether you like it or not without fear or favour being partisan or not what PAC has said was the original plan to ouster the DPP government before 2019. at first they wanted to use malawians to rise against the government during the time when they thouth would be a critical period for food shortage using the inquiry of the maize gate but the plan hit a snag when the food situation in the country did not become critical as they thought it would be. now that is gone, and they planned to use the UNIMA saga and the civil… Read more »