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 leadership

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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bless
6 years ago

God help this politicians to deliver only the best. azivanso

Jamax
Jamax
6 years ago

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 »

Chimunthu
Chimunthu
6 years ago

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 »

santana
santana
6 years ago

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 »

Murula
Murula
6 years ago

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.

Mhesha Sinyala
6 years ago
Reply to  Murula

Word up!

2PN
2PN
6 years ago

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.

chidebe
chidebe
6 years ago

we support civil disobedience.

bristone mabichi
bristone mabichi
6 years ago

I understand why some religious leaders would want to disassociate themselves with PAC. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

CIVIL SERVANT
CIVIL SERVANT
6 years ago

Don’t confuse issues Mr. Basi – PAC had just facilitated this meet, it was the delegates that came up with with recommendations and deadline.

mike mulumbe
6 years ago

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 »

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