BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s powerful religious grouping, the Public Affairs Committee (PAC), is expected to hold the long-awaited a 5+1 All-Inclusive Stakeholders Conference. Slated for for Wednesday next week , June 7, 2017 it takes place in the commercial city of Blantyre.
The conference announcement follows seven months after the religious body re-elected Reverend Dr. Felix Chingota and Fr. Peter Mulomole as its chairperson and publicity secretary respectively.
In the press statement released earlier this week, and made available to The Maravi Post, the conference is organized as pledged in the document submitted to President Mutharika on 21st April 2016.
During the June 7 meeting, PAC will examine the state of governance and public trust, and develop a consensus on practical interventions in a bid to hold leaders accountable in Malawi.
The conference will also focus on enhancing a conversation on actionable steps to be followed towards enforcing implementation and actions on crucial issues of national concern. The religious body however, observes with conviction that several forums have already identified issues and challenges that affect governance and development in Malawi.
“Re-inventing the wheel will not be part of the conference arrangement. Should delegates however, wish to provide matters of emphasis on some previous recommendations and resolutions during the conference, the requests will be considered on a case by case basis.
“Given that there have been emerging issues surrounding corruption, and selective justice among others, which continue to dominate the debate in Malawia, the conference will allow more interest groups to participate in addition to traditional sectors, to freely express themselves on the state of governance and public trust,” concludes the statement.
This year’s PAC 5+1 All-Inclusive stakeholder conference, is held under the theme titled; “The state of governance and public trust – Reclaiming our destiny.”
On several occasion PAC’s meetings have been highly-charged with politics where the governing DPP and opposition parties tend to fiercely argue. During last year’s Indaba, which some participants asked President Peter Mutharika to resign. This was because of the social-economic ills the nation has faced since the incumbent took the reigns of power from Joyce Banda in 2014.
PAC is the oldest, and most well-known nongovernmental organization in democratic, and it is also the national chapter of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP).
The PAC is a powerful religious grouping whose influence on Malawi’s political scene, is indisputable. Among the ranks of membership is the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Malawi Councils of Churches (MCC), Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), Quadria Association of Malawi (QAM), and the Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM).