Committee fosters unity in Dowa
The National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Public Trust has lauded Dowa Central’s Multi-Party Constituency Committee (MPCC) for its efforts in uniting people of different political parties to carry out development together.
Derex Souza, who is Nice’s monitoring, evaluation and learning officer, said the presence of MPCC has helped build rapport among people in the district.
“Prior to the intervention of this committee, people in the district did not know exactly that we choose leaders to serve us. At times they ignorantly resorted to taking the law into their own hands and this resulted in loss of lives. This is bad for democracy and it retards development,” he said.
He said MPCC members are able to summon duty-bearers and service providers to community meetings where developmental issues are discussed, which, he said, has helped a number of projects to be initiated and others which were stalled to be resuscitated.
Souza’s commendation at a meeting in Dowa follows the engagement of the MPCC to mediate over a wrangle that has risen between vendors at Mponela market and the Development Aid from People to People (Dapp) where the former are accusing the latter of monopolising business.
The vendors have asked Dapp to concentrate on wholesale business and leave retailing to poor female vendors.
In his remarks, Dowa Nice district civic education officer, Vincent Mbenjere, urged the committee to continue ensuring that people of different political persuasions co-exist peacefully.
MPCC publicity secretary David Msulira, who is a member of the Peoples Transformation Party (Petra), pledged his committee’s commitment to promote co-existence and hard work so that they can develop the area.
