JB dates PAC, opposition parties
Former governing People’s Party (PP) leader Joyce Banda was yesterday among leaders of some 15 political parties that met the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) in Blantyre, raising speculation that the parties want to go into a coalition.
The former president’s attendance at the meeting came days after a high-powered PP delegation reportedly met leaders of some of the 14 political parties last week at People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) president Mark Katsonga’s office at Maselema in Blantyre.
In an interview on the sidelines of yesterday’s meeting, Malawi Forum for Unity and Development (Mafunde) president George Nnesa, who is chairing the parties’ meetings, was elusive on reports they were courting the former president to lead them in next year’s polls.
He said: “As opposition political parties, we have been discussing the issue since 2016…. so we have not reached that stage yet, but there is a possibility that it can happen.”
Nnesa said the parties thought of working together as they near the 2019 Tripartite Elections and Banda’s attendance at the meeting was merely in her capacity as leader of PP which formed government between 2012 and 2014.
Addressing the gathering, Banda said she attended the interface meeting because she wanted to directly talk to the clergy as she was worried with what was happening in the country.
She said: “There is so much hatred beginning from churches, in our communities, political parties… Mu Chichewa, chikukhala ngati ndi chiwanda. It is dividing us and poor citizens are the victims. What has happened to the moral fabric of our society.”
Banda also described Malawi as a “fragile nation” because upon her return from exile she has found that the hardships she left in 2014 have now multiplied 10 times.
Apart from the Alliance for Democracy (Aford), which was represented by vice-president Peter Chisi of the Enoch Chihana camp, and PP, the rest of the political parties are those not represented in Parliament.
But the meeting is coming at a time Banda is yet to make a decision on her political future on whether she will contest the presidency next year.
Commenting on the matter, Chancellor College political science lecturer Mustafa Hussein said there was no problem for Banda and PP to engage in some political alliance.
“It is one way of strengthening the party. Although these others are called small parties, but they have ideas, policies that may have impact on the political scene. So, together they bring in all their strength and may enjoy the synergy effect,” he said.
Hussein said PP already has a national appeal and they can build on the same by roping in “smaller parties” which may boost their morale and put up a good competition.
According to Nnesa, the opposition parties’ forum invited PAC to discuss issues of national importance with next year’s tripartite elections being under the spotlight.
“PAC has played a crucial role in the political developments of our country since Malawi’s political transition in 1992. So, the major issue we raised to them was to find out how they were engaging MEC to ensure that next year’s elections are free, fair and credible and also how we can strategise to stem the violence that is brewing up in political parties,” he said.
On his part, PAC chairperson the Reverend Felix Chingota said they were meeting the parties when political turbulence has been a dominant feature in most of them.
“The political appetite continues to grow for presidency and other positions. This is the situation we are faced with as we move to 2019,” he said.
Chingota said PAC had planned activities which will include convincing presidential candidates to sign a peace accord, a goodwill document for dialogue and mediation.
PP’s joining of fellow opposition parties comes after failed plan of a working relationship with the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) early this year. n
