PAC meets four more parties

The Public Affairs Committee (PAC) yesterday met four political parties in continuation of its meeting with presidential candidates  on issues affecting the country ahead of the May 20 Tripartite Elections.

Yesterday’s meeting at Sunbird Mount Soche  in Blantyre came hot on the heels of concerns from some parties that the religious body is only interested in political parties that are regarded as big.

Friday Jumbe of New Labour Party (NLP), representatives of Tisintha Alliance, Kamuzu  Chibambo of People’s Transformation (Petra) and Helen Singh of United Independent Party (UIP) are those who met the organisation.

PAC executive director Robert Phiri confirmed the meeting in an interview.

“Yes, we met the four leaders to discuss issues affecting the country. They wrote a letter and the board had decided that it should meet them today,” said Phiri on Thursday.

The four political parties wrote PAC expressing their reservations on suspected preferential treatment after it met leaders of Malawi congress Party (MCP), People’s Party (PP), United Democratic Front (UDF), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and People’s Progressive Movement (PPM).

“Singling out political parties at this point would, in our view, be presumptuous.  It is not clear whether or not PAC still intends to accord the rest of the political parties equal treatment except time is fleeting away given the fact that the official campaign will be kick starting in about 10 days,” said the letter.

Phiri, however, could not say when the religious body will meet representatives of all political parties, saying it will be up to the board to decide.

“There is no timetable for that. After the letter was written the board met and decided on this day for those four parties. They will decide on what to do next,” he said.