By Cathy Maulidi:
Public Affairs Committee (Pac) has urged all political players in the county to prioritize peace.
Pac made the call during an interface with President Lazarus Chakwera at Chikoko Bay in Mangochi, Friday.
In his remarks at the meeting, Pac’s Vice Chairperson Osman Karim, highlighted the escalating political tensions and recent acts of violence.
He expressed concern over the “fast changing” political atmosphere that Malawi is experiencing.
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“The political turbulences in your party during primaries are an indication that the 2025 general elections will be highly competitive,” Karim said.
“From our viewpoint it seems the political race is more greeted with political violence than peaceful co-existence as we approach the voting day,” he said.
At the meeting, Pac underscored the crucial role of presidential candidates in maintaining peace and harmony throughout the electoral process.
“Peace is not something one must hope for in the future; it must be a reality of the present,” Karim said.
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Karim said to Chakwera: “The standards expected of your leadership and party is high because you took an oath to uphold the rule of law.”
Pac specifically condemned recent violent incidents, including those at Mponela Trading Centre and Machinga.
“The current trajectory of political violence is a destabilizing factor in Malawi’s peace equation,” Karim cautioned.
“If we are not careful, the 2025 electoral process could make Malawi to stand at crossroads. We must therefore choose between politics of hope and politics of fear,” he said.
Pac said elections are not merely a component of civic engagement but an “integral architecture of democracy and democratic consolidation.”
As a concrete step towards ensuring peaceful elections, Pac extended an invitation to Chakwera to participate in the signing of a Peace Declaration, a practice observed in previous elections.
“A peace declaration is a goodwill document and serves as one of informal mechanisms for conflict prevention,” Karim said, recalling similar declarations signed in 2014 and 2019.
In his response, Chakwera assured Pac his commitment to peace.
“Since I have already committed to the cause of peace as both the President of MCP and the President of Malawi, motivated to do so by my constitutional duty, oath of office and personal belief, you can rest assured that I am the one candidate in this election you do not need to lobby to sign a peace declaration. You show me where to sign it and I will be the first to do so,” he said.
He added: “Your real work as advocates of peace lies with the parties in this country that have no trouble having their senior officials address crowds encouraging their supporters to commit acts of violence.
“Even this incident of violence you cite from Mponela was being used by senior members of the main opposition to inflame their supporters to give in to the demons of anger and retribution, and I expect that you as a body will be vocal in condemning such behaviour every time it occurs, and you will have my full support in that endeavour.”
The issue of violence topped the agenda at this year’s all-inclusive conference which Pac held last week.
Speakers at the conference accused the police of applying selective justice on political violence by not arresting those perpetrating violence.
