By Deogratias Mmana:
Delegates to a two-day national conference taking place in Lilongwe from Wednesday to today have expressed concern over President Lazarus Chakwera’s delay to appoint commissioners for the Malawi Peace and Unity Commission (MPUC).
The Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture organised the conference for stakeholders to discuss key issues on how Malawi can sustain peace and come up with key action points in the form of a communique that will be read out during this year’s International Day of Peace commemorations on October 12.
Among the participants, secretary general for the United Democratic Front Kandi Padambo said the peace commission is an important body for the country but wondered why appointment of the commissioners has delayed for a year now.
“There has been a delay in the appointment of commissioners. There is no announcement from the ministry. What is causing the delay? We think the commission has a critical role to play,” Padambo said.
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Principal Secretary for Local Government, Unity and Culture Elizabeth Gomani Chindebvu said her ministry fulfilled all the requirements needed for the appointment of the commissioners and is waiting for the appointing authority to finalise the process.
She said a Malawi Peace and Unity law was enacted in September last year.
The law puts in place a legislative framework that will promote peace and unity in a coordinated, collaborative and structured manner to achieve political prosperity and socio-economic and cultural development goals.
“The law came into effect and we started the process of selecting commissioners. We followed the law and submitted [everything] to the Head of State and we are waiting [to hear] from there,” Chindebvu said.
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According to the National Peace Policy of August 2017, the commission has the mandate to look at conflict zones and proactively diffuse possible conflicts.
State House Press Secretary Anthony Kasunda said the Office of the President and Cabinet was better placed to shed light on the development.
“You may recall that such appointments come through the Office of the President and Cabinet, whose spokesperson is Robert Kalindiza,” Kasunda said.
Kalindiza did not respond to our questionnaire.
In his presentation, University of Malawi lecturer Gift Sambo highlighted some causes of electoral violence in Malawi which the commission should handle.
Such causes include a political culture of thuggery, which predisposes actors to engage in violence and intimidation during political contests, and the decay of the political and social system, resulting in violence as a tool for settling political scores.
Sambo also said a blurred distinction between the governing party and State machinery enables the governing party to access State resources at the expense of the opposition.
“In such a context, where gains of the economy are not evenly distributed, a fertile ground for electoral violence is created,” Sambo said.
