Public Affairs Committee meets Atupele
The Public Affairs Committee (Pac) is today expected to meet United Democratic Front (UDF) leader Atupele Muluzi on issues surrounding Section 65 amid the party’s cross-over to government benches in Parliament.
The meeting is a follow-up to the interaction with the Speaker of the National Assembly Richard Msowoya on Pac’s call for implementation of Section 65 of the Constitution that regulates crossing of the floor in the august House among legislators.
This comes barely two weeks after the opposition UDF members relocated to the government benches to enhance the party’s working relationship with the ruling Democratic Progress Party (DPP).
In an interview on Monday, Pac Executive Director Robert Phiri confirmed that the organisation intends to discuss with Muluzi some of the 19 issues that were raised before the elections but the main agenda will be the issue surrounding Section 65.
“I would like to confirm that Pac will engage the president of UDF tomorrow (today) at 11am at Parliament Building following our interaction with the Speaker.
UDF as a party, approached, Pac so that the organisation should hear their side of the story,” Phiri said.
He further said: “As Pac, we commit ourselves to see that constitutionalism should prevail in Malawi , but before we proceed on the next move on Section 65, we would like to learn from the UDF leader in terms of what observations he has on this particular matter,”
Earlier this year in February, Pac warned the ruling party to avoid cheating Malawians by using legal technicalities to form a coalition with UDF following
a letter written by UDF to the Speaker that informed him about the agreed parliamentary coalition between the UDF and the DPP with a request by the party to be relocated to the government side in the august House.
“We expect DPP not to stoop so low and facilitate crossing the floor through technical means such as coalition pacts. Any act, whose effect is technically crossing the floor, is a fundamental departure from the spirit of Section 65,” said Pac’s chairperson Felix Chingota.
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