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| National |
| Clergy queries Bingu’s new party |
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by
Pilirani Semu-Banda, 11 February 2005
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13:52:49
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The Public Affairs Committee (Pac) on Thursday questioned President Bingu wa Mutharika’s intentions to form his own political party, saying people may be asking where he is getting money for the project and conclude that he is corrupt.
Pac chair Father Boniface Tamani said told the press soon after the closure of a national conference on religious coexistence in Blantyre that much as there is freedom of association in the country, people have to be “prudent” in what they decide to do.
“Things are happening and people are rushing. Where are the resources that are being used to form the party coming from?” queried Tamani.
He said by leaving his UDF and becoming independent, the country thought it would see some difference between party and government and that this may no longer be the case if Mutharika has his own party.
Pac Secretary General Sheikh Imran Shareef Mahomed said Mutharika has talked about “zero tolerance” against corruption but he might be seen not to be living up to this.
“Where is he getting the K10,000s ($92s) he is giving to independent MPs and others from? This could be interpreted as corruption as well,” said Mahomed.
He said Mutharika’s decision to form a party has left the country in a “precarious situation”, saying the relationship between government and party will be questionable again.
Mahomed asked the President’s advisors to give him “constructive advice”, saying one of the reasons he gave for leaving UDF raised question against his integrity.
“He said some people in UDF told the nation that they rigged the elections. Who did they rig the elections for?” queried Mahomed.
The Sheikh also said the country should “admit that it is in a political crisis following the President’s move to leave the party that put him into power” and that all sectors of society should work together to contain the situation.
Pac board member Reverend Miriam Banda from the Blantyre CCAP Synod said the committee is not happy with the current political intolerance between Mutharika and UDF party chair Bakili Muluzi.
“We’re not sleeping because if we fail to address this, peace won’t be the order of the day. We will continue to offer to mediate so that the matter is settled and peace prevails,” said Banda.
Earlier on, Tamani said Pac offered to mediate between Muluzi and Mutharika but that the party refused the offer and the Committee could not impose itself.
“The offer is still on the table but we would encourage people who seek the truth and what is right to go through such a process,” said Tamani.
The conference recommended that there should be promotion of inter-religious dialogue at all levels of society, for religious leaders to be exemplary in their behaviour, that there should be a revision and promotion of moral and religious education in schools and that there should be promotion of regular dialogue between government, religious institutions and others.
The conference also asked Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) to act on any transgression that would incite religious intolerance and violence and appealed to the police to provide security in an impartial manner in the event of violent acts.
“While discouraging involvement in party politics, we would like to affirm that the religious community shall continue to be actively engaged in sociopolitical affairs of the country especially with regard to defending the rights of the poor, marginalised and oppressed,” stated the recommendations.
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