PAC says cashgate should be ‘turning point’ for Malawi: Chingota replaces Tengatenga as chair

The quasi-religious Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has said it will organise a national conference to deliberate on the evils besetting Malawi including the cashgate scandal.

PAC said in a statement made available to Nyasa Times on Wednesday that after its meeting in Lilongwe that they will also organise interdenominational prayers “to  reflect  on  the  current  crisis” before Christmas.

“We have noted that currently Malawi is  at  the  centre  of  financial  crisis  due  to  what  has  revealed  itself  to  be  the stealing  and  looting  of  financial  resources,” said the statement from the clergy.

“ Whilst  Malawians  are  ashamed  of  the  emerging  reality, they  have  been  surprised  at  some  steps  and  strides  put  in  place  by  government  that  seem  to  portray  uncoordinated  efforts; slow application  of  law; slow  investigation processes;  and  therefore failing   to  restore  public and  donor  confidence,” the statement reads.

PAC said they have agreed to  organize  a  3rd  All-Inclusive  Stakeholders  Conference   early  next  year  to  allow  stakeholders  to   thoroughly  examine  the  current  political  and  economic  challenges  the  country  is  facing.

It said the conference will help “to  effectively  understand  and  come  to  grips  with  details  as  to how, when  and  what  caused  the  cash-gate scandal.”

“The  cash-gate  scandal  should  be  a  turning  point  to  reform  our  country  and  change   our  moral  behavior  in  order  to  develop  Malawi,” said PAC in a statement.

The  proposed  theme  of  the  conference   is  :   “Malawi   at   Crossroads – Enhancing Transformative   Leadership through Holding  Leaders   and   Ourselves  Accountable” .

The statement said  stakeholders  to  the  conference  will  include, among  others, CONGOMA , CSO Grand Coalition, Business  Community, people  of  good will , Malawi  Congress  of  Trade  Union, faith-leaders, Law  Society  of  Malawi, media, political  party  representatives,  selected  members  of  Parliament, State  officials, academia  and  youth  coalitions.

Leadership changes

Meanwhile, the inter-faith civil society grouping has accepted  the  resignation  of  Bishop  James  Tengatenga  to  allow  him  prepare  for  his  departure  to  United State.

In July this year, Tengatenga was appointed dean of the William Jewett Tucker Foundation at Dartmouth College in the US and was expected to take up the position early 2014 but the institution withdrew the employment offer over his anti-gay remarks.

“The  meeting  thanked  Bishop  Tengatenga  for  his  contribution  made  to  PAC and  wished  him  success  as  he  goes  to  undertake  new  endeavours,” said the statement.

PAC  resolved  that   Rev  Dr.  Felix  Chingota, Vice  Chairperson,  be  the  Chairperson  of   the influential  grouping  “with  effect  from  5th December, 2013  till  such a  time   the  PAC  AGM  reconvenes.”

Chingota is Blantyre CCAP Synod’s moderator of St Columba CCAP congregation

The  meeting  agreed  that  Sheik. Dr. Salmin  Omar  should  serve  as  Vice  Chairperson  and  Bishop  Geoffrey Matonga  to  serve  as  PAC  treasurer.

The  Board  of  Trustees  elected  Rev. Dr  Timothy  Nyasulu  of  Malawi  Council  of  Churches  to  serve  as  Chairperson  of   the  Board  of  Trustees  and  Bishop  Montfort  Stima  of   Episcopal  Conference  of  Malawi  was  elected   Vice-Chairperson  of  the  same  Board.

PAC is made up of the main Protestant, Catholic and Muslim faith groups in Malawi.

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