By Burnett Munthali
The recent statement by the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) urging opposition leaders to promote peace ahead of the 2025 elections is not only ill-timed but reeks of selective morality and institutional cowardice.
While PAC attempts to present itself as a neutral peacemaker, its silence on countless acts of brutal violence committed by ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporters renders its message hollow and insincere.
Where was PAC when MCP thugs—armed with panga knives and party regalia—unleashed terror on innocent opposition supporters in broad daylight?
Where was this so-called moral authority when violence erupted at Mbowe Filling Station, when UTM supporters were butchered in Mponela, or when blood was spilled in Ntchisi and at Lilongwe Community Ground?
These incidents were not isolated; they were deliberate, well-orchestrated acts of political terrorism designed to intimidate and silence dissent.
Yet, not once did PAC summon the courage to condemn the perpetrators or demand accountability from those in power.
Instead, it now finds the audacity to issue moral lectures to the opposition, as though they are the primary source of violence in the political landscape.
This selective outrage is not only intellectually dishonest but dangerously legitimizes violence by failing to hold the real culprits accountable.
It emboldens the ruling party’s militia-style politics while discrediting genuine efforts toward conflict resolution.
President Chakwera’s recent remarks promoting tolerance and peaceful political engagement are commendable on the surface, but they ring hollow without accompanying action to discipline his own party’s violent actors.
Words without justice are nothing more than political theatre designed to appease international observers while suppressing domestic accountability.
Bishop Gilford Matonga’s praise of Chakwera’s message is equally misguided, as it blindly overlooks the ruling party’s trail of blood and intimidation.
Instead of issuing generalised calls for peace, PAC should grow a backbone and call out the thugs by name, demand arrests, and expose the political machinery funding this violence.
True peace is not built on false equivalence.
It is built on justice, truth, and an unwavering commitment to holding every political actor—especially those in power—accountable for their actions.
If PAC genuinely wants to be a credible voice in the electoral process, it must abandon its cowardly neutrality and confront the ruling party’s violent legacy with the same energy it reserves for the opposition.
Until then, its calls for peace will remain nothing more than polite noise—ignored by victims, mocked by aggressors, and unworthy of the national respect it once commanded.
For a lasting solution, Malawi needs not just peace talks, but a clear roadmap that includes security sector reform, impartial policing, prosecution of political thugs, and binding peace pledges enforced across all parties.
Only then can we speak of a credible, peaceful 2025 election—one where ballots matter more than pangas, and justice is not sacrificed for political expediency.
