Aford against manifesto alignment to MW2063
Alliance for Democracy (Aford) has dismissed the requirement for political parties to align their manifestos to the Malawi 2063 (MW2063), describing it as a joke and limitation to policy scopes.
Aford president Enock Chihana said his party will not abide by the demands of the National Planning Commission (NPC) which is legally mandated by the Political Parties Amendment Act of 2022.
He made the remarks on Thursday in Mzuzu when he unveiled a new member of the party, the Reverend Maurice Munthali, a former Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesperson and President Lazarus Chakwera’s ex-adviser on peace, reconciliation and national unity.
Chihana said it is strange for a government agency to dictate what political parties should have in manifestos as it is the parties which form government and not vice versa.
“That requirement is a joke of the century. I have never heard of an organisation within government, mandating a political party on manifesto formulation.
“There is no way Aford should think how MCP or UTM or the United Democratic Front think,” he said.
Chihana said NPC’s mandate on political parties can be challenged in court, adding that some laws are completely illegal.
His sentiments come days after the NPC told The Nation that all the political parties have agreed to the arrangement and will be bringing their manifestos to the commission for review and certification.
NPC public relations and communications manager Thom Khanje said parties have until January 22 2025 to submit their manifestos for review and certification ahead of receipt of nomination papers for presidential candidates by the Malawi Electoral Commission for the September 2025 Tripartite Election.
On the possibility that parties would develop uniform manifestos due to reference to the MW2063, thus limiting options for the voter, Khanje said the alignment is expected to be complied with in addition to other unique elements in the manifestos; hence, manifestos should, at a minimum, speak to or be grounded to MW2063.
But weighing in on the matter, political scientist Ernest Thindwa said the idea of legally compelling parties to align their manifestos to the MW2063 is something he does not subscribe to.
He said the arrangement does not only limit party creativity and variety when crafting manifestos, but also inadvertently undermines the fundamental need for the parties to primarily be responsive to citizens when proposing socio-economic programmes.
The amended Section 12A of the Political Parties Act indicates that the NPC shall issue a certificate of compliance where it is satisfied that a manifesto is aligned to the national development agenda.
It also states that the commission shall give a party 21 days to submit a complaint where it finds that the submitted document is not aligned to it.
