Muslim Forum for Democracy and Peace (Musford) has urged Muslims in the country to take part in the coming tripartite elections in 2014.
Speaking to Malawi Muslims Official Website Musford Director, Alhaj Sheikh Jafar Kawinga says it is time for Muslims to aim high by contesting in various public positions.
โWe want to see councilors, more MPs and even another president from Muslim community.ย Right now, we canโt say that there are no educated Muslims. We have many of them who have graduated from various fields. Time has now come where we have more Muslim representation in government but this cannot just come on silver platter โ you need to fight for it,โ he said.
Sheikh Kawinga has however advised Muslims in the country not to stick to one political party saying that it will put them in an awkward position.
This was in reference to the current situation where most of the Muslims in the country belong to United Democratic Party (UDF), in support of its founder and former national chairman Dr Bakili Muluzi who is also a Muslim.
โAll six million Muslims cannot be put in one basket. What will happen if that party collapses, or face problems as it is the case now? Our future will be doomed. So, it is high time we join different parties and compete in different positions in those parties for the betterment of our community as well as the country,โ said Kawinga.
The Director also revealed that his organization has lined up a lot of activities as the country is fast approaching the general elections.ย He said his organization will meet religious leaders from different denominations to sensitise them on the importance of taking part in the elections.
Musford says will also target the youth to advise them on how they should conduct themselves to avoid being used during campaign period by politicians and later dumped with no any benefit.
โSo, we want to teach them on how they can conduct themselves responsibly so that they also benefit at the end. We are also going to meet the aspiring candidates to tell them how they should behave during the campaign period โ we donโt want politics ofย castigationย as that breeds chaos and the one who suffer are the ordinary supporters,โ he said.
Currently, the organization has already applied to Malawi Electoral Commission for accreditation to conduct civic education during the forthcoming tripartite elections.
About Musford
Musford is a non-governmental organization which was formed in 2009 and was registered in December 2012 under the Trusteeโs Incorporation Act.
Its mission is to promote democracy consolidation, unity and religious tolerance towards a united Malawi for national development.
The organization believes in unity, as a result, it works with both individuals and organizations.
