Thursday, April 26 2012, Malawi’s new President Mrs Joyce Banda released a new cabinet. As most quarters of the society had previously appealed, the cabinet is really inclusive, regardless of political, regional, tribal or religious barriers.
Out of the 32 member cabinet, the ministerial positions have fairly been distributed among the country’s three major regions. The South which enjoys Malawi’s largest population has about 15 ministers including the president herself, 10 in the centre and the rest for the north including the vice President.
Would it be partisan for me to say that this corresponds PP’s principles of (Chitukuko, Umodzi ndi Kusakondera), meaning; Development, Unity and Fairness?
The cabinet has taken on board members of almost all major political parties namely MCP, UDF, DPP, Aford and MPP which has since disbanded to join the ruling People’s Party (PP). Her Excellency the president seems to have heeded the calls for a Government of National Unity (GNU).
Of interest to Muslims in Malawi is their representation in the new cabinet. During the previous regime, Muslims have cried foul in as far as their representation in cabinet was concerned.
Muslims’s demands for consideration of government positions are just simple and reasonable: Fair rather than equal, and that’s all. Could that be too much for the second largest religion in the country?
After the DPP was formed by late president Bingu Wa Mutharika, Muslims had their hopes in the names of then vice president Dr Cassim Chilumpha, Yussuf Mwawa, Uladi Mussa and Jaffali Mussa as black Muslims who they thought could understand well the needs of Muslims in Malawi.
However, months and years down the line; all these Muslim ministers were expelled from either government or the DPP for various reasons.
For whatever reasons, a cross section of Muslims did not like the likes of Zomba’s Yunus Mussa and Chikwawa’s Sidik Mohammad Mia who remained in Bingu’s cabinet till his sudden demise on that fateful day, 5 April 2012.
Muslims could not have the slightest feel of being represented by the two. Was it a mere coincidence that the only remaining Muslims in the previous government were of coloured skin who most Malawian Muslims perceive as not being part of them?
Whatever one feels or thinks, these two brothers are Muslims, and according to Islam, no one has the right to say that someone is not a Muslim until he/she says it him/herself, period.
Now back to the new cabinet, Sidik Muhammad Mia has survived, and new other notable Muslims include former vice president Dr Cassim Chilumpha, defunct MPP president Uladi Mussa, UDF presidential hopeful Atupele Muluzi, promising politician, lawmaker and staunch Muslim, Ibrahim Matola and another lawmaker from Mangochi, Ralph Jooma. These are the notable ones most of us know.
Most of these Muslim figures are close to Muslims and even the mother body, Muslim Association of Malawi. Some of them have been closely working with Muslims in their political advancement and we hope that they are going to represent Muslims as expected.
What Muslims want from them is not handouts in terms of money or material items.
It is the interests of Islam and Muslims in governance, human rights, economic and social development as well as total freedom of Association in all spheres or sectors of the society. Muslims want to be free from insults and psychological torture, Muslims want to be free from political victimization, just like other religions and denominations, Malawian Muslims want to be free to do what they want for the betterment of their religion without the fear of claims to Islamize the country.
It is the hope of Muslims in the country that their brothers, who have been prerogatively considered for ministerial positions by the head of state, will not close their lives from their brethren. We would like to see a good and brotherly bond between them and the Muslim Association of Malawi and other Islamic organisations alike.
Remember, it is Allah (SWT) Who raises whom He Wills and He does so in order that their brethren might find solace.
vuto ndi lakuti aslamuwo ngakhale akhale m'cabinetmo pali chomwe amapanga…sizimaonekenso zomwe amachita
Lets wait and see, they were minsters before,they know what mistakes they made before in islamic circles.But muslims should not anticipate more as of now form them.this country is wrecked state like a vehicle which needs a complete mechanism,so let them first help the president to rebulid the country.We should thank the president for appointing our muslim brothers to those minsterial positions.So its up to them to prove to the muslim community their participation in the cabinet.
What a perfect opportunity,Tiyamike a President kwambiri. lets give them a chance and see if they can deliver now as muslims(they know what we mean here)
With due respect, from what I know, Hon Raph Jooma is not a Muslim. But what is it that as Muslim I will want happening when these Muslim brothers are in government? Some of these have been there before, holding senior positions, but what? If there was no communication between them and the ordinary before assuming these Ministerial positions, do you think it will work this time around? Ndapeneka!
assalam alykum, bothers and sisters in islam, i hv a question here- don't we have examples to learn that clinging to friendship of kufars or by holding and spreading kufur ideology interms of democracy or participating in kufur govnment regime has not helped nor benefited muslims in the least but only disgrace and insults? even if it could hv benefited muslims to the extent 1could hv imagine does this our conduct of supporting kufur ideology and way of ruling hv any example in our beloved messenger or is t approved by shariah? we had saddam hussein, muammar gaddaffi and many others who were really favoured and honored by world super power leaders like bush, blair, sarkozy, etc. were they not the same who slaughtered them by bombadments with NATO air strikes? if these appointed ministers can expressly say they love to implement islam or to protect islam do u think the gvnment can entertain them? the gvtnment of malawi adopted "anti terrorism Act" and " anti money laundering Act" which squarely prejudices only muslims, did these muslim ministers stop its adoption? or did they dare to speak in disapproval? by such laws tody the US is justified to carry out extra-judicial killings against muslims even n malawi as they r doing n somalia, afganstan, yemen, pakistan by DRONE ATTACKS. hvn't we read n seerah that our belovd prophet was approached by the quraish n mecca and he was offered kingship over arabs n mecca but he SAW refused. he said even if the sun is n my right hand and the moon n my left i will not leave this matter till either i die or it prevails n its entirelty. can these appointed ministers challenge the kufars by stating or preaching n a mosque not n open ground the ALLAH's ayat n surat yusuf that explictly says " inil hukum illa li LLah" that judgment or ruling belongs to none but to Allah alone, not to a human being through parliament discussing and permitting abortion, safer sex, carlsberg brewing, dipicting our prophet n the name f freedom of speech, fornication, permitting 20 may of every year as " muhammad SAW insult drawing day, burning and using as toilet tissue our quran. these muslim ministers when they visti US, FRANCE, UK etc they wil be licking chicks of the muslim murderers n across themuslim world, whose soldiers have dipicted our prophet and used quran as toilet tissue. LETS DISCUSS AT LEGNTH and n depth.
This article truly captivated my mind and interest and it forms the basis of understanding what Muslims expectations have always been for any political party to win their hearts and votes. However, I would like to point out to the author that, this party "People's Party" has gone beyond appointment of cabinet ministers. Its core foundation is actually made of positive mixed bag. I would like him to expose the goodies the party has done by including several Muslim brothers and sisters in the National Executive Committee synonymously ( National Governing Council) since the party is now enviously refereed as Ruling Party. Just to mention a few, there are Omar Paison Kaisi (Mangochi) James Sumail Size (Balaka) Brother Mpofu- (Zomba) Farook Mwawa -(Balaka) Fahaad Mahomed – (Balaka) Mayi Mngonya, etc., just to mention a few.
If you ask me, I would say that in general terms, the People's Party has a good will to assist any group of people to advance and achieve their fullest development dreams and what we need to do as Muslims are as follows and I will mention the most important ones for today
1. Learn to articulate and advance agendas that has national interest on Muslim community up-liftment, parting away from personalization
2. Give necessary support to those who are fortunate to have been included in the PP agenda so that they can perform to their full potential. That's avoid setting traps for others to fail.
3. Let's learn to view the party by it's manifesto and not where it come from, who initiated the party, what gender is he or she ect.
4. Above all avoid stereo typing the parties with accolades like, It is a Southern region party, It is a Yao party, let alone Islamic Party, lets just work with the part and our relationship should purely be based on the Manifesto, period.
Thank you