Muslims Are Malawians Too
We do not mind Whether the allegation is true or not by former vice president Dr Saulos Chilima who is also United Transformation Movement (UTM) against Jane Ansah that “she would be grateful if they helped ensure that Professor Muthalika gets re-elected,” saying she did not want Rev. Dr Lazarus Chakwera to be elected because his running mate (Sidik Mia) “is a devoted Muslim.”
To us, what we mind is the thinking itself that its unfortunate especially coming from a person holding such high office.
Such utterances must have angered not only Muslims, but also other non Muslims who believe that Malawi is for everyone and that every Malawian citizen has a right to seek for any public office regardless of their religious affiliations.
It is therefore not suprising that a very good number of Muslims joined the demostrations and carried banners with the message “Jane Ansah why do you hate Muslims?” and “Kukhala Msilamu Sichifukwa (being a Muslim is not a crime)”.
Such messages should stick to many others with similar thinking and should be treated as a warning that in case some politicians don’t know, such narrations may cause tribal, ethnic and religious wars as it has been witnessed in many parts of African continent like Ruwanda DRC just to mention a few.
In a letter, which was written on 7 June 2019, Chilima alleges that the MEC chairperson told her members of staff that “she would be grateful if they helped ensure that Professor Muthalika gets re-elected,” saying she did not want Rev. Dr Lazarus Chakwera to be elected because his running mate (Sidik Mia) “is a devoted Muslim.”
There are many s questions that one would ask from such clauses like is this the reason why many Muslim aspirants don’t make it to the August House ? is this the same reason why there has not even been a Yao Muslim Minister from the eastern region in the recent Cabinet which President Professor Peter Mutharika has just appointed? Is this the same reason why there are no Muslim principal secretaries ,is this the reason why there are no Muslim directors under different ministries? Not even deputy directors? Is this the reason why there are no heads of departments like CEO, DG, in many key government decision making positions ? is this the same reason why Muslims are only sent to Egypt and Kuwait as ambassadors and not to the UN and many other countries like USA and UK ? because of such statements, Muslims will not be blames for asking these and many other questions which they don’t find answers. Politicians, fellow Malawian citizens , Malawi is a nation that has never gone for war, let us not create any loophole for such. Let us live in this nation as one family regardless of where one comes from and which faith does one belong to?
