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Pac sidelines us—Muslims body
By
Our Reporter - 20-06-2002 |
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Secretariat dismisses accusation
Muslim Association of Malawi (Mam) has accused Public Affairs Committee (Pac), an interdenominational grouping of religious organisations of sidelining Muslim executive members of the committee when making decisions on crucial issues.
Pac secretariat has, however, dismissed the accusations as invalid.
Mam, in a statement signed by national chair Sheikh Omar Wochi and secretary general Ronald Mangani issued yesterday, accused the current leadership of Pac of deliberately sidelining all Muslim executive members sitting on the Pac board from consultations on crucial issues before issuing statements.
The Mam statement said such tendencies had the effect of increasing misunderstanding among the religious organisations in the country and “creating frosty relations” among people of various religious affiliations.
But the Pac secretariat in Lilongwe, which also received a copy of the Mam press release that accuses Pac and dismisses as cheap propaganda talk of islamising the country, said all board members of Pac including Muslim executive members are invited to the organisation’s meetings.
An official from the Pac secretariat said Mam was represented by Sheikh Mustahab Ayami and Daud Milanzie at a recent Pac board meeting which, among other things, discussed the issue of the open presidential terms debate.
“Our board meetings are not a secret. All board members are invited to attend,” said the secretariat.
Wochi and Mangani said Pac, as an institution founded on the commonality of religious principles and seeking to promote advocacy, civic education and mediation, had “a duty to transact its business above short-sighted political influences”.
“We seek a swift redress to the current unprofessional conduct of Pac business, and wish to put it on record that these concerns have not received the desired attention when raised with the leadership itself,” reads the statement in part.
Mam, which has publicly declared its support for the Bill to amend the country’s Constitution to remove term limits for the President of Malawi, was, among other things, apparently referring to a statement signed by Pac chairman the Rev. Constantine Kaswaya urging Malawians to reject the open terms presidential tenure of office.
In The Nation newspaper of June 6, 2002, Pac defended Kaswaya’s statement on BBC Network Africa programme that the organisation supported efforts to block the open terms proposal.
In the same statement, Pac also urged all its members and religious leaders “to unite and oppose” the open presidential tenure of office.
“We believe justice and rule of law can only triumph when all religious leaders act together. We must not forget our role to tell the truth,” said the statement.
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