Dialogue leads to peaceful coexistence – Msowoya

Speaker of the National Assembly Richard Msowoya has said interfaith and intercultural dialogue is the best approach to eliminate all forms of injustice.

Msowoya made the remarks in St Petersburg in Russia where he is attending Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) general assembly.

Speaking at the function Msowoya, said peaceful coexistence of people in the country is the best approach to eliminate all forms of injustice, reduce moral decay while at the same time promote acceptable societal values which in some cases have been source of instability.

According to Msowoya, Malawi encourages peaceful coexistence of people regardless of ethnic, cultural or religious differences.

“The Constitution of the Republic of Malawi in sections 26 and 33 allows every Malawian a fundamental right to use language and to participate in the cultural life of his or her choice,” Msowoya said.

“Pursuant to these Constitutional goals, the Malawi National Cultural Policy specifically focuses on national identity and unity diversity.”

Malawi’s speaker told the gathering that the policy objective becomes even more important given that Malawi has over 10 different ethnic groups practicing more than four different religions with Christianity and Islam as major ones.

“Despite these cultural and religious differences, it is pleasing to note that people of Malawi have coexisted peacefully since independence, Msowoya said.

According to him, the reason for this peaceful coexistence is because since independence Malawi has embraced a policy of “contact and dialogue.”

“Since then all successive governments in Malawi have come to embrace the need for contact and dialogue internally as well as externally.

“Honourable Delegates may wish to note as well that through an interfaith based grouping called the Public Affairs Committee, it was possible for Malawi to move peacefully and orderly from a single party system of government to the current multiparty system of government,” Msowoya said.

The meeting was officially opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin under the theme “Promoting Cultural Pluralism and Peace Through Interfaith and Inter-ethnic dialogue.”