Mijiga first to launch manifesto, places ‘football good governance’ as a key leadership blueprint: FA Malawi polls

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) hottest presidential contender marketer-cum banker, Wilkins Mijiga  has officially launched his manifesto outlining his vision for Malawi football if he is elected as president for FAM at the December 15 polls.

Mijiga said  he is determined to bring to Malawian football a new viable winning philosophy that is modeled on quality leadership that will largely hinge on clarity of Vision and grounded in a powerful purpose built on robust commitment to principles of good governance, transparency and accountability.

He launched his manifesto Thursday night at Lilongwe Golf Club at a sizeable audience with only notable 3 voters from affiliates .

The launch which was attended by Super League of Malawi President Innocent Bottomani,  Sulom Executive Member Charles Manyungwa,  General Secretary of Referee Association Chris Kalichero was also attended by one of the aspirant Willy Yabwanya Phiri, Bullets trustee Gaston Mwenelupembe, Malawi’s legend Peterkins Kayira marked the first manifesto to be launched among the three candidates .

Mijiga, who is going to FAM’s dog-eat-dog elections mêlée, a contest which has turned ugly and nasty next weekend, neck to neck with the longest serving FAM president MacMillan Nyamilandu who has been at the helm for the past 12 years says time for change in the way football is administered in Malawi has come emphasizing that he is not for turning.

Reforming Malawi Football into a Viable , Vibrant and Sustainable Industry blue print from Mijiga explains plans that he has for the development of the game in the country.

“The essence of our mission is to reform and transform football into a vibrant and workable and doable industry that generates real and tangible wealth for all the stakeholders in the football value chain. We cannot allow someone to run football like a sugarcane estate. Football is way of life and we cannot let one man dictate our way of life for personal gains. But we must understand that change does not just happen or handed on a silver platter. People will always resist change but change is always inevitable,” pledges Mijiga.

Mijiga explains in his blueprint to becoming the new FAM president that he is geared to bring about change to Malawian football administration saying that he has a better plan and vision for football development in the country and is ready to work with all stakeholders to bring the lost glory back.

“We need practical, viable and profitable approach to the game. Football is more than just a sport. It is way of life.  We must create an environment that will create a fertile ground for everybody. We must give our children hope. We must always have the interest of the players and supporters at heart not our own self interests,” Mijiga declares.

He adds: “With such outcomes as creating lucrative job and career opportunities for players as primary beneficiaries and then coaches, referees, administrators/managers and  affiliates among others while creating value for money for sponsors and the fans.”

Mijiga outlines in his manifesto that through visionary disciplined and professional management of the beautiful game, the ‘Mijiga vision and leadership’ will shape a productive and disciplined youth population that will be a strategic asset for spurring National socio economic development.

“Our promise and commitment is to bring into office a new era of leadership in which the business of managing soccer will be built on a strong foundation of positive values that fosters and promote: respect, integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, discipline, hard work and determination and these will marshal in the Malawian youth a sense of personal responsibility making them a dynamic force for national development,” he promises in his manifesto.

Mijiga further charted out in his leadership scheme that he is committed to the leverage on football as an engine for national prosperity, cohesion and progress, crucial precursors to achieving national development.

‘Lowest of the low’

Mijiga elucidates that football if properly managed can be used as a vehicle to unite people from all walks of life and as a source of hatred, violence or divisions among the people emphasizing that if voted into power, a thing which he says he is upbeat about, will use football as a source of unity and as a basis for national pride and honour.

“Football is the world’s most popular game. It is about friendly rivalry and not enmity. Let us think of football interests before our own. Football is about team work and not about an individual. Differences of opinion must be encouraged,” Mijiga says.

He says in order for the country to develop a Football Industry, Football business environment requires visionary leaders who are capable of transforming organisations to even greater success or by turning them round from imminent collapse.

“The profile of such leaders would be as follows: someone who is maverick, relatively comfortable in situations of ambiguity, living without hard and fast answers, able in linking connections between what is happening somewhere else and how this may be applied in some different context,” declares Mijiga.

Mijiga describes a good leader  in football administration as someone who is always be able to see mismatches between how things are done currently and how things might be done more effectively, action and result-oriented, a brilliant communicator who enables deeply thought-out visions to quickly become shared meanings, a calculated risk-taker, someone who is passionate about achievement with capacity for hard work which is greater than that of most people and wants to make things happen, traits which he swanks to have in abundance.

According to Mijiga, Malawian football is at its lowest of the low for the past twelve years saying if someone has failed to do anything tangible in the last decade at the helm it is folly to believe that, that very someone will do things differently if given another four years to extend his rule.

“In life the best way to succeed is acknowledge your failures and if need be learn from your mistakes. It is stupidity if not madness for someone to want to be doing the same thing the same way over and over again and expect new results. The Malawi worst football results are the last twelve years under current regime with 2007 being the apex at 138 FIFA Rankings,” says Mijiga in a matter of fact tone.–Additional reporting by Gladys Chingaipe, Nyasa Times

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