National Policy Chair Liberal Party of Canada Akaash Maharaj

In March, Akaash Maharaj, currently the National Policy Chair of the Liberal Party of Canada, announced his candidacy for the party presidency. "As President, I will uphold the responsibility of every Party member to speak his or her mind, neither craving the favour nor fearing the wrath of the powerful," said Akaash. "Democracy should be more than a manner of choosing governments; it should be a way of governing ourselves."

Professionally, Akaash is CEO of Concordis, a Canadian not-for-profit for armed conflict resolution. Fluently bilingual, he took his MA at Oxford University, where he was the first non Briton President of the student government in the history of the eight hundred year-old university.

Akaash has lived in Canada all his life. He studied at Oxford University, where he served as president of the Oxford Student Union. Over the past five years, Akaash has served as the National Policy Chair for the Liberal Party. He has chaired several community organizations and has won several awards for his humanitarian and leadership efforts.

As President, Akaash wishes to ensure the Party's long term viability via modern financial controls, reporting and fundraising.

If successful, Akaash will be the first South Asian President of a Canadian federal political party. This is a huge milestone for South Asians and Indo-Carribbeans, in Canada and elsewhere.

On Chretian's pending retirement, Akaash says, "Both Canada and the Liberal Party owe Jean Chrétien an enormous debt of gratitude, not only for his forty years of public service, but also for his willingness at the critical moment to place the national interest ahead of any personal ambitions."

Akaash appears to have a great deal of support amongst Canadian Liberals. He has been described by David Peterson as "a practical idealist, a thinker, a do-er and a leader…" (National Post, August 24th 2002) but he is also challenged because he does not fit the traditional mold of a Party Leader. Akaash recognizes this, asking the public to judge him on his merits and qualifications.

To find out more about Akaash Maharaj and his campaign visit www.maharaj.ca.