By Dr. Joze Manda.
When a compromised media house teams up with a politically charged church or clergy’s men, the results are either a civil war or genocide. Examples are abounding to support this line of thought, Rwanda and Congo hit the note right, very close to home.
The description of our country, the government, and its citizens as *“Government (country) of thieves, by thieves (people) and for thieves (people)* by former Lusaka Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu is the highest order of disrespect and insult (to yourself too) you can shower a country of which you are part of.
What our honorable archbishop should remember is that, in the same way, we chose our political leaders from within ourselves, it is the same way we chose our religious leaders including himself, so we are therefor one and the same people. It was unwise for the honorable archbishop to classify the entire citizenry as thieves.
Its is also of grave concern to us and sad to note that in the past year or so our honorable archbishop has been issuing a dangerous political statement which have the potential to send this country into war.
Inciting the citizens to rise against a democratically elected government is evil, especially by the church and its religious leaders and must be condemned by all well-meaning citizens. It would be a sad situation if the government where to charge our honorable archbishop with treason.
Least we forgot, the Rwanda genocide was started in the same way. In Zambia, we risk this happening if Media houses like News Diggers give their platform or go into prostitution partnership with compromised Clergy’s men, whose only intention is to fuel tension and support regime change.
As citizens we are also interested in knowing if what the honorable archbishop said when he appeared on Prime TV’s Oxygen of Democracy program last Monday represents the position of the church as we quote his words below: –
My Church’s opinion; we have talked about this time and time and time again. This country is plagued with unbridled corruption and this has permeated on all the facets of our life,
The honorable archbishop further claimed that,
“The political atmosphere will become more and more toxic! Very toxic atmosphere; when we have very toxic atmosphere, an explosion can occur! You see, the government has not been forthcoming out there; they have not been sincere. And if people are not sincere, it is difficult to work with them”.
In-fact, these are the kind of politically charged statements we are referring to and they should not be coming from the church or their Clergy’s men, this in actual senses borders on inciting the citizens against their own government. The honorable archbishop would be wise enough to engage government at any level and am sure he would have be accorded the audience he deserves.
The honorable archbishop must understand that Religions is powerfully motivating and belligerent humans fight over it and it has also been a major feature in some historical conflicts and the most recent wave of modern terrorism.
Religion has taken on extra significance today because globalization is challenging and changing everything. Religious identity not only survives but can take on heightened significance when national and political alliances break apart, *as happened in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, when Serbs, Croats and Bosniacs were divided along Catholic and Orthodox fault lines.*
In the same line and thought of thinking, the honorable archbishop must understand that his personal political statement may be misunderstood to mean the position of the catholic church in Zambia, a situation that may fuel serious tension from household level into all spheres of our life due to our different religions, which we would bring radical behavior if we carried them onto our political preference.
Lastly, the honorable archbishop must remember that our memory is still fresh about the role the Catholic played during the Rwanda genocide.
Not too long ago, the Catholic church in Rwanda apologised on the church’s role in the 1994 genocide, saying it regretted the actions of those who participated in the massacres.
Below is the apology
“We apologize for all the wrongs the church committed. We apologize on behalf of all Christians for all forms of wrongs we committed. We regret that church members violated [their] oath of allegiance to God’s commandments,”.
The apology was made through a statement by the Conference of Catholic Bishops, which was read out in parishes across the country then.
The statement acknowledged that church members planned, aided and carried out the genocide, in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists.
In the years since the genocide – which was sparked by a contentious plane crash that killed the president, Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu – the local church had resisted efforts by the government and groups of survivors to acknowledge the church’s complicity in mass murder, saying those church officials who committed crimes acted individually.
Many of the victims died at the hands of priests, clergymen and nuns, according to some accounts by survivors, and the Rwandan government said many died in the churches where they sought refuge.
If there is one sober lesson Zambians should be taking out of Africa’s past civil and religious wars, it’s the folly of a nation allowing itself to be dragged into the war in the first place by either their political and religious leaders or otherwise. It will be impossible to repair the damage that will be caused.
Dr. Joze Manda is a Political Analyst based in Lusaka
Stop refering to Rwanda bapompwe
Based on my observation, Dr. Joze Manda is a CADRE. Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu is a patriotic Zambian.
It is said the Hutu arrived in central east Africa somewhere in the 1st century. Before then, the land was inhabited by the Twa. The Twa were pushed out and forced to flee by the Hutu. The Tutsi invaded around the 15th century. They came from the horn of Africa. Their takeover of the Hutu was generally peaceful.
The Tutsi believed in a hierarchical society. So, they put in place a monarchy with the mwami being the king and put in place a feudal system. The Hutu signed contracts or ubihake with the Tutsi. These contracts pledged the Hutu and his descendant’s services to the Tutsi in exchange for a loan of cattle and arable land.
In the 1950’s the Belgians began to increasingly encourage democratic political parties. The Tutsi traditionalist party was greatly upset by this. They believed that the democracy threatened the Tutsi monarchy. In 1959 the Hutu overthrew the Tutsi monarchy in Rwanda. 160,000 Tutsi fled into the neighboring countries. The Hutu Emancipation Movement (PARMEHUTU) gained power over the Rwandan government in the 1961 elections.
Burundi and Rwanda gained independence in 1962.
The Hutu /Tutsi rivalry started way back, long before the colonialists came.
The writer is clearly a Dr of nothing. It’s clear from the bad prose.
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related ethnic conflicts, wars of independence and insurgencies fought in the former Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001, which led to the breakup of the Yugoslav state.
Yugoslav wars was purely independence wars, the only unfortunate part is they went to war instead of just calling for a referendum, so that they could go separate ways like way Czechoslovakia did it. Ba José usanama Bantu some of us we follow history keenly.
The Rwanda Analogy is somewhat misplaced good Doctor. Zambias case is about run-away Kleptocracy and not systemic ethnic rupture. The Good Bishop is in order to highlight our malaise and the lack of will from our fat cat kleptocratic politricians. You are comparing kachasu with Mosi. The Catholic Church has been a positive force in Zambia as you should well know
This is the problem many Zambians cherishe, not facing the reality’s and on top of that they hate history.The author’s observations must be taken seriously. The current church leadership h
Is history is warped and not researched, those are beerhall counter stories, very far from the truth.
Quack doctor. The archbishop emeritus is not even addressed as “honorable”. Get your English and facts straight. The archbishop is rightly referred to as Most Reverend not honorable! And the Rwandan genocide was not caused by busakala nyongo, bupompwe, bushimwibila nsala which the archbishop is talking about. Go back to school quack doctor before you address anyone.
It’s sad to learn that nowadays so called church men or clergy members are wolves in dirtiest clothes.
Today we have church groups that supports Homosexuality practices just because of love of money.
As for this former archbishop hates PF since time of late Sata because of differences involving family matter.Surprisingly he is still angry to the point of hating president Lungu.Now is in support of UPND definitely not out of the best of his political mind but because of bitterness,hatred,malice and jealousy for PF.
Even his talks for governance of this country one can conclude that his sentiments are based on bitterness and hatred.
48 houses, $42million fire engines, forest 27, Social cash transfer, Road and Infrastructure contracts. You mean all this is bitterness? Where do you even stay? Be real, these people are taking advantage of your naivety
I watched the interview on Prime TV. Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu was candid and open. He raised a number or issues that any sober government system would have analysed and interrogated with sobriety and maturity. He referred to the Church being sidelines from managing the inter party talks and today’s have not been disbanded. He referred to potential rigging of elections in 2021. He showed disappointment on levels of theft of public resources. And then some character we know little about come up to dismiss the Archbishop without appreciating the candidness of his approach! Where does Rwanda come in? Are we so cursed a country we fail to appreciate simple criticism and admonishment by those who have seen government rise and go? The Archbishop warned against abuse of power and that he has…
J0n@ & T@s!la SHOULD STOP STEALING & BEING DISHONEST, & then, & only then will the Good Bishop give them a good report CHAPWA!!
J0n@ should also cease being a Violence perpetuating Crook who hides under the banner of the “Humble one” & then we can believe he’s got Zambia’s best interests at heart.
So far J0na has NEVER condemned K@!zers brutality & shortcomings, or even sacked K@!zer, & to have a tested violent brute like Chimoy0ngo @ Home affairs says it all, indeed “A GOVERNMENT OF THIEVES, BY THIEVES, FOR THIEVES”.
Being sidelined to manage inter party talks can’t be a basis for such bitterness! The Church, especially his church, has been very negative to whatever the government takes!Thank God the ordinary church members have not bought the church’s stance. Let’s call a spade a spade!!
He raised very cardinal points bordering around corruption and deteriorating governance. I believe that’s hurtful to those who are part of the rot. There is room for change. Join the change team.
Comment:this telephone Mpundu or whatever his name is must be put where he belongs. he’s a political bishop who should be treated as a politician . he is very careless with his statements maybe because he’s got no legal children.
Fuseke Iwe Alfred
You are fuul because you don’t see sense in his statement.
The truth hurts, the bishop has spoken
Telesphore was fired for his political opinions the Vatican felt threatened the balance of peace in Zambia. He is a bitter man who wanted ECL to come to kneel before him in submission. ECL is not a Catholic like Sata. The corruption narrative he has adopted from upnd and Mmembe’s surrogates is a plan they hatched in 2015 when they realised ECL won’t dance to their tune. We heard stories of how Mugabe amassed “billions” at the expense of his country only to discover, like any career politician, he was only worth $10m and some properties in Zim-that’s the angle neo-colonialists and their proxies like upnd, mdc use to attack legitimate govts. in Africa so they can control our resources.
Fuel increased pf for you basakalanyongo
Is Dr Jose’s PhD honarary? Excuse my innocent question
ka doc manda you are a cadre leave the arch Bishop alone pompwe iwe
Dr Mediocre Manda is just another useless academic Doctors that Zambia has. Your article and its entire content is misplaced here. The Archbishop is one of the few sober well meaning Zambians who are trying to serve the country being ruled by the thieves and a government supported by the fellow thieves. The PF government is an iligitmate government that’s was imposed on the mediocre people of Zambia. It was never democratically elected, it rigged the elections broad day light that’s why the petition was never heard and determined because the whole thing was a disaster. Dr you are just another thief of a PF cadre working for your master. You guys keep fooling Zambians because for the most part alot of Zambians are fools and mediocre this is why they can believe stories of people like you.
Ba Lusaka times, your silence on fuel price increase and impending electricity increase is so silently loud, this is not how you guys sound the ifintu ni lung and balya Bambi balimuchibe bola naikosa drums, put you JK on loud for people to hear these increments. Lolo lolo.
Cadre of a doc. Your sentiments are synonymous to a father who abuses his daughters and the wife sweeps the cases under the bed instead of exposing her weird husband to the neighbours and police.
We need such good people like the Archbishop who can stand on the platform and call a spade a spade.
very poorly written, go back to school you silly chap.