‘If speaking for the poor is political, then so be it’

‘If speaking for the poor is political, then so be it’
Written by Editor
IN life it is always very important to be clear about things.

And in today’s world there is need to be clear about the role of religion, of the church in politics. If we don’t, we will be finding ourselves with contradictions all the time.

Our politicians, especially those in government and in the ruling party, are always contradicting themselves about the role of the Church in politics. When they are given opportunities to preach to congregations, their sermons have been political. And they see nothing wrong with this; they see nothing political with this.

Our Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha is a church leader, a clergyman. And no one sees anything wrong, anything political about this. And Lt Gen Shikapwasha has never hesitated to use the pulpit to deliver a political message. Again, no one sees anything wrong or political with it.

At one time, the MMD government had a religious leader for vice-president of the Republic – Pastor Nevers Mumba. This was not an issue.

It seems when the Church and its leaders endorse and support the political agenda of those in power, it is not an issue – they are not engaging in politics. But immediately they start to question the political decisions and practices of those in power, of those in the ruling party, they are accused of being political, of having entered the political arena.

It seems its okay for the Church and its leaders to endorse and support them. And this is not seen as politics. But it’s not okay for the Church and its leaders to oppose or criticise or even endorse their political opponents. This is seen as politics.

It seems they have no problem with the Church and its leaders participating in politics. What they seem to have a problem with is on whose side they seem to stand. What they don’t seem to be able to stand is the Church and its leaders questioning their decisions and actions, opposing or criticising them. And what they seem to most detest is the Church and its leaders agreeing or supporting a position taken by their political opponents.

And as Reverend Suzanne Matale has correctly observed, it is unfortunate that the Church is always mistaken to be political when it comments on pressing issues in society. And we agree with her conclusion that there is a “one-sided political dispensation” in Zambia. Everything should be in favour, in support of the ruling party and it’s leaders. If it’s not like that, then it’s unacceptable and the Church and its leaders who speak out are accused of being political. And we like and agree with Rev Matale’s defiance of this approach to politics when she says: “If speaking for the poor is political, then so be it. We are political.”

It seems to agree with everything those in government and the ruling party say is divine, but to disagree is a crime, a violation of religious tenets. And the sponsors of this dialectic are not ashamed to accuse such church leaders of enmity, of genocide simply because they criticise them, they don’t agree with them. In fact, no regard is ever had for the religious commitments and indeed the patriotism of such church leaders unless they happen to die.

It seems our politicians cannot stand effective criticism. They seem to be so weakly constituted that they fear that if they are criticised they will lose their manliness, their constituencies and ultimately, their power.

It is quite true that the acceptance of criticism implies the highest respect for the human ideal, and that its denial suggests a conscious or unconscious lack of humanity on our part. Intolerance must surely rank as one of the worst forms of immorality in human affairs.

What we are striving to say is that our politicians should take pride in those who challenge them, who question them, who ask them to account for their decisions and practices and those who criticise them, whether they are church leaders, fellow politicians, journalists or other ordinary citizens. Until we can allow our people the fullest and unencumbered expression in politics, we are in danger of teaching them a very simplified version of this complex universe. A society without critics is a human hell where politicians in power indulge in their anarchical instincts without moral compunction.

It seems we are really stuck in a culture of zealous worship of those in power. And what seems to be distinctly lacking among our politicians is a culture of tolerance and humility which places the humanity of others before self and accepts that all citizens – be they clergymen, chiefs, students – have a right to participate in the shaping of their destiny directly without fear of being labelled this or that, of being called this or that, of being accused of this and that.

This is the tragedy of our politicians, their inability to value every single innocent life and try to bring happiness to their people without demanding eternal gratitude.

The role of the Church in our politics today is very clear. This is so because the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of the women and men of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of the Church, of the followers of Jesus Christ. And today any serious church or pastor views the government as the instrument by which people can cooperate in order to achieve the common good.

An authority is needed to guide the energies of all towards the common good. And for this reason, religious leaders and their congregations must be conscious of their specific and proper role in the political community. It is said that justice begins at home. And this being the case, religious leaders must be the first to give witness. They cannot call others to virtues which they themselves do not make an effort to practice. Any serious religious leader should regard politics as a vocation, a way of building up society for the common good. And must also be aware that politics is an area of great importance for promoting justice, peace, development and community among all.

The Church must value the democratic system in as much as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate. And religious leaders and their congregations can make a great difference if they get fully involved in national affairs. Moreover, we are living at a time when politics can be said to have entered a near-religious sphere with regard to man and his behaviour. We also believe that we have come to a time when religion can enter the political sphere with regard to man and his material needs.

We have many very complex challenges today. And these require our politicians, especially those in government, to listen to everyone with broad mindedness, without any kind of dogmas, without thinking that they are the owners of absolute truth and wisdom. There will no longer be a single thinker, or one group of thinkers. Hundreds of thousand, millions of thinkers can make up the thinker our times need. New ideas to prepare our people for the future are needed.

And we must start building awareness – a new awareness. We say this because such a new and complex era as this one requires principles more than ever. It requires a lot of awareness, and that awareness will be built, by adding together the awareness of what is happening and the awareness of what is going to happen. It has to be built by adding together more than just one thought and the best ethical and humane ideas of more than one religion, of all authentic religions, a sum total of the preaching of many political thinkers, of many schools and of many religions. There has to be elaborate forethought for this.

If our politicians look at things this way, they will start to appreciate what the religious leaders and their congregations are saying and are demanding; they will start to appreciate the concerns they are raising and the criticisms they are making. But again to appreciate all this, our politicians need to be honest with themselves and with their people.