Catholic bishops call for integrity

Catholic bishops call for integrity
Written by Mwala Kalaluka
Monday, March 02, 2009 7:49:32 AM

Catholic bishops of Zambia yesterday issued a pastoral letter calling for integrity.
In a pastoral letter titled ‘A Call to Integrity’, the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) bemoaned the heightened political tension in the nation, the endemic corruption, abuse of office and increasing intolerance on the part of those in government.

The bishops called on President Rupiah Banda's government to desist from intimidating and mistreating members of the public and the media in its obvious paranoia against constructive criticism.

"Since independence, our country, Zambia, has always been a citadel of peace. Nevertheless, we seem, as a nation, to be in the midst of great uncertainty. We, as shepherds and pastors - for that is our defined role, address this pastoral letter to you," the letter read.

"We acknowledge the role of politicians to direct and order society. However, as pastors, we too have a responsibility to contribute towards building a strong democratic culture in our land. It is for this reason that we write this pastoral letter on the following issues that concern the welfare of our people."

The prelates, who held a one-day consultative meeting in Lusaka on Saturday, observed that corruption in the Zambian society had become endemic.

"This must not be allowed to continue. Corruption needs to be tackled decisively. Our government seems to be in denial over the prevalence and high levels of corruption and abuse of authority among its ranks. Yet, the Auditor General's Report, which is a government document, clearly points to this problem every year," they stated.

"In saying so, we are alive to the fact that corruption exists also in the private sector. However, government being a custodian of public resources shoulders greater responsibility in ensuring that resources placed under its care are used for the common good."

The bishops, drawn from the country's nine provinces, stated that the government should stop the tacit collusion of trying to undermine the fight against corruption and strengthen rather than undermine the Task Force on Corruption as well as the office of the Attorney General.

They further recommended that the government should set up an independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate government procurement procedures in all ministries and prosecute wrong doers aside from widely publicising any disciplinary action arising from the Auditor General's reports.

"Though we consult widely, we do not pretend to bring technical expertise to the many complicated issues of statehood. This is the preserve of economists and politicians. However, we believe that our faith and moral principles can help guide the search for just and effective responses to the economic turmoil that threatens our country," the bishops stated.

"What is clear is that we are seeing government officials and politicians preoccupied with jostling for power and strategically positioning themselves for the 2011 elections. In the process, the government is increasingly becoming too sensitive and paranoid to any form of criticism, even constructive criticism."

The bishops argued that they could not stay aloof while some economic gains that had been made were being lost.

"Some of the effects of the economic crisis are particular to Zambia such as the closure of the mines and the collapse of our currency," the letter read in part. " Government does not seem to have a clear strategy for addressing the current deteriorating economic situation."

The bishops stated that the nation stands at the threshold of a looming crisis.

"We face many challenges of governance and survival, among which, are increasing poverty and the presence of abject poverty, a pervading cancer of corruption, spiralling job losses, economic disintegration, an education system that is failing and a constitution making process that is still controversial and seems not to be in the interests of citizens," they noted. "As Zambians, we need to examine our conscience, seek the truth and work towards bringing back hope to our people."

The bishops stated that the tension, polarisation and divisions that they referred to in their post-election pastoral letter of November 9, 2008 had worsened.

"We note, with great concern that this tension has now heightened rather than dissipated and the problem is now more serious than ever before," the statement read in part. "We implore our leaders to work together for sustainable solutions. In our view, the global financial meltdown should be a catalyst that compels our leaders to work together regardless of their political inclinations."

However, the bishops, who expressed worry at the growing poverty levels in the country, described the 2009 national budget as a lost opportunity for putting in place measures that alleviate the suffering of the lower income groups of society such as those in rural areas and the peri-urban communities.

They stated that the government needed to outline a robust social security scheme and define a new realistic minimum wage that was commensurate with the cost of living.

"The joys and the hopes, the grief and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ," they stated.

They urged the government to involve more stakeholders to participate in drawing up realistic strategies that work towards addressing the growing poverty situation in the country.

The bishops attributed the status quo to the job losses and the rising cost of living, especially high food prices.

On the National Constitutional Conference (NCC), the bishops recommended that it should be disbanded and instead put in place a small, non-partisan, group of qualified technocrats to fine-tune the Mung'omba Draft Constitution and after a Referendum.

They recommended that Parliament should then formally enact the new constitution in its entirety.

"We have significant concerns about the manner in which the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) has gone about conducting its business. To pretend that all is well with our constitution making process in the NCC would be a mistake," the statement read further.

"When the NCC Act was promulgated, the Zambia Episcopal Conference and others opposed the manner in which the Act was framed. In spite of staying away from the NCC, we hoped against hope that the NCC would come up with a progressive document. Notwithstanding the fact that some of our gallant citizens are participating in the NCC, the exercise, in its debates and manner of operation, has fallen far short of what the people of Zambia want."

The prelates noted that the result of the NCC would be a document that entrenched government's hold on power and one that was far removed from the people's aspirations.

"In short, what this NCC has succeeded in doing is to mutilate the people's desires as correctly captured in the Mung'omba Draft Constitution," they stated. "We have been down this route before. Didn't the Mwanakatwe Constitution Review Commission of 1996 equally have good provisions? How then did we end up with a bad constitution of 1996? This then is where the problem lies. We have said time and again that content for the constitution has never been a real problem. By and large, Zambians are agreed on the larger issues of the content of our constitution. The problem has always been that of process.

According to the bishops' observation, the NCC would go down in the history of Zambia as yet another of those constitution-making processes that gobbled millions and millions of kwacha while a people-driven constitution continues to elude Zambia as a nation.

"For a poor country such as Zambia, this situation cannot be allowed to continue. It has become a moral issue," they stated.

The church leaders explained that they were extremely worried about the much talked about job losses in the mining companies and the great suffering these losses would cause to the many families who depend for their livelihoods on the mines.

"However, government needs to be cautious in their anxiety to save jobs in the mining sector. There is a possibility of mining companies exaggerating the impact of the declining prices of metals on the world market in order for them to put government in a weak bargaining situation," they advised.

"Mine owners, should not be allowed to use workers as human pawns, in order to compel the government to provide more favourable conditions to them."

They also called on the government to stop laying so much hope on Multi Facility Economic Zones (MFEZs).

"Apart from the fact that they seem to offer economic hope, the MFEZ by their nature, are export oriented and the agreements authorise them to externalise all their earnings. The only gains foreseen for the local economy are the creation of menial jobs and opportunities for satellite economic activities but these are far insufficient to bring about prosperity for our local people," they noted.

"Equally, these agreements allow most companies to import raw materials and labour. Whether indeed we shall see huge inflows of companies investing in these MFEZ is yet to be seen. In any case, these zones will only be in very limited areas [part of Lusaka and the Copperbelt]. What about the rest of the country? We may see an increase in an already high rural-urban migration with the false hope that jobs are being created in town."

This, they stated, would further undermine rural development and growth and worsen the already high rural poverty.

The bishops also questioned the government's recent change of policy concerning selection to Grade 10.

"As major stakeholders in the education sector, we are gravely concerned that this decision has been made without any prior consultation and dialogue. In addition, it would seem the decision was taken without any prior planning and research to establish the effect and consequences of implementing this new policy especially given the existing limited capacity of schools to cope," they observed.

"We have established that as a result of the new policy many more pupils have been selected for Grade 10 than there are places currently available. Many schools are now being pressurised to accept a large number of additional pupils without having the necessary human, material and infrastructural capacity."

The bishops observed that with this new policy the pupil-teacher ratio had been compromised, resulting in the teachers' inability to allocate more time and attention to pupils.

"While we appreciate the isolated developments of building new infrastructure, we consider this new policy ill-advised, ill-timed and not based on sound educational principles," they stated.

"It certainly prioritises numbers and compromises quality education. It is a superficial method of attaining the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] on education...As shepherds and pastors we pose the question to the government: Is our commitment as a nation to schooling rather than sound education?"

On the agriculture sector, the church leaders stated that the political will to make the sector the mainstay of the economy had not been matched by investment and policies.

"There is also insufficient stimulus policy to motivate this growth. The Fertiliser Support Programme [FSP] is a disaster and a huge conduit for corrupt practices and abuse of authority. In fact, this programme must be abolished in favour of programmes such as Food Security Packs, which genuinely target vulnerable people," they stated. "The tax incentives announced in this year's budget will only benefit commercial farmers who have money to import the zero rated agricultural equipment."

They urged every citizen of Zambia to work towards the common good in light of what they had stated in their pastoral letter.

"Our Catholic Social Teaching has always taught that all economic life should be grounded on moral principles and the economy exists for the human person and not the other way round. It is for this reason that our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, of happy memory, writing in the encyclical, Centesimus Annus, #35 calls for a "a society of free work, of enterprise and of participation" that is not directed against the market, but demands that the market be suitably controlled by the forces of society and by the state to assure that the basic needs of the whole society are satisfied," they stated. "We know that government is calling for patience and calm among citizens. How is this possible in the face of so much adversity? How can the nation be patient and submissive when jobs are being lost everywhere especially in the mining industry? When the rainy season is almost over and farmers have not received supplies of fertilisers? When Government is obsessed with controlling the media? When year after year the Auditor General's reports go unnoticed and culprits unpunished? When corruption is growing in a country that calls itself a Christian nation?"

They stated that in support of the great Catholic tradition anchored on the Gospel and the Church's social teaching, they were convinced that what was happening in the country called for integrity at personal, corporate and institutional levels.

"In light of what we have stated in this Pastoral Letter, we now address ourselves specifically to our government, Members of Parliament and people of goodwill. We strongly urge the government to: prioritise poverty eradication especially in rural and peri-urban areas; reduce wastage through endless workshops and seminars, feasibility studies, trips and large foreign delegations. The resources gained from these savings must be re-directed towards poverty eradication programmes; galvanise Zambians and put in place urgent and effective measures required to address the problems of the economy," they recommended.

"Rescind, immediately, the new policy of qualifying to Grade 10 and instead work towards a culture of consultation and genuine appreciation of the challenges of education in this country with the view to providing solutions; review the Fertiliser Support Programme, grain storage and marketing and the role of the Food Reserve Agency with the view of formulating policies that give predictable direction to all stakeholders."

They implored parliamentarians to double their efforts of spearheading the mitigation of pressing needs of people in their constituencies and to desist from being preoccupied with the desire to win the next elections.

"We reassure the people of goodwill: That even in these difficult times, we know that God is with us and loves us. We call everyone to prayer. The nation must pray without ceasing for the good of our country. We also urge you to put into action the tenets of your faith and beliefs. We must never as citizens do anything that lowers the dignity of fellow human beings; abets corruption, or undermines the respect for the sacredness of creation," the letter partially read.

"As we stated in our last Pastoral Letter, we, the Catholic bishops are still open to facilitating dialogue in the nation. Nevertheless, the government should also promote genuine and effective dialogue by embracing key partners to build consensus on important national issues. To stifle the voice of the people and to ignore their legitimate demand is to take peace for granted. No price is too high to pay so that we may continue to live in peace in Zambia."

The bishops reminded the government of its duty to preserve peace by listening to the voice of the people.

"Our country is striving towards prosperity and democratic governance. The process is long but we should not lose sight of many other challenges we still face as a nation. Some of these challenges are, the need to aggressively combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

The need to take immediate measures to domesticate protocols and enact laws that promote gender equality and empower women and improvement of maternal health care and management of the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children.

Others are the reduction of child mortality, rehabilitation of rural roads and building new ones and the need to halt deforestation," the bishops stated.

The Pastoral Letter was signed by ZEC president Bishop George Lungu [Chipata], his vice-president Bishop Noel O'Regan [Ndola], Archbishop James Spaita [Kasama], Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu [Lusaka]," Bishop Raymond Mpezele [Livingstone], Bishop Paul Duffy [Mongu], Bishop Emilio Patriarcha [Monze], Bishop Alick Banda [Solwezi] and Bishop Ignatius Chama [Mpika].

Others are Archbishop Emeritus of Lusaka Merdardo Mazombwe, Bishop Emeritus of Mansa Aaron Chisha and Fr Michel Merizzi, Apostolic Administrator of Mansa Diocese.