Maravi

MMD attacks on the Catholic Church

MMD attacks on the Catholic Church
By The Post
Tue 24 May 2011, 04:00 CAT

The campaign of slander and character assassination that the MMD has embarked on is dangerous. And we urge them to stop it.

This is the worst election campaign this country has witnessed since independence. The leadership of the MMD has dispensed with all ethics and morality. They have embarked on a campaign that totally lacks respect for the humanity of their opponents, real or perceived. It is a campaign that doesn’t care about truth.

All sorts of lies, half-truths and twists are being told about their opponents. They have hired all sorts of elements, people of very low morals, crooks of all hues, to hurl lies, abuse and insults against those they think are not with them or are a stumbling block to their winning this year’s elections.

And the state-owned media that they use has also thrown away all pretensions of fairness, balance and objectivity – they are operating without any regard whatsoever for media ethics and acceptable journalistic standards and practices. In a word, they have all been turned into cadres of the MMD. These are public institutions that should not be abused in such a manner.

It cannot be denied that the MMD and its government have launched a malicious, slanderous campaign against the leadership of the Catholic Church. The reason for this is simply because the Catholic Church has not endorsed them, is not seen to be supporting them and is questioning some of the things they do. And the other reason is because Michael Sata, whom they see as their main challenger, is a Catholic. Probably to them, this makes Sata the preferred candidate of the Catholic Church.

And for that reason, the leadership of this church has to be smeared with the same filth they are smearing Sata with. But this is what happens in a country when a corrupt clique takes over and destroys everything that they see to be on the opposite side of the moral spectrum. We hope the Zambian people are learning a lesson from all this on who to give or not to give power to.

A leadership that has no morals cannot be expected to govern with morals. People can only give what they have, no more. You can’t give what you don’t have. And the individual does best in a strong and decent community of people with principles, standards, common aims and values.

We expect our politicians to respect themselves and to be exemplary in their daily lives. They cannot call others to virtues which they themselves do not make an effort to practice. Campaigns have to be carried out in a peaceful and honest way, devoid of any violence and slander of opponents. They must be guided by truth, integrity and justice.

It is necessary to remind them that politics and the elections that accompany them are for the good of the people and the country, and not for the political survival of any individual or political party. If the spirit of the primacy of the common good were to animate all our politicians and their political parties, we would not be witnessing the malice, lies, slander which leave the public dismayed and disheartened.

It is surprising that the MMD leadership is not quickly realising that the type of campaign they have embarked on – a campaign based on lies, twisting of truth, dishonesty, half-truths, malice – is not doing them any good and is actually hurting their campaign. People are no longer taking their propaganda seriously. It is only they who read and watch it, and they shouldn’t cheat themselves that the nation is doing the same.

This is the most malicious and crude campaign this country has ever seen. One might even be tempted to question, not only the intelligence, but also the sanity of all those behind this propaganda.

In the present atmosphere of fierce competition and character assassination, we remind the MMD leaders of the noble goals of political activity and elections. Politics and elections should aim at the promotion of the common good and the service of all the people. Political debates should concentrate on programmes to improve the life of the nation and not on maligning, scandalising, slandering other people.

As for the Catholic Church leadership, the MMD leaders should realise and come to terms with the fact that Catholic bishops and priests have both the right and the duty to participate fully in building a just and peaceful society with all the means at their disposal.

The Catholic Church values the democratic system, inasmuch 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 in the exercise of these rights and duties, they should not be maligned, slandered, insulted by the leadership of the MMD and their hired thugs.

There is need for the MMD leadership to respect the human dignity of their opponents and all those they don’t like or detest. All people are created in the image and likeness of God, and this gives every person great dignity.

Therefore, all citizens are equal in dignity and have equal rights. No human person, situation, event or theme can take away this dignity. Political leaders who respect human dignity guarantee basic rights to the people they rule and create opportunities for citizens to exercise their responsibilities.

Clearly, the Catholic Church’s contribution to the political order comes from its vision of human dignity. A just society can exist only when it respects the dignity of the human person. And the social order and its developments must invariably work for the benefit of the human person.

There is no need to call Catholic priests and bishops names when they remind those in government of the need to pay attention to human needs and sufferings. But in reality, the priests and bishops are only fulfilling their responsibilities – the biblical duty to speak for the poor and the disadvantaged (Proverbs 31:8 – 9).

Thus, the right relationship between Catholic priests and bishops and the ruling MMD and its leaders should be partnership rather than enmity. Catholic priests and bishops will always be “political” but not “partisan”.

And Bishop George Lungu, the president of the Zambia Episcopal Conference, has made it very clear: “When we speak, as bishops, our message has nothing to do with any perceived dislike or preference for any particular sitting president or any political party. We therefore refuse to be intimidated, cowed into silence or to compromise or to be silenced on national issues – important issues that affect poor people.”

It is the Catholic Church’s duty to guide the nation in matters that affect the lives of citizens in the light of gospel values. And no amount of slander, intimidation, malice, lies from the MMD leaders and cadres will succeed in silencing Catholic priests and bishops. No one anywhere in the world has succeeded in doing so. What the MMD leadership and cadres are engaging in is a desperate exercise in futility, for which they will live to regret. And we advise them to stop it.

Labels: CATHOLIC CHURCH, MMD

posted by MrK @ 5:41 PM