Nothing should stop Sata from probing Rupiah - Fr Luonde

Nothing should stop Sata from probing Rupiah - Fr Luonde
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe and Ernest Chanda in Lusaka
Tue 04 Oct. 2011, 15:10 CAT

NOTHING should stop President Michael Sata's government from investigating and prosecuting Rupiah Banda over abuse of national resources, says Father Richard Luonde.

But St Ignatius assistant parish priest Father Charles Chilinda who openly differed with President Sata in church on Sunday over his call to forgive Banda, has maintained that there should be respect for the presidency hence his message on forgiveness and reconciliation.

In an interview yesterday, Fr Luonde a Kitwe-based Anglican priest said it would be illogical for thieves that have caused misery in the lives of many people to continue evading the law under the guise of forgiveness.

He said President Sata had a mammoth task of wiping out corruption that had gripped the country's governance system.

Fr Luonde said people had raised concerns over the lavish spending of public funds which was seen in the Rupiah Banda administration and the MMD's expensive campaigns in which the former ruling party was dishing out money and its party regalia like leaves.

He said there was no doubt that public funds were misappropriated by the MMD government because it had never disclosed the source of funding for its expensive campaigns and the party regalia which flooded the country.

"It is clear that at many occasions the Church, NGOs, foreign dignitaries accredited to this country and other stakeholders advised former president Banda to execute his duties diligently by fighting corruption and avoiding temptations of abusing public funds, but he never listened. The advice we gave was in vain as the country continued to see dirty government deals and blatant abuse of public funds," Fr Luonde said.

He said President Sata had a challenge of inculcating discipline in the minds of public officers so that they refrain from corruption.

Fr Luonde said people that were calling on the PF government to abandon investigations on the alleged corruption the former administration were not acting in the best interest of the nation.

He said President Sata could forgive former president Rupiah Banda but the due process of the law must take place so that would-be offenders could learn a lesson.

"The Bible is very clear on forgiveness and the steps that must be taken for one to be forgiven. The Bible has never contradicted itself. In this case, let the due process of the law take its course and forgiveness for Rupiah Banda can even come through a presidential pardon," said Fr Luonde.

And clarifying on his difference with President Sata earlier in his sermon on Sunday where he pleaded with the latter to forgive the wrongs that his predecessor Rupiah Banda may have committed and move on, Fr Chilinda wondered how the nation would benefit by always pointing out wrongs in former leaders.

He said although he believed in the rule of law, there should be respect for the presidency.

"For example president Bush, he did something wrong; even the Gulf War he went for it with wrong reasons and it was proved afterwards that it was not the right thing to do. But he still maintains the status of the past president.

I think we should start seeing people who are in political office, like a president for example, with the dignity that they deserve," Fr Chilinda said in an interview at his office.

"Yes, they are human beings they make mistakes. If somebody has made a public scandal to such an extent where lives have been lost like war crimes or stuff like that, that is a different issue.

If certain corruption issues have to be followed up, let them be followed up to
the conclusion. Like now the President has set up people to probe the
sale of Zamtel and Finance Bank, they'll follow up those things. That
is a different issue, but there are also people who want to start
witch hunting. And you can spend a lot of time trying to prosecute
your former leaders."

Asked if he was suggesting that former leaders should be respected
even if they had abused their offices, Fr Chilinda said people should
not be insulted or called names.

"But sometimes we want to see this kind of approach where you want
every little thing that this person did they are in court every time.
For me if you understand what has gone wrong, and you've discussed
with your friend this is what you did, grant amnesty, move on building
the country. And that is the biggest thing that people want," he said.
"It is to improve the living conditions; yes your friend did a lot of
good and some bad things.

You learn from the mistakes of your friend to build the nation. What will the people of Zambia gain by just focusing on the wrong things that were done instead of national building? The Christian calling is one of forgiveness and
reconciliation, there's nothing that beats this. So that is the message that I preach every time; it is a message of love, it is a message of peace and reconciliation."

Fr Chilinda said it was important to acknowledge the mistake that
somebody did, tell them about it and forgive.

He said he did not differ with President Sata, but that they were good friends.
"The whole context is one of reconciliation, national building,
harmony, peace. So the thing that I try to tell people is if you are
hurt for example by somebody, how do you react to them? Are you going
to react to them in a way that you are going to hit them back very
hard so that you they see that you are very strong? That is one way
of acting.

"But the Christian approach to somebody who hurts me is one of
compassion, that is the heart of Christ. That you become compassionate
to somebody who has done something wrong. You are not condoning the
act that they have done," said Fr Chilinda.

"And my challenge to my President is that, you have got a lot of power
as a President now vested in you. There are people that you fought
with, people who said bad things about you. This is time to forget,
reconcile, embrace and move on.

That is what shows the magnanimity of somebody's heart, and as a Christian this is what distinguishes us from others. I can love somebody when it doesn't make sense to love somebody, I can forgive somebody when it doesn't make sense to forgive somebody. For example, if say His Excellency the past president had
done something wrong to Mr Sata as a person, what should happen now?

For me as a priest the message that I can give to both of them is sit
down and reconcile and show to people that despite what happened, you
still respect each other and you can sit down as brothers.

And that sets an example of love, of peace and reconciliation that is beyond
the sense of vindictiveness where I say you did something wrong to me
when I was in power, I'm going to do something wrong to you."