Maravi

We need religious cleansing - Sata

We need religious cleansing - Sata
By Patson Chilemba and Chibaula Silwamba
Wed 12 Oct. 2011, 13:00 CAT

ZAMBIA needs a lot of religious cleansing, says President Michael Sata. And visiting Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the Anglican Church was encouraged by President Sata and the PF's commitment to just taxation.

Meanwhile, Dr Kenneth Kaunda says the Anglican Church has been part of the world for a long time, spreading the word of God to the people. Speaking when Archbishop Williams paid a courtesy call on him at State House yesterday, President Sata reaffirmed his commitment to governing the country based on the biblical 10 commandments.

"I am very grateful for your coming to Zambia. We need lots of religious cleansing…I am very grateful and I said this government shall be ruled on the Biblical terms. This government shall be ruled by the 10 Commandments," President Sata said. "It's within those 10 Commandments all the laws of the world, that's where they come from and that's how we are going to rule."

President Sata said he received a lot of support from the British government when he served in several ministerial portfolios, and was sure that he would get enough support now that he was President.

He said most things had not gone right in the last 20 years as the country drifted away from the West to seek new friends.

President Sata said although Zambia was a one party state during Dr Kaunda's reign, the country remained close to the West and achieved much success.

"But when we drifted away to look for new friends, when they brought equipment we had to look for interpreters and interpreters are very costly," he said.

And responding to Archbishop Williams who wanted to know how the issue of refugees was being addressed in Zambia, President Sata said Zambia had always looked after its brothers and sisters who were displaced from their countries, and that there were still several of them residing in the country.

He said some did not want to go back to their countries even though conditions in their homelands had improved because they felt more comfortable living here.

President Sata said the former ruling MMD government found it convenient to use refugees for rigging elections.

"And we have one case now where one refugee was elected member of parliament, it's most unfortunate, in Western Province. Now this is not his fault, it was the fault of the former government because the former government took advantage of refugees, they gave them national registration cards NRCs, they gave them voters cards in their continuous rigging of the elections," President Sata said.

"So this was a clever refugee, to say ‘if I have an NRC and I have a voters card them I qualify to be MP'. And he was popular and the refugees voted for him and he is MP in Western Province. But we are saying that in the Bible they say ‘I was sick, you denied me a visit….I was thirsty you denied me water'."

President Sata said it was not the refugees' fault that they had been displaced from their countries, saying the government would look after them and see how they could integrate before they went back to their countries.

He said he was thankful for the role the Church was playing in the fight against HIV, adding that the pandemic could be addressed by providing people with sources of livelihood.

President Sata appealed to Archbishop Williams to send more priests to the country in order for them to do pastoral work.

And Archbishop Williams said it seemed this was a very exciting time for Zambia and wished President Sata's government well in the many creative projects they were signaling to the world.

He inquired from President Sata in the areas he felt the Anglican Church could help in the development of the country because the Church had a strong belief that the welfare and growth of their communion was everybody's concern.

Archbishop Williams said this had been expressed over the years in various partnerships between the Church in Britain and the one in Zambia.

He said he appreciated the grassroots work the Church was involved in, such as health care, environmental concerns and pastoral work.

"We are encouraged by your own commitment to just taxation practices, to the rebuilding and strengthening of the Zambian economy through a fair approach to international multi-national presences here," Archbishop Williams said. "We would want to support that and regard that as a matter of justice and good practice. We wish you well in your efforts to make that a fruitful future."

During the meeting, British High Commissioner to Zambia Tom Carter presented a congratulatory letter from his country's Prime Minister David Cameron to President Sata over the PF's victory in last month's general elections.

And speaking when he met Archbishop Williams after his State House visit, Dr Kaunda said the Anglican Church had been part of the world for a long time spreading the word of God to the people.

"We live in a world of competing interests. A world that desperately needs spiritual guidance and healing so that we can live in peace as brothers and sisters irrespective of race, colour, tribe or even faith," Dr Kaunda said. "In my humble view, the Anglican Church has played an important role in fulfilling our shared objective to live in peace and harmony in this our one world."

Archbishop Williams praised Dr Kaunda for setting a moral foundation for Zambia.

And on arrival at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport around 09.15 hours, Archbishop Williams said Zambia had a strong Christian heritage from the beginning of its independence.

He said the country's leaders had been formed by Christian principles of justice, harmony, peace and entertaining democratic rights for all, saying this was part of the Christian gospel and teaching, which he hoped would continue.

Labels: ANGLICAN CHURCH, KENNETH KAUNDA, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 7:41 PM