Samasumo calls for hard work, mutual respect

Samasumo calls for hard work, mutual respect
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Sun 01 July 2012, 13:24 CAT

ZAMBIA's challenges can be overcome if people learn to work hard and respect one another even when they have different views, says Father Paul Samasumo.

Commenting on the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ)'s call for national prayers, Fr Samasumo who is Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) spokesperson said the call was indeed timely.

"In fact, all churches (not only the Pentecostals) but all churches should pray for this nation. Christians have a duty to bring love wherever they are. As one of our own, Catholic saints have said in the past, 'we must pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on us'," he said.

"The challenges that this nation is going through can be overcome if we learn to work hard and work towards thesame goals, show love and respect to one another even when we have different viewpoints."

Fr Samasumo said it was refreshing to encounter from the EFZ leadership such contemporary focus which was keen to respond to the present day challenges in Zambia.

"This is what our own Bishops try to do each time they issue pastoral letters. Notwithstanding our distinctive theological approaches with EFZ over matters such as the 'Christian nation' clause and 'death penalty' clause in the present draft constitution, Catholics will always value our partnership with the EFZ. We will continue to share and cooperate with the EFZ leadership through the fruitful partnership of the three church mother bodies of which the Council of Churches is also an important part," said Fr Samasumo.

EFZ executive director Reverend Pukata Mwanza last week said democracy could not flourish in an atmosphere of hatred and unresolved conflicts.

In a call to pray for Zambia from June to December this year, Rev Mwanza prayed for President Michael Sata and for Zambian people to respect and honour him as the Head of State.

He prayed that the government would exercise accountability and responsibility in the running of the affairs of the country, prioritising the plight of the people, exhibiting integrity and being above reproach.

Rev Mwanza said there were pending by-elections in three constituencies and prayed that the participating political parties and independent candidates would campaign peacefully without violence or malpractices and that they would adhere to the electoral code of conduct during the campaigns and the election period.

On the Barotseland Agreement, he prayed that the government would have wisdom in discussing the issue with all the stakeholders and come up with a permanent and lasting solution to the agreement.

On the constitution making process, Rev Mwanza prayed that the technical committee drafting the Zambian Constitution which was appointed by President Sata would be legalised by an Act of Parliament to give it legitimacy of carrying out this very important national assignment.

On Judicial reforms, Rev Mwanza said while appreciating and supporting the calls from the general public to reform the judiciary, they preferred that President Sata first appoints a commission of inquiry to investigate the judicial system and come up with findings and recommendations which would form the basis for carrying out the reforms in the judiciary.

He also prayed that the fight against corruption would be broad based to ensure there was a complete clean up both inside and outside of government.

Rev Mwanza further said the government should ensure that it establishes a deliberate policy to empower its own citizens through access to credit, business loans and deliberate quotas for local suppliers to participate in major projects in the country such as the mines, the construction and service sectors.