ZEC, PF govt relationship cordial - Samasumo
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Tue 23 Oct. 2012, 16:10 CAT
ZAMBIA Episcopal Conference spokesperson Father Paul Samasumo yesterday said ZEC's relationship with the government continues to be cordial.
And Fr Samasumo says the Catholic Church is presently unhappy about the deportation of Father Viateur Banyangandora, From front page and the constitution-making process.
Fr Samasumo said the Catholic Church and the government cooperate on many levels and fronts ranging from health, agriculture, provision of social services and through to health.
He said one of the concerns with the government was the constitution-making process.
"Our Bishops have urged the government to protect the constitution-making process in a legal framework. This has largely been ignored. Similarly ignored has been the call from ZEC and others for the appointment of a referendum commission that would already start preparations for the holding of a referendum."
Fr Samasumo said as things stand, ZEC would hesitate to endorse with confidence, the direction of the current constitution-making process.
"We still hope though that the end result will deliver to the people of Zambia a constitution that they have always yearned for - one that is all-inclusive and one that respects the basic minimums that have always come through in virtually all constitution review commissions," he said.
On the deportation of Fr Banyangandora, Fr Samasumo said: "We still do not have a satisfactory explanation about why such drastic action was visited on this priest. We still seek answers and the revocation of the deportation order. Our Bishops will be in Lusaka, in November, for their end of year meetings, and we expect they will find time (collectively) to engage with government on this issue."
And Fr Samasumo clarified media reports emanating from Parliament that the three Church mother bodies failed to submit views before the parliamentary select committee that was looking into the appointment of two new Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) commissioners.
He said the truth was that the internal inquiry at the Catholic Secretariat showed that no such invitation was received from the parliamentary select committee for them to make submissions.
On independence, Fr Samasumo said Zambians had many reasons to be grateful to God, who had journeyed with them, as a nation, from 1964 to date.
"As a nation, it is true to say that we have had our fair share of challenges especially in the areas of governance, constitution-making, nation building and even state management.
Yet, though school report card might read 'unsatisfactory', we still have cause to celebrate because there are many good things happening in this country. We can also point to many great achievements. Some of those good things to be found, in Zambia, include the Zambian people themselves. In spite of ourselves, we are a good people. We are a friendly, hospitable, God-fearing and peace-loving people," he said.
"With all these good attributes, where then do we go wrong? Why is it that, notwithstanding all the positive economic indicators, poverty in the rural areas is worse? Why is all this mining boom not showing in the lives of our people? Politically, why do we seem to be drifting towards our tribal enclaves?"
He said independence was and should be a time of giving account.
"As in the Gospel parable of talents, (Mt. 25:19) independence asks us to give account of how we have used our various gifts that are to be found within this great country. Have we used the gifts to bring development or division? This independence should also be used as springboard to begin preparations for the great jubilee year of 50 years which will be with us in two years time.
We must not wait until the fifty years. We must start now to prepare and to interrogate ourselves sincerely as a people. Where do we want to be in the next 10, 50 years? What kind of Zambia shall we leave for posterity?" he asked.
Fr Samasumo said the Catholic Church's covenant with the people of Zambia was total.
He said the church was rooted in the Gospel of Christ and Catholic Social Teaching.
"We are committed to our prophetic role and will always endeavour to be the conscience of society, regardless of which political party is in government," he said.
Labels: CATHOLIC CHURCH, PAUL SAMASUMO, PF, ZEC
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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.
Labels: EFZ, PAUL SAMASUMO
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ECZ should monitor media coverage of polls - Samasumo
By Moses Kuwema
Sat 18 Feb. 2012, 12:01 CAT
ZAMBIA Episcopal Conference spokesperson Father Paul Samasumo says the Electoral Commission of Zambia should institute some reliable mechanism for monitoring effectively how the media houses cover elections.
Speaking when he appeared before the parliamentary committee on information, broadcasting services and tourism on Thursday, which was looking at media coverage of elections in Zambia, Fr Samasumo said between now and the next general elections in 2016, the ECZ could start by strictly monitoring media coverage of any by-elections that take place.
"The ECZ should hold public media briefings and embark on exposing media offenders of the Electoral Code of Conduct regulations, in the same way that the Drug Enforcement Commission does when drug mules are nabbed," said Fr Samasumo who also spoke as Catholic Media Services executive director.
Fr Samasumo said the ECZ should also consider framing short and clear messages targeted at encouraging media houses and practitioners to strictly adhere to the Electoral Code of Conduct Regulations.
Fr Samasumo further urged the ECZ to explore possibilities of using various media associations and the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) to educate media houses and practitioners about the need to comply with the Electoral Code of Conduct regulations.
He said the Electoral Code of Conduct regulations provided adequate basis to guide the desired level of professional media coverage of elections in Zambia.
"In virtually all instances of non-compliance with the regulations, experience has shown that authorities such as the Electoral Commission of Zambia failed to enforce the regulations," Fr Samasumo said.
He said there was need to double efforts to ensure that in future the Electoral Code of Conduct was effectively enforced.
Fr Samasumo further added that it was important for the PF government to reaffirm its assurance of liberating the public media by a clear media and information policy as well as by enacting media friendly laws.
And chairman of the House of Chiefs, chief Mazimawe proposed that in future elections, the public and private media should give equal access to all political parties.
Labels: ECZ, MEDIA, PAUL SAMASUMO
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No politician is worth dying for - ZEC
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Sat 23 Apr. 2011, 04:01 CAT
NO political leader here on earth is worth dying for, says the Zambia Episcopal Conference.
In an Easter message, ZEC spokesperson Fr Paul Samasumo said there were many Christian politicians in the country and asked them to lead the way in encouraging tolerance among the people.
Fr Samasumo said the politicians must resist any attempts to stoke the fears of the people by dangerously exploiting tribal or regional sentiments.
“As experience has shown elsewhere in Africa, when violence erupts everyone is a loser. Violence destroys lives, cities, villages and retards development. We must begin now to work hard and prepare for peace. If we do, peace will surely prevail even after our elections. If we prepare for violence, it too can surely come,” he said.
And Fr Samasumo said the message of Easter also gave hope to people's lives.
“For example, the universal fear of death is conquered by Christ. This is because one of the most important implications of the resurrection of Christ is that if we are in relationship to Christ, we no longer have to be afraid of death. When we die, we will be raised in the same way Jesus was. We will be united with our relatives and our friends. Life has meaning,” he said.
Ft Samasumo said the Easter story was the story of Christ. He said the word of peace must bless the lips of everyone in Zambia this Easter in order to create conditions for peace for everybody.
“We must not sow seeds of suspicion in what we say and do. We must speak and act in a manner that builds confidence in our nation. We have had elections before and come out as a united people. This should be our goal this time around as well,” he said.
Fr Samasumo said free, fair and transparent elections were a process and this process should start now. He said there must be sufficient time given from the time the election date is announced for everyone to prepare themselves for this big day.
“Similarly, the playing field for all contesting parties must be fair and level. As priests and pastors, we need to embrace all our people and all our Christians regardless of what political party they belong to. We should tell our flock that no political leader here on earth is worth dying for. Christ has died for all of us once and that is enough,” said Fr Samasumo.
He also urged the MMD government and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to quickly embrace parallel vote tabulation (PVT) and cast aside any resistance they might have.
Fr Samasumo said the reason for this was because resistance of PVT was sowing a bad seed of suspicion among the people. He said Zambia was not an island and other countries had used the system successfully.
“Why would it fail in Zambia if everyone follows the rules of PVT? In fact, it is the ruling party that needs PVT the most. Would it not be reassuring to hear from independent tallies that indeed the ruling party did win freely and fairly?” asked Fr Samasumo.
Labels: PAUL SAMASUMO, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, ZEC
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Falling standards of education
By The Post
Sun 23 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT
The concerns expressed by Fr Paul Samasumo, the spokesperson for Zambia Episcopal Conference, on the quality of education provided in our schools deserve serious considerations.
While we esteem and applaud the efforts which have been made to build more schools, we feel it’s necessary to join Fr Samasumo in drawing attention to some of the problems which beset our educational institutions at present.
It is more and more widely recognised that standards of education are not only not rising, but are actually falling.
Clearly, there can be little hope of creating an environment favourable to the emotional, intellectual and spiritual development of pupils when schools suffer from a serious lack of teachers and teaching aids.
Solutions to these problems will demand generous increases in the resources made available to education.
This will have very practical implications for the way in which our national priorities are established and the budget distributed.
A school is part of the larger society and therefore what happens in society is reflected in the school. A school is not simply a collection of buildings. It is more than that. A school is first and foremost a place where teachers and pupils come together to teach and to be taught. Teachers play a very big role in what is called a school.
The enjoyment of the right to education would be enhanced if teachers were well trained and were committed to their duties in education. During school hours, teachers have the care of the children.
They take the place of the parents and are responsible to them.
They should not only be good instructors but above all virtuous persons, for no human person can give to others what one does not possess.
The influence of a good teacher is great. A good teacher is always respected; a good teacher is, like a good doctor, the friend and guide of all.
It should be the legitimate ambition of every teacher to earn this respect and confidence.
Clearly, there are serious problems in our education system.
The enjoyment of the right to education would be enhanced if there is an acknowledgement of the problems that beset our educational system and if there is a willingness to solve such problems. Problems should not be swept under a carpet.
Education on an increased basis is necessary if our children are to increase their knowledge and to become enlightened citizens, and, in the modern world especially, to be equipped with those skills by means of which they may acquire a reasonable degree of material wealth and at the same time contribute to the good of the community.
Some of our schools are merely buildings and not schools.
We say that because in some of these schools, there is no proper or adequate interaction between the teacher and people. Children spend years in school without learning much.
They will be recorded as having completed this or that grade but without any knowledge to enable them to advance in education and in life.
It is impossible for a child to make it to university or higher college from most of our schools.
This is so because of the lack of good teachers and inadequacy of facilities. It is not enough for a child just to pass through a classroom for seven, nine or 12 years.
The quality of education they receive in every grade they attend is very important.
Otherwise we are wasting their time and their lives.
Education means developing the faculties of a person’s mind, heart and body in such a way that a person will be gradually prepared to take one’s place in society as a useful citizen.
The kind of education some of our children are receiving reminds us of the Bantustan education that used to be offered to black people and apartheid South Africa – education that was designed to take them nowhere but make them feel they have gone to school and are educated.
Providing such education to our children is deceiving them, is doing them an injustice.
The sad part of all this is that it is the children of the poor, especially the rural poor, who are receiving this Bantustan type of education which doesn’t even give them an opportunity to go to college or university.
Opportunity for higher education should not be on grounds of economic position. Deep frustration begins with half or low quality education.
To make quality education opportunity readily available to some sections of the population, while others are impeded from them, is to create artificial feelings of superiority and inferiority.
The right to education entails the right to integral and holistic education, an education that gives the child a chance to move forward in life in all dimensions – intellectually, economically, politically, socially, culturally, emotionally, morally, spiritually and so on and so forth.
A society which values its future affords the highest priority to providing quality education for all its young people.
And a sound education will aim at creating an environment favourable to the physical, emotional, intellectual, relational and spiritual development of pupils and promoting their creative potential.
It will also aim to provide them with appropriate training and skills which will equip them to make a living in the actual circumstances of the country.
What we need in all parts of our country and for all our children is education and schools that seek excellence, while aiming to provide education for everyone.
Thus, what we require is an education that is integral – an education that is directed towards the full development of the child and empowers the child to participate actively and intelligently in the social, economic and political life of our country.
This calls for the standard of education in all our educational institutions of the same level to be equivalent.
The conditions relating to the quality of education provided in all our schools must be equivalent.
The government should set minimum educational standards for all our schools, including the private ones.
The right of all to education entails not limiting any person or group of persons to education of an inferior standard.
The right to quality education must not be denied to our young people or we throw away their lives.
And teachers have an indispensable role to play in our education. This means that adequate attention should be paid to their recruitment, training, motivation and remuneration.
And one clear lesson for truly sustainable development in our country is the need for a good educational system.
There is simply no possibility for our country to develop unless we create a solid resource base of well educated citizens, with the skills, experiences and motivation to build our country.
The dramatic decline in the educational system at every level over the last two decades or so, especially in terms of quality or education opportunities for our young people, is not only a very sad situation but also a very dangerous one.
We say this because this means that all our efforts at economic reform will be meaningless if significant commitment is not made to improve our education sector.
Labels: EDUCATION, PAUL SAMASUMO
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Quality of education worries ZEC
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Sun 23 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE Catholic Church has expressed concern on the quality of education provided in schools. Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) spokesperson Father Paul Samasumo said many basic and community schools had been established to enhance universal access to basic education.
However, he said this had not matched the required investment in human resource (teachers) and infrastructure thus putting a serious strain on the products of these schools.
Fr Samasumo also said most basic and community schools did not have the necessary infrastructure such as science laboratories and pupils in these schools leave school without seeing the inside of one.
He said even though there were efforts to improve the quality of education, a lot more needed to be done.
Fr Samasumo said there was need to motivate teachers and reduce the teacher pupil ratio which sometimes reached 60 pupils against one teacher.
“Most of us, even politicians they were inspired to be what they are today because of a teacher, but what happens if a class has 60 pupils and the teacher does not even know all of them. There is need to employ more teachers and provide incentives to retain the ones already working. There are many teachers who are walking the streets because they are unemployed,” he said.
He said another area that needed to be looked into was the curriculum.
Fr Samasumo said pupils should be able to have skills to survive on when they complete school.
He said pupils should be prepared for the future while in secondary school because not every pupil had the capacity to go to university.
Fr Samasumo said pupils should be prepared to work in factories and industries upon completion of school.
He said the church appreciated the efforts the government was making to meet the millennium development targets in the area of education.
Fr Samasumo said some of the reviews made so far indicate that the country may be on course to attain the targets in education.
Labels: EDUCATION, PAUL SAMASUMO
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Thug-like leaders
By The Post
Tue 04 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT
WHAT do signs of political degeneracy and decay look like? Fr Paul Samasumo says “the new political culture seems to embrace intolerance, hooliganism and violence as an accepted norm. Party cadres are clearly out of control. The trend is being encouraged by political leaders when they fail to speak clearly against this tendency...”
Political degeneracy and decay have many manifestations and intolerance ranks very high among them and is probably at the centre of it. We say this because intolerance must surely rank as one of the worst forms of immorality in human affairs. We can see the whole of this in people who go out to organise violence against someone simply because he or she hold different views from those they or their top leaders hold.
We are increasingly witnessing a sub-cultural blood being nursed with speeches at political meetings endlessly. It is quite true that acceptance of criticism, of opposition implies the highest respect for human ideal, and that its denial suggests a conscious or unconscious lack of humanity on our part. We seem to be really stuck in a culture of zealous worship of political leaders and we are establishing a reputation for intolerance that is difficult to match.
Shamefully, our politicians are anxious to reduce our people to an obsequious mass: oppressed, mutilated, hungry and terrified - a country of weeping. Worse still, our politicians, especially those in government, hold the common citizens to ransom by insisting that since they are the only ones who have been elected by the people, they alone have the sacred right to rule. End of debate. The rest is fear, silence and bewilderment. They will even go as far as allowing party cadres to run their lives for as long as it means that they are being seen to be on the side of the dominant party and government leadership.
This is our tragedy, the inability to value every single innocent life and bring happiness to our people without demanding eternal gratitude. Our political leaders are fond of manipulating and compromising those under their authority. And when it comes to serving the people, our politicians forget that there’s plenty of room for everyone. Yet they are unhappy when others show leadership abilities. They eschew other leaders and transform themselves into the nation, consequently making a challenge to them as tantamount to challenging national interests. They then create personality cults and become omnipotent. They seem to have not only acquired monarchical tendencies, but they have also turned themselves into deities that must be worshiped and glorified.
Some of their ideas may seem to be attractive but they must be judged by whether or not they are consistent with nation’s interests. When some of them claim to speak for the nation, we must judge them by asking a series of questions: are they telling the truth? Is their focus on the nation? Are their words consistent with what is already known to be true? Do they speak the truth while directing the people towards the ‘promised land’, or do they speak persuasively while directing the people toward themselves?
There are many of our politicians who have said the right things but still led us in wrong directions. With political leadership comes responsibility. When a politician, especially one in control of government, makes a mistake, it is the nation that suffers. Many take decisions without counsel and input from the people, or after soliciting only for advice that will support their decision. Our political leaders have surrounded themselves with incompetent subordinates because they feel threatened by competent ones. They also have a penchant for taking highly educated individuals, lobotomising them, and then turning them into cheerleaders and court jesters. A good political leader, Proverbs 11:14 says, needs and uses wise counsellors.
Our political leaders usually overlook the fact that they cannot overlook the nation single-handedly. Rather than handle larger responsibilities alone, they should look for ways of sharing loads of the nation so that others may exercise their God-given gifts and abilities. Our country is increasingly becoming complex. And as our people’s needs increase, so are the conflicts and disagreements. Due to this complex reality, our leaders can no longer make decisions alone. Some of them seem to be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help.
This may be due to their arrogance that they know all or asking for advice may imply that they are bankrupt of ideas. Those who pretend to ask for advice later overlook it even when honestly given. The ancient Greek philosopher Isocrates once said that the greatest loyalty an advisor could give a leader is by being frank and candid. It is more helpful to the leader, Isocrates averred, to surround himself with those who disagree with him than it is to rely on those who mimic his point of view. Isocrates noted that: “frankness is a virtue in a counsellor who must risk the ire of the foolish enough to be offended when contradicted.
By being receptive to the idea of others and by creating an atmosphere of mutual respect a politician will help ensure the happiness and success of the people. Our politicians have yet to learn that criticism is always directed at politicians, no matter how good they are. However, what distinguishes a good politician from a bad politician is the ability to listen and take constructive criticism without spending valuable time and energy worrying about those who may oppose their leadership. A good politician must always focus attention on those who are ready and willing to help. Some criticisms are due to love for the nation and should not be misconstrued as unpatriotic, treasonable or seditious. Our politicians always place a premium of blind loyalty, as though they are royal dynasties that value their own preservation and power above all else.
It is this unquenchable thirst for fidelity that has imperilled democracy and botched development in our country. Instead of cultivating loyalty and trusting democracy, they have demanded that loyalty to public servants, party cadres and the masses be expressed to the people who determine whether or not food gets on their plates. In our country, even civil servants serve at the pleasure of a politician, the president, who has appointed them, and not the people, who pay their salaries. To get a key position in the government, one has to be the fiercest loyalist rather than the most competent and best qualified. In this country, it is better for a civil servant to be loyal and wrong than correct and disloyal.
There’s a fairly simple explanation for this obsession with loyalty: the insecurity of our politicians. The more secure they are - both intellectually and psychologically - the more they will value disagreements.
Most of our people have now been transmogrified to reflect the attitudes of those in power. Occasional wrongdoing has gradually been turned into wrongdoing as a way of life. This degeneration and decay among our people is not difficult to see. We see it every day in their attitudes, habits and conduct.
The reason for this is because our politicians have traumatised their people to the point where they are in desperate states and on self-destruct courses. By using brutal means to rule and senselessly looting the public resources, they have left our people in a state of shock and despair. In view of this reality, it comes as no shock that our people are now imitating in various ways - they are abrasive, intolerant, kleptomaniac, debauched, deceitful and contumacious. Again, the book of Proverbs says that where there is no good leadership, people will have only pain, there will also be wickedness, wicked rulers, wicked aides and wicked people. Our politicians have no compassion for those they are supposed to serve. They treat their people miserably in order to satisfy their own desires.
A real politician has a servant’s heart. Instead of abusing people, they should serve them. And they are often selfish and arrogant as the claw themselves to the top and stick there by hook or crook. And they don’t take time to consult the people on how they can best be served. How a politician interacts with the people carries a lot of weight. By getting in tune with people’s emotions, needs, obstacles and strong point, a politician can effectively mobilise the forces towards national goals. A politician who has inspiration to do good and passion for the nation will quickly discover that his ways are contagious and will quickly infect the people. We are longing for plain-spoken politicians with charisma and vision to help us create a more just, fair and humane society in our homeland. To achieve this, we will need to stop this political degeneration and decay. We can’t continue to be governed by thug-like leaders. We can’t accept intolerance, hooliganism and violence as a norm.
Labels: PAUL SAMASUMO, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, WILLIAM BANDA
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Politicians have embraced intolerance - Fr Samasumo
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Tue 04 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT
THE new political culture in Zambia seems to embrace intolerance, hooliganism and violence as an accepted norm, says Fr Paul Samasumo.
Fr Samasumo, the Zambia Episcopal Conference spokesperson, said the political activity in Zambia still remained in the hands of a few while the majority were pre-occupied with the day-to-day struggle for survival during the year.
He said more worrying however was a growing climate of political intolerance.
Fr Samasumo said Zambia’s reputation of being an oasis of peace was slowly being eroded rapidly by the sad political culture that had cropped up.
“The new political culture seems to embrace intolerance, hooliganism and violence as an accepted norm. Party cadres are clearly out of control. The trend is being encouraged by political leaders when they fail to speak clearly against this tendency,” Fr Samasumo said.
“All efforts must be made to reverse this trend. Those who perpetuate violence whether verbal or actual should be prosecuted and later disciplined by their political party.”
Fr Samasumo said the year 2010 saw the making of a Republican constitution elude Zambians yet again.
He said the Catholic Church’s understanding of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) was that it was expected to follow the path outlined by the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission (CRC) at the explicit request of then Republican president Levy Mwanawasa when he appointed the CRC in 2003.
He said when giving terms of reference to the Mung’omba commissioners, the government categorically and clearly indicated that it wanted to put in place a “constitution to stand the test of time.”
“In other words, the citizens of Zambia didn’t want any more of the constant re-writing of constitutions that were either weak or distorted. As we stand today, at the end of 2010, a Republican constitution that is agreed upon by everybody continues to elude us,” Fr Samasumo said.
He said the government had a pivotal role in assuring and creating a more conducive climate in the nation that would ensure that the electoral process, next year, is credible, free and fair.
Fr Samasumo said as a church, their role in elections was to pray for peace and educate and encourage people to celebrate their democracy by registering as voters and voting for candidates of their choice.
He said the Catholic Church was sympathetic to the democratic system of governance because of its promotion of wide participation by citizens in governance and promotion of human dignity.
“Central to a good democratic system is a good electoral process,” said Fr Samasumo.
Labels: NCC, PAUL SAMASUMO, POLITICAL VIOLENCE
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Catholic Church stands by Duffy
By Florence Bupe and Mwala Kalaluka
Wed 13 Oct. 2010, 04:40 CAT
THE Catholic Church has vowed to stand by Mongu Catholic Diocese Bishop Paul Duffy and other church leaders. And Bishop Duffy has urged Christians not to fear being ridiculed and spat upon when they speak against social injustice because Africa seems to be a continent infected with corruption.
In a statement yesterday, Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) spokesperson Fr Paul Samasumo said the Catholic Church was disturbed by the continued trends of attacks and threats of violence against its leadership.
“The Catholic Church is disturbed by the continued trend of attacks and threats of violence against its leadership starting with the Archbishop of Lusaka, Most Rev Telesphore-George Mpundu, the Bishop of Mongu, Right Rev Paul Duffy (OMI), and now against the Executive Director of Caritas Zambia Mr Samuel Mulafulafu. We condemn these acts of intimidation and reiterate that the whole Catholic Church stands with its leadership in working for a more democratic Zambia,” Fr Samasumo said.
“It should also be noted that Caritas Zambia is not an NGO but an integral component of the structure of the Catholic Church mandated to promote the social teaching of the Catholic Church. Caritas Zambia also works to empower Zambians in issues of justice, peace, development and governance concerns.”
Lately, MMD cadres have issued threats of violence against Archbishop Mpundu, Bishop Duffy and Mulafulafu for speaking out against government’s shortfalls in the management of the country.
“As a church, we believe that differences or misunderstanding can be resolved through dialogue rather than threats and violence in whatever form,” Fr Samasumo said. “Participation in politics is a noble call to all Christians and the Church’s involvement in the politics of governance is not outside its mandate.”
Fr Samasumo urged Christians to take keen interest in the governance of the country because they were part of the day-to-day happenings. He encouraged Christians belonging to various bodies to volunteer as monitors in the 2011 general elections as part of their contribution to the promotion of fair elections and improved political governance.
And Fr Samasumo warned that the existence of militia in political parties was a recipe for anarchy and lawlessness.
“We are alarmed by claims of the existence of organised militias within political parties. This is a true recipe for anarchy and lawlessness in a country that has embraced peace since independence,” Fr Samasumo said.
“We are equally alarmed by the failure of senior political leaders in resolutely disassociating their parties from such unlawful groups.”
Fr Samasumo also condemned the violence that rocked Chilanga Constituency during the filing in of nominations for the October 30 parliamentary by- elections.
“At this time and age, violence should have no room in our politics,” said Fr Samasumo.
And during an address delivered at the priestly ordination Mass for Deacon Kennedy Katongo at Lusaka’s Good Shepherd Catholic Church last Saturday, Bishop Duffy said some Christians were scared of sticking their necks out on issues of justice and peace for fear of being made fun of.
Bishop Duffy said during the Second Bishop’s Synod for Africa that was held in Rome last year, Pope Benedict VXI described the African church as the lamps of the Universal Church.
“That which gives light to the Church, that which keeps the Church alive. But he (Pope Benedict VXI) cautioned that we should not allow these lamps to become infected by materialism, consumerism, corruption, that we really need to make sure that we kept our hands clean so that we could invigorate the Church throughout the world,” Bishop Duffy told a packed church.
“During that Second Bishops' Synod for Africa, the Bishops resolved that every parish on the African continent should have a commission for justice and peace, that Africa seems to be infected with so much corruption; that Africa should be a rich nation, not a nation of poverty that so many of you African nations have.”
Bishop Duffy said at the beginning of this month he went to Accra, Ghana, where he represented the Zambia Episcopal Conference at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
He explained that the meeting was a follow-up on the African Bishops’ appeal for the setting up of justice and peace commissions in all the church’s parishes on the African continent.
“Are we having an active justice and peace group in each of our parishes? During my homily today, I addressed most of my words to our new priest Fr Katongo, but now I want to address my words to you (audience) because you are the church of God in Africa. You have a responsibility to stand up for justice,” said Bishop Duffy as the church erupted into an applause.
“The Holy Father said there won’t be peace unless we first have justice on this continent. But it’s like so many people are afraid to stick their necks out on justice issues, for fear they will be criticised, they will be made fun of, they will be burned up, they will be ridiculed.”
Bishop Duffy said Christians profess to be followers of Christ.
“He was ridiculed, he was made fun of, he was spat upon and he was nailed to the cross. We prophesy to be his followers, should we expect less ourselves? We say we are Christians!” Bishop Duffy said. “He told them (disciples) that he was going to suffer and die but he asked them to be a people of faith.
“We profess to be people of faith. Is that faith strong enough that we can stand up when we know there is injustice going on in our midst?” Bishop Duffy asked. “You know the story of the tortoise; unless it sticks its neck out, it can’t move…we have to be willing to stick our necks out for what we know is just and right in our society.”
Labels: CATHOLIC CHURCH, PAUL DUFFY, PAUL SAMASUMO
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ZEC has nothing to do with Bishops council of Zambia - Fr Samasumo
By Mwala Kalaluka
Sun 12 Sep. 2010, 04:00 CAT
THE Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) has nothing to do with the so-called Bishops Council of Zambia, ZEC spokesperson Fr Paul Samasumo has said. And Mongu Diocese Caritas director Nathaniel Mubukwanu yesterday said Mongu Diocese Bishop Paul Duffy’s statement about the wind of change blowing in the Western Province is true.
The Bishops Council of Zambia has of late been on rampage denouncing Bishop Duffy’s statement that some people in Western Province want change from the MMD government.
Bishop Duffy has said he did not subscribe to the Bishops Council of Zambia, which he described as one of the fly-by-night groups recently formed because of President Rupiah Banda.
ZEC spokesperson Fr Paul Samasumo said in an interview on Thursday that the Roman Catholic Church bishops in Zambia only belonged to ZEC, a body which was constituted in 1959.
“That is what I wanted to deny. The Bishops have never been members of the so-called Bishops Council,” Fr Samasumo said. “In fact, we have never even heard about it. We are only hearing about it now. We don’t even know what they stand for, what their aims are.”
Fr Samasumo said statements in some sections of the media that the Bishops Council of Zambia encompassed Catholic leaders were therefore not true.
Fr Samasumo said the only organisations that ZEC works with closely were the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and the Christian Council of Zambia (CCZ).
“We cooperate with other faiths, for example through (Zambia Interfaith Networking Group on HIV/AIDS) ZINGO, where there are other faiths; some of them which are non-Christian, but that is a loose association with a set purpose of combating HIV/AIDS,” said Fr Samasumo.
Fr Samasumo said he was not sure of the motive behind the Bishops Council of Zambia leadership to align themselves with the Catholic Church leadership. And Mubukwanu said Bishop Duffy was talking about issues that he hears from the people that he lives with.
“He does not talk about issues that he hears on ZNBC or Zambia Daily Mail or even Times of Zambia,” Mubukwanu said. “These are concrete experiences lived by the people of Western Province, for we know that Western Province is the only province with an endless list of negative superlatives.”
Mubukwanu said Western Province was the only one with the highest poverty levels even going by official government statistics.
“Mulambwa people are living in filth,” Mubukwanu said. “And how can they not be tired of this government?”
Mubukwanu asked what interest the people that had come out to condemn Bishop Duffy over his change of government statement were trying to protect while turning a blind eye to reality.
“The onus is on the MMD to really prove that people still want them,” said Mubukwanu. “Going by the results of the Luena by-election, how does the MMD interpret that in relation to the statement that Bishop Duffy made?”
Labels: NATHANIEL MUBUKWANU, PAUL SAMASUMO, ZEC
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Statutory regulation is prone to misuse – ZEC
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Thu 22 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT
ZAMBIA Episcopal Conference (ZEC) spokesperson Father Paul Samasumo has said statutory regulation of the media, even when passed with the best of intentions, is prone to misuse by overzealous politicians.
And World Press Freedom Day Organising Committee chairperson Sheik Chifuwe said the media were not shaken by the government’s threats to regulate them by statutory and would go ahead and launch ZAMEC on May, 3 this year.
Commenting on information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha’s statement on Monday that he could not support a fraud system on media regulation and that the Zambia Media Council (ZAMEC) was just a reincarnation of the failed Media Council of Zambia (MECOZ), Fr Samasumo said there was a misunderstanding that self-media regulation would endanger the rule of law, infringe on people’s privacy and bring the peace that the nation had enjoyed in jeopardy.
“This is not true. Seriously, offending media can and will still be dealt with in courts of law. Politicians and the public can choose not to go to ZAMEC but the courts for law for redress,” he said.
“Statutory regulation, even when passed with the best of intentions, is prone to misuse by overzealous politicians. In the end only voices that are in support of governments will be heard. This will not be good for our democracy.”
Fr Samasumo said the Catholic media in Zambia was saddened by the new stance adopted by the government over media self-regulation. He said having participated fully on the journey towards media self regulation, it was important that the government gave this route chance to work.
He said judging from the resolve and unanimity witnessed among the various media houses during the national conference held at Pamodzi hotel, recently, the Catholic media was convinced that both the private and public media were resolved to make ZAMEC succeed.
“The minister of information should not be unduly worried that ZAMEC will go the way of MECOZ. As Zambian media, we have come too far along this route of self media regulation to start changing course now and go the statutory way.
The media in Zambia have done their homework by going to almost all our neighbouring countries and in the end decided to adopt the South African model of self media regulation,” he said “The whole process and visits to neighbouring countries was done with the blessing of government. It is therefore, not right for government to change goalposts now and insist that the media adopt the Kenyan model.
The Kenyan model cannot work in Zambia where government is the biggest media player. Besides, governments, even when freely elected, are participants in the political contest and therefore are not best-suited to enforce fairness and objectivity.
Fr Samasumo said good journalism works in the interests of the public and offers news that was accurate, fair and balanced, gives voice to the voiceless, and contains the diversity of opinions in any given story.
“This is not to say that the media cannot take positions. However, when they take sides, the media will clearly distinguish between facts, comments and opinions,” he said.
Fr Samasumo said the view of the media owned by the Catholic Church in Zambia was that the media could only perform its crucial role as a watchdog of government if there was as little state control as possible.
He said at the recent national conference, to discuss the formation of ZAMEC, the media resolved to put in place ethical standard that would be governed by a code of ethics.
Fr Samasumo said ethics were best created by professionals themselves and best obeyed by them in a voluntary manner.
He said another misconception was that ethics were about dos and don’ts.
“Ethics are a way of life. In other words, a journalist will resolve to maintain ethics even when no one is looking. Obviously, no one is perfect. That is where the Ombudsman who will head ZAMEC comes in,” he said.
“In our view, our government should be celebrating the fact the media from the public and private sector have come together and resolved to make ZAMEC work.
This is unprecedented and needs to be celebrated. If ZAMEC fails then government can come back and say to all of us ‘we told you it would not work. Now let’s talk statutory regulation!’”
Fr Samasumo said if the media worked according to agreed ethical standards of behaviour based on accuracy, fairness, independence and accountability, they were less likely to fall foul of the law.
“In fact, what is never emphasised is that the major beneficiaries from ZAMEC are actually members of the public, who will have their complaints against a media house dealt with within three months and at zero or minimal cost.
If you compare this to going to court and waiting three years, I think everyone will agree that self media regulation that the media want to launch on May 3 is the best way to go.”
And Chifuwe said the media was convinced that self-regulation was the best way to go and they would deliver on the process.
He said the process would succeed and would meet the expectations of the public and media practitioners.
Chifuwe said it was already known that the government wanted to regulate the media but the media were not shaken and would go ahead with self-regulation.
He said it was beyond reasoning that a developing democracy such as Zambia should abandon the principles on which democracy was strengthened and instead take the path that was not only destructive but oppressive to the citizens.
Chifuwe said the deliberate attempt to gag the media through statutory regulation shall restrict and compromise flow of information intended to help people make informed decisions and be able to influence policy formulation and general governance of the country.
“We have no doubt that the media in our country is at the centre of discussion because it is under threat. We want to appeal to media practitioners to remain on the correct side of the debate and ensure that our people understand and start demanding for a free press,” he said.
Chifuwe also said the organising committee of the World Press Freedom Day had made tremendous progress in organising this year’s event scheduled for May 3.
He said this Sunday the committee would host sports activities at which media workers and practitioners shall have social engagement and revitalize their resolve to demand for a free press and freedom of expression.
Chifuwe said several teams and media organisations had confirmed participation and floating trophies would be presented to deserving teams.
He said the media was also faced with a lot of challenges as a new page is turned towards self-determination regarding media self-regulation in the country.
Chifuwe said criticism mounted by those opposed to media self-regulation had strengthened the Media Liaison Committee (MLC) and other progressive citizens.
“We have never at any given time believed that this would be an easy undertaking and we have no reason today to feel frustrated about the position taken by those opposed to this progressive agenda,” he said.
Chifuwe said MLC members felt disappointed by Shikapwasha’s statement attacking individual members of the committee.
He said Shikapwasha accused the MLC chairperson Henry Kabwe of driving or propagating what did not reflect the position of the MLC but the committee was confronted by the fact they were aware of such machinations intended to divide and weaken them.
He said those working with Shikapwasha to derail the process were aware or should know by now that Kabwe was mandated by the MLC to speak and/or represent the vision of the progressive media practitioners in the country.
Chifuwe appealed to Shikapwasha’s conscience to redirect his mind on this issue so he can be judged correctly by posterity.
And MLC spokesperson Amos Chanda said the MLC was open to dialogue but not one where positions were fixed.
Labels: MEDIA, PAUL SAMASUMO, REGULATION, SHEIK CHIFUWE, ZEC
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Samasumo urges end to harassment of Post journalists
Written by Margaret Habbuno
Tuesday, June 02, 2009 3:43:43 PM
ZAMBIA Episcopal Conference spokesperson Father Paul Samasumo has asked the government to put a stop to the continuous harassment of Post journalists.
Commenting on the recent harassments of Post journalists by MMD cadres, Fr Samasumo said it was sad that the government had not taken any measure to stop the vice.
“This issue of harassing journalists is a matter of urgency that the government should immediately address. The MMD government has the capacity to put an end to this problem because if not checked it will translate into a big thing,” Fr Samasumo said.
He said currently, freedom of expression was slowly deteriorating in the country because people were afraid of harassment from the MMD cadres.
“As a church, we stand for peace and the current harassment of journalists in the country especially from The Post newspaper is very worrying. A lot of stakeholders have asked the government to put a stop to it but nothing has been done. We urge the government to put a stop to it,” he said.
Fr Samasumo said the MMD cadres should understand that journalists were merely doing their job.
“These are innocent journalists and the MMD government should find a way of educating their cadres. For the police, I would like to tell them that they should not choose who to arrest and who not to arrest. The police are supposed to be professional in the way they execute their duties,” said Fr Samasumo.
And International Fellowship of Christian Churches (IFCC) president Bishop Simon Chihana has urged President Rupiah Banda to command the MMD cadres to stop harassing journalists in the country.
“If the President does not put an end to this problem, then we will conclude that he has endorsed that the MMD cadres should continue harassing the journalists. My word to Rupiah Banda is that he is the one in office and his word to the cadres is very important. If you remember in Kenya when the opposition was fighting, they only stopped after their president told them to stop,” he said.
Bishop Chihana said since Zambia was a democratic country, freedom of expression was cardinal.
“We live in a democratic country and we should not allow a few people to destroy it. We need to protect journalists in the country so that they don’t work in fear,” said Bishop Chihana.
Labels: CADRES, PAUL SAMASUMO, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, THE POST
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