By Chinoyi Chipulu
Ndola Pastor’s Fellowship chairperson Reverend Chilekwa Mulenga has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to apologize publicly for calling the National Day of Prayer, Fasting, Repentance and Reconciliation as useless.
And Rev Mulenga said if indeed the President was going to Kitwe for prayers, no civil servants and party cadres should be ferried to Kitwe just for the sake of exciting an individual.
While in opposition, a video of Hichilema where he called the day as “useless,” went viral on various social media platforms.
President Hichilema is on the Copperbelt Province for a two-day working visit and will officiate at the National Day of Prayer, Fasting, Repentance and Reconciliation at Nkana Stadium in Kitwe, today.
Speaking to Daily Revelation in an interview, Rev Mulenga wondered how a day that was publicly referred to as useless and a congregation of willful sinners had suddenly turned into a useful congregation of saints.
He said the President’s statement while in opposition contradicted his current role as the head.
“Mr Hichilema publicly called the day of prayer useless while Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwiimbu called it a congregation of willful sinners. We hope Mr Hichilema publicly renders an apology as a sign of repentance. If the day of prayer is useless in the eyes of the same clique of persons who poured scorn on it, then those questioning their intentions could be right after all,” he said.
Rev Mulenga said today’s event was an important day and should be supported by all believers but it shouldn’t be mixed with politics.
“Let people freely attend the Kitwe program without forcing anyone in the name of someone coming who as a matter of fact called the same programme useless,” he said.
“Time to pray should never be mistaken for time to play, otherwise those who take prayer serious may not attend such a gathering but pray from their homes or even local Churches for avoidance of spiritual drama.”
He said no one should force civil servants to travel for a program in the name of prayer if truly it would be about praying and not gathering people for political expediency.
“Prayer is about God and never a forcing matter. The amounts of money spent to … hungry cadres should have been given to them to buy food. The resources being wasted to gather people to excite an individual should have been used to donate to charity,” he said
Rev Mulenga urged political party leaders not to ferry people to Kitwe to attend the event as there was no justifiable reason because the district Kitwe had enough people.
He said such acts gave an impression that someone’s popularity had dwindled.
