By Isaac Zulu
Mwenya Musenge has urged the Seventh Day Adventist Church, where President Hakainde Hichilema is an elder, to speak out on his governance style.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Musenge urged President Hakainde Hichilema to take seriously the issues raised by the Catholic Bishops in their recent pastoral letter.
He said that voice of wisdom by the Church should not be ignored, as “the Church plays an important role in the governance of the country.”
Musenge said that the Head of State should pay particular attention to issues being raised such as moral decay bordering on homosexuality, sodomy, defilement and gender based violence.
“From time immemorial the Catholic Church has been issuing a pastoral letter through the Bishops where they highlight good and bad things about governance in the country. And the issues raised in the recent pastoral letter by the Catholic Bishops require great attention from the President. With regard to the issue of moral decay in the nation, I think that the Church is being proactive and playing its providing the moral campus to those in leadership and the people they are leading. Not all is rosy in this nation and it is only prudent that the Head of State listens to the voice of wisdom being provided by the Church.”
He implored other Churches in the country to be bold and speak out on governance issues.
“And in particular I would like to urge the leadership of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, where President Hakainde Hichilema is a Church elder, to speak out on the governance style of the current Head of State,” Musenge said.
And Musenge, who is former National Democratic Congress secretary general, said that the UPND government policies do not favour the poor in communities, but are aimed at enriching the elite in society.
He argued that it will be difficult for the new dawn government to address the high poverty and unemployment levels “with policies that are not pro-poor.”
Musenge, who is also former Chimwemwe member of parliament, said the other challenge that the UPND government has is the implementation of programmes aimed at improving the lives of people such as the Constituency Development Fund and the Farmer Input Support Programme.
“The UPND policies leave much to be desired because they don’t seem to favour the poor people, but those that are in the elite class. It is a government of the elite in society,” said Musenge. “The absorption rate of the Constituency Development Fund as well as the implementation of the Farmer Input Support Programme still remain chaotic.”
