Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lusaka (Agenzia Fides)- In a pastoral Letter on elections to be held at the end of this year, dated July 14 and entitled “The Truth Shall set you Free” the Catholic Bishops of Zambia say “The coming elections offer us an opportunity to elect leaders with the necessary attributes and vision that can bring about this better future”.
“Since our return to multiparty politics in 1991, this year’s General Elections will be the fourth. We should thus give thanks to God our Creator for the peaceful manner in which we have so far conducted our multiparty elections” say the Bishops taking stock of the country’s 15 years of democratic experience.
“Every election is as an opportunity for self-appraisal as a nation. It is not only about the election of political leaders. It is an opportune time to review our past performance in order to prepare for better political choices for the future” the Pastoral Letter urges.
The local Catholic Church has always accompanied electoral processes with suitable interventions giving general criteria and guidance for the voters and to encourage national leaders to tackle the country’s most urgent problems. “In our Pastoral Letter, “The Future is Ours”, of 1992, we noted with concern, the high expectant hopes people had for a better future. We cautioned that the future was ours to profit from as long as we contained such challenges as poverty, economic decline, unreliable public services and the pandemic of HIV/AIDS. To contain those challenges, it was necessary, we said, for all citizens to play their part by committing themselves to hard work” the Bishops recall and they say that in 15 years the country has made considerable progress in eliminating poverty and fostering economic growth.
However the Pastoral Letter notes on the political level “It is sad that in a period of only fifteen years we have had two constitutional reform processes (Mwanakatwe and Mung’omba Constitutional Review Commissions). Regrettably, these processes, costly as they have been, were not given the chance to produce desired and sustainable results by the Governments in power.. We are now going into the 2006 tripartite elections without comprehensive electoral reforms that would have addressed both constitutional matters and the various election-related Acts of Parliament”... “This is another demonstration of how partisan interests override national interests” the Bishops remark.
“In conclusion, we yet again appeal to all Zambians to be enthusiastically involved in the 2006 electoral process. You must be attentive to and fully engage in pre-election issues so that your choices are well informed. Remember that your vote is your power. Another chance has presented itself for you to make an appraisal of your elected political leaders and evaluating the new applicants. Take this as a serious task and raise the standard of your choice. Zambia needs and deserves only the best. May God Bless Zambia!” the Bishops conclude. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 25/7/2006 righe 35 parole 410)
