Church, State and Power: Mwamba Reacts to Archbishop Banda DEC Case
The DEC Summoning of Lusaka Archbishop, Dr. Alick Banda, Opening a Fresh Wound of Division
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba Wrote;
KK was Right, President Hichilema Will Take Us to Civil Conflict
President Hakainde Hichilema has not hidden his disdain for Lusaka Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda snd the Catholic Church.
In his meeting with stakeholders including the Apostolic Nuncio (Papal Ambassador), he has accused Dr. Banda of treason and theft of ZRA motor vehicles.
We must remember that Zambia’s founding President, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda expressed deep fears about President Hichilema.
Dr. Kaunda warned that Zambians should not allow Hakainde Hichilema to become President as he would deeply divide the country.
Yet KK had endorsed Hichilema as a presidential candidate in 2008 and 2011 under some loose coalition including UNIP.
What changed? What did KK find out? What made him give us this ominous warning.
Icamona umukalamba ilyo ekele, umwaice teti acimone ilyo eminine.
Today Zambia stands at a precipice, at cross roads, as a highly divided nation, polarized and rivened by ethnic and partisan divisions, a sad state of affairs that has sown dangerous seeds that may lead to civil conflict, and civil unrest.
This is because we have a President who disregards the Constitution, ignores court orders, fears no institutions, fears no public pressure, fears no stakeholder influence and has keenly destroyed democratic institutions, blurred the line and independence of wings of government, weaponised Law Enforcement Agencies, skewed to punish critics and the members of the Opposition and turned the Judiciary to kowtow to him.
Hichilema doesn’t yield to the public pressure raised in the interest of the nation.
Bill 7 demonstrated that he now behaves like a King ruling by decree, and not an elected servant of the people, a tyrannical leader lording over a people and openly defiling its democratic institutions.
Similarly his summoning of the Lusaka Archbishop to present himself to the Drug Enforcement Commission should be seen in this light.
He has accused the Archbishop of bogus charges over ZRA donated vehicles made to various institutions including the catholic charity organisation.
There is another perspective that we must interrogate.
When UPND Secretary General Batuke Imenda went on a tirade rant calling Dr. Banda as “the Lucifer of Zambia”, everyone was appalled at the insults, hate and dangerous provocative speech against the Catholic foremost leader in Zambia.
It was expected that there would be a swift, strong reprimand and disciplinary action against Imenda from President Hichilema.
Instead there was quiet celebrations from State House encouraging the terrible statement as parroted by justifications from State Media.
Koswe Media, run by President Hichilema’s own State House media staff, proceeded to raise a relentless dirty and smear campaign against Dr. Banda.
Many may not see it.
President Hichilema says he is an “ELDER” in the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA).
The SDA doctrine views the Catholic Church and its lewder, the Pope critically, identifying the papacy as the man of sin”(Anti-Christ) and the Catholic Church as Babylon the Great from Revelation, a corrupt system that changed God’s law (specifically the Sabbath to Sunday) and persecuted believers during the Dark Ages.
The SDA doctrine, heavily influenced by founder Ellen G. White, views the Catholic Church and the Pope as central figures in end-time prophecy, often identifying the papacy as the “Beast” from Revelation 13 and 17.
It is clear that an SDA President could be using his office, to perpetuate these doctrinal differences and fighting the Catholic Church from a religious perspective.
His remarks at the commemoration of the Declaration of Zambia as a Christian Nation, give us a window of how he thinks about the Church, mocked the assertions that there was “Church Mother Bodies” a deliberate strike attack at both the Church and OASIS Forum.
President Hichilema is opening a fresh wound, a religious division as never seen before.
