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Zambian politics are still unstable, immature – JCTR
By Daniel
Submitted on 25 November, 2009 - 01:54
ShareThisThe Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has reported that the kind of politics exhibited over the last three quarters in Zambia does not truly serve the citizenry, who must be the custodians of politics.
In a statement sent to the Nairobi-based Catholic Information Service for Africa news agency (CISA), JCTR governance officer Dominic Liche said Zambian politics were still unstable and manifested immaturity to an extent of attempting to shut down all opposing views.
“Zambian politics has exhibited very interesting signs in 2009,” Liche said. “Zambian politicians seem to be validating the old adage that ‘politics is a dirty game’ and in addition, the Church has been told it has no role in politics but only to praise-sing government.”
Liche observed that 17 years after Zambia’s reversion to multi-party politics, the country’s politics and governance were still unstable and were fraught with attempts at shutting down dissent.
“These have been manifest in the recent NGO Act, banning of demonstrations over acquittals of prominent figures, criticism of the Church’s valid concerns of a lack of democracy and good governance in Zambia, and limiting freedom of the press,” Liche said.
“Politics remains that of name-calling, name-dirtying, lies, and just a dirty game to get into positions of power. One has just to read the newspapers of the day to see this. We are yet to see mature and honest politics that have people’s needs and aspirations at heart.”
Liche said despite the fact that the three church mother bodies had been instrumental in Zambia’s politics, democracy and service delivery, the Church has been told not to meddle in politics and remain in the pulpits.
