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| National |
| Livingstonia synod snubs Bingu’s meeting |
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by
Pilirani Semu-Banda and Patrick Msowoya, 03 June 2004
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11:50:57
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The Livingstonia Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) has refused to send its members to a meeting between leaders of the faith community and President Bingu wa Mutharika at Sanjika Palace on Thursday.
The synod’s general secretary Reverend Howard Matiya-Nkhoma said in an interview Mutharika’s officials who are organising the function “are imposing plans” on the religious leaders, wanting to accommodate them in one place.
“We want to keep our freedom, sleep where we want to sleep without being told what to do at what particular time,” said Matiya-Nkhoma.
He said the President’s office had initially indicated that the church leaders should be accommodated at Superior Hotel but that this was changed to Mount Soche Hotel where everything has been paid for.
“How can we hold our own caucuses in a place where we are being forced to be. If at all, they should have given us the money so that we go where we want to go and be able to do our own things,” said Matiya-Nkhoma.
But Moderator for the Synod Reverend Maurice Munthali said in another interview that the synod has decided to ignore the President’s call because it has discovered some “grey areas surrounding the meeting,”.
“For instance the agenda of the meeting is not known. As a church we would have loved if the new State President had been transparent enough to tell us why he is inviting all religious leaders in the country. Why hide the agenda?” Queried Munthali.
Munthali said he, in his capacity as moderator for the synod as well as Public Affairs Committee publicity secretary, feels the UDF government has not changed and that it still has sinister motives.
“We suspect foul play behind the meeting because Bingu recently told the nation that he has chosen Lilongwe as his base but now we hear of a meeting to be held at Sanjika. Should we say somebody is pushing for the meeting and not Bingu himself?” Queried Munthali.
But general secretary of Blantyre Synod Daniel Gunya differed with his counterpart saying the synod will send a delegation.
“We think it’s just a series of meetings the State President has organised as a reconciliatory process and some people from the synod will definitely attend the meeting tomorrow (Thursday),” said Gunya.
On the issue of Sanjika as venue, Gunya said the synod thinks the President has chosen Sanjika due to the big number of delegates expected to attend the meeting.
Acting Secretary to the President and Cabinet Bright Msaka said in an interview Mutharika has called for the meeting to promote dialogue between government and leaders of the faith community.
“The idea is always consensus building. The faith community has an important role to play in the country,” said Msaka.
He said invitations to the meeting have gone to almost all main religious bodies.
Catholic Secretariat spokesman Father Robert Mwaungulu confirmed that the head of the Catholic Church in the country Archbishops Tarcisius Ziyaye will attend the meeting together with bishops Felix Mkhori, Thomas Msusa and Peter Musikuwa.
He said bishops Alessandro Assolari and Joseph Zuza are the only bishops who will miss the meeting because they are outside the country.
“We’ve been informed that the President wants to meet the bishops to have an initial dialogue with them together with other leaders of faith communities,” said Mwaungulu.
Some of the faith community leaders expected to go to the meeting include Moslems, Pentecostals, Hindus and Anglicans.
Church communities, especially those in the Catholic and CCAP ganged up against Mutharika in the run-up to the May 20 general elections, accusing him of having been imposed on the people by his predecessor Bakili Muluzi.
On his campaign trail, Muluzi kept on accusing the church leaders of meddling in politics. The churches, however, said it was their role to guide their flock in matters that affect their daily lives.
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