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UDF has described the Nkhoma Synod pastoral letter released this week as wrong because it presents a misinformed view that fails to take into account the historical legacy and international factors working against Malawi.
UDF director of research George Chaponda said in a statement on Thursday the letter has failed to honestly characterise the limitations and opportunities facing the economy but rather presented a distorted picture of the past nine years.
“The CCAP (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) letter has failed to take into account that the UDF inherited an economy which was in ruins through years of mismanagement, corruption and suppression of business acumen and infrastructure. Hence all efforts throughout the nine years have been geared towards stabilising the economy in order to create conditions for rapid growth,” Chaponda said.
The letter, entitled reconsidering the future of our country, singled out poor economic policies and lack of good governance as the things that have characterised Muluzi’s administration and pushed the country into dire poverty.
On Wednesday, the two other CCAP synods, Livingstonia and Blantyre endorsed the Nkhoma pastoral letter and pledged to read it throughout the country on December 14.
But Chaponda said the Nkhoma pastoral letter could not be compared to the 1992 bishops letter.
He said UDF as a party has high regard for the church especially for the role they played by condemning authoritarian government of Dr. Kamuzu Banda on human rights issues which were legitimate.
“But the Nkhoma Synod letter can be seriously questioned on several grounds. In that letter there is lack of appreciation of the positive changes that the government has brought about which the pastoral letter mentions only in passing while concentrating on the negative aspects.” Chaponda said.
He boasted that the last nine years has witnessed progress as evidenced by the decline in inflation despite shocks in the system created over the years by drought, famine, floods and the fact that resources at the national and household level were being diverted towards managing HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases.
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