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President Bingu wa Mutharika’s failure to attend CCAP functions and Eid prayers may see Blantyre Synod and the Muslim Association of Malawi (Mam) miss a national prayer meeting for good rains slated for Saturday, Nation Online has learnt.
Preparations for the prayers to ask God for good rains and a bumper harvest are shrouded in controversy with the Blantyre CCAP Synod pulling out. Mam is also threatening to boycott the prayers if bands are allowed to play at the function.
The prayers, planned to be held at Kamuzu Institute for Sports in Lilongwe, are reported to be dominated by politics with the Blantyre Synod and Mam not eager about them because President Bingu wa Mutharika has recently refused to participate in major CCAP functions and Mam’s Eid prayers.
A source in the organising committee of the prayer meeting said the preparatory meetings have been controversial, especially because apart from Mutharika, other political leaders like the UDF national chair Bakili Muluzi and all opposition leaders have been invited.
Mutharika’s religious advisor Reverend Malani Mtonga, who is coordinating the prayer meeting, confirmed the disagreements but said Mam has agreed to participate if no guitars are played but the Blantyre Synod general secretary Reverend Daniel Gunya has written an apology, saying the Synod will be occupied with other engagements on that day.
“There were indeed some misunderstandings but they have since been sorted out and no band from any church will play. Only the Police Band will have a role,” said Mtonga.
He said all sermons and prayers will be written down by the clergy who will be presenting them “to avoid what happened at the Njamba prayers”.
“Every sermon and liturgy will be scrutinised by the organising committee to ensure that no embarrassment is caused on the political leaders who come. We want all the politicians to attend the prayers feeling safe,” said Mtonga.
During peace prayers held in October at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre, Father Edward Masauko of the Roman Catholic Church in his sermon branded Muluzi’s regime a government of thieves, that MCP was a government of murderers and that Mutharika’s government was only preying on “small fish” in its fight against corruption.
And commenting on the boycott by his synod, Gunya said his Church will be elevating its Mayaka Church to become a Presbytery and so will not be part of the prayers but agreed that Mutharika has, since he assumed office in May, refused to attend five functions the CCAP has invited him to.
“We do not have a grudge against him. There is no ‘tit-for-tat’ here but the President has really not turned up for functions we have invited him to and he has never given us any reasons,” said Gunya.
He cited such functions as the opening of Kachere CCAP in Blantyre and the opening of Domasi Dam which Mutharika was invited to but never attended.
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