President Joyce Banda yesterday welcomed the criticism from Catholic bishops in the country of her administration’s management style, including abuse of power and limited adherence to the rule of law.
Speaking during the World Aids Day commemoration in Kasungu, Banda said her government will work on the shortfalls pointed out and consolidate the positive gains.
She said: “The pastoral letter is giving us an opportunity to improve on the shortcomings. This [pastoral letter] is a welcome development, God speaks through leaders such as the bishops.”
The President warned her followers to desist from arguing against anything from the letter the Catholic Church issued yesterday in which the bishops condemned government’s handling of several sticky issues, including the Capital Hill cashgate and poor democratic principles.
In the pastoral letter under the theme ‘Strengthening The Vision Of Our Destiny’ read in all Catholic churches across the country, the Catholic bishops observed that there is limited adherence to the rule of law.
They further noted that there is witch-hunting and arbitrary arrests of government critics, abuse of power, limited responsiveness, accountability and weak public goods delivery, hand-clapping and praise-singing, weakening spirit of patriotism in the leadership and spirit of fatalism in the country.
And in a separate statement also issued at the weekend, the Catholic Church described the Capital Hill cashgate as an embarrassment and an indication of serious moral decadence and dwindling levels of patriotism to the country.
The bishops said they have been quiet on the Capital Hill cashgate because they were pondering and praying over the revelations.
Reads the statement on the cashgate: “We are dismayed that materialism, corruption and get-rich-quick syndrome seem to be on the rise at the expense of truth, honesty and hard working.”
The bishops have called for thorough investigations into the matter.
The bishops have also pleaded with the country’s donors to find other ways of channelling the aid they have suspended to Malawi so that innocent Malawians should not suffer.
Three weeks ago, Malawi’s donors under the Common Approach to Budget Support (Cabs) suspended budget aid amounting to $150 million for the October to December 2013 quarter due to concerns about pilferage of public resources at Capital Hill.
Likening the situation in the country to Joshua and his compatriots in the Holy Bible, the bishops said they see Malawi at a crossroads.
Other shortfalls noted are continued and systematic abuse of public resources for selfish party and personal benefit.
The church has also condemned the enactment of repressive and immoral laws that “legalise what is otherwise immoral”; politicisation of development activities, lack of continuity in activities initiated by the previous administrations and continued donor dependence.
“There are worrisome tendencies amongst us that push for a world-view independent of and sidelining God and making human being dependent on their own intellect and determining for themselves what is right and what is wrong,” says the 19-page pastoral letter signed by all Catholic bishops in the country.
The church also talks about the need for quality leadership, national development agenda, citizen participation and spirit of patriotism, national values, the dignity of the human person, the common good, preferential option for the poor and empowerment.
The pastoral letter has described the forthcoming tripartite elections as an opportunity and a challenge to Malawians, urging them to vote for a leader with a vision, a good steward, exemplary, one who respects the Constitution and Rule of Law and is accountable, democratic and genuinely God-fearing.
