Livingstonia Synod rues cashgate year

The CCAP Livingstonia Synod has passed a bittersweet verdict on the year ending, saying: “Not everything was unwell, but cashgate was a disgrace to the nation.”

The synod moderator, the Right Reverend Dr Timothy Nyasulu, said this when asked to sum up the state of the nation as Malawians enter the electoral year—2014.

In an interview, Nyasulu stated: “Looking back at 2013 as a church, cashgate was disgraceful to the nation because it could be symptomatic of widespread corruption.

“It is sinful because it involves stealing and it is also an act of selfishness among those entrusted with the public purse because the billions at stake could have benefited many Malawians who will bear its consequences.

Nyasulu, who was elected moderator of the three-nation CCAP General Assembly, also chairs the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) board of trustees.

But speaking in his synod’s capacity, he asked government to let justice prevail in resolving the corruption scandal currently on trial. He said it is the hope of the Livingstonia Synod that the courts will handle the trials professionally, accordingly and lawfully while ensuring that it does not spill to the post-poll period.

The Malawi Electoral Commission has set May 20 2014 as the day Malawians will go to the polls to elect a president, members of Parliament and ward councillors.

The theft of public funds came to the fore following the shooting of former budget director Paul Mphwiyo as he entered his Area 43 residence in September.

Ever since, some donors have frozen financial aid to government and some think the scandal is also to blame for delays in payment of civil servants’ salaries as well as drug stock-outs widespread in the country’s healthcare system.

The synod has been almost silent on the matter, but the moderator reckons they were speaking in unison with other faith organisations and their moderation should not be construed as if they have been bribed to relent on their prophetic role on articulating issues of national importance.

As the nation is gearing for the polls, Nyasulu also took time to congratulate political parties for conducting primary polls to identify their candidates.

He, however, urged them to desist from violence and rigging that marred the search for candidates.

“The primaries are just a family affair where people are just identifying candidates who can represent them in 2014. I shudder to think what those fighting will do when it comes to the main affair. Those fighting are members of the same party, what else would they have done if they were facing competition from other parties?” he wondered.

The moderator also restated what Paramount Chief Kyungu said in the run-up to the clash between ruling People’s Party provincial chair Frank Mwenefumbo and Deputy Finance Minister Dr Cornelius Mwalwanda: “Be tolerant; discuss issues, not personalities; and don’t think you can win by fighting.”