UPND Party Consultant, Mark Simuuwe’s opinion article criticizes the actions of former Zambian President Edgar Chakwa Lungu during his presidency in relation to the church and various political issues. Simuuwe points to how Lungu favoured a group called “Christians for Lungu” over traditional churches and accuses Lungu of using derogatory language towards the traditional religious bodies. Key points in the article include:

1. Lungu’s reluctance to engage with prominent religious organizations like the Zambia Council of Catholic Bishops, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, and Council of Churches in Zambia.
2. Strained relations with the church due to events such as the arrest of President HH and the passage of controversial legislation.
3. Accusations that “Christians for Lungu” are deceiving Lungu into seeking reconciliation with the church, without apologizing for previous actions.
4. A call for accountability, transparency, and repentance, including addressing issues like alleged financial improprieties and ethnic divisions in politics.
5. Emphasis on the role of the church in guiding Lungu and his team towards reconciliation and unity.

The article concludes with a call for Lungu and his associates to be forthcoming about their actions and to take responsibility for any wrongdoings. It also mentions the need for better political conduct and tolerance in the current political landscape. The article suggests that further developments will follow. FULL TEXT:

THE CHURCH MOTHER BODIES AND ECL

By Mark Simuuwe | During his reign as President of Zambia, Edgar Chakwa Lungu opted for the Christians for Lungu, dumped all the traditional churches and called them names. He did not want meetings with the Zambia Council of Catholic Bishops, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, Council of Churches in Zambia. The church does not put that to heart, due to biblical fundamentals.

ECL closed doors to them completely especially when he arrested President HH on a trumped up treason charge.

ECL further closed doors when it came to Bill 10, Cyber Security and Cyber Crime Law enactment, manipulation of Public Order Act, human rights violations and extra judicial killings.

The three church mother bodies have always meant well for the country.

Today, ECL has been deceived by the Christians for Lungu who do not want to apologize even for calling the three church mother bodies names simply because they wanted to continue in illegal deals at the expense of citizens; they have conceded they have no capacity to do anything for ECL and his team and are now deceiving ECL to visit the three church mother bodies.

This is what criminals do. The Christians for Lungu must be put where they belong and not allow them to adulterate the three church mother bodies.

I pray that the Three Church Mother Bodies will also pump sense in ECL and Lubinda team on the danger of the kind of games to expel others, they are playing in PF, and will also ask the ECL team to accept that when ECL held an illegal convention at the Mulungushi Rock of Authority, it marginalized others like Sampa and KBF.

Further, I hope the three church mother bodies will also teach ECL that politics is not provocation but is by way of persuading electorates.

At these meetings with the three church mother bodies; let the ECL team also disclose how much Mukula was exported illegally, who were the gassers, who were burning markets, why were they killing Citizens using police like Nsama Nsama, Joseph Kaunda, Mapenzi Chibulo as these are the issues the church was raising when ECL was not giving them audience.

The church should also remind ECL and his team that God forgives but the law requires that those appearing for various offences be answerable and that God does not like thieves because theft deprives the poor.

Further, ECL must repent of the atrocities he committed and be made to apologize to those ethnic groups he marginalized and fired through ethnic cleansing.

ECL must also be asked to apologize for dividing the country on ethnic grounds for political mileage and the church should remind ECL and his team that all tribes came from Adam and Eve and that they were created by God.

And since they have rushed to the church, as they ask for forgiveness, they should be told to stop evil divisions and dirty propaganda aimed at making some tribes look bad and that God hates that.

Since ECL has again started tribal politics, the church should also remind him on the danger of such divisive politics that should he be caged one day and be made to account through a legal process, it will not be persecution but prosecution.

As ECL and others are mourning their loss of PF to Miles Sampa, the church should also remind ECL that do unto others as you would like them to do to you.

Lastly, let ECL and his Ministers, like Zaccheus, hand over what they stole from citizens as reflected in the FIC report which made ECL vent at Mary Chirwa and allow God to take control of their lives.

Let them disclose where those ukwa bags found with money came from and how they got that money.

The church should also remind them to bring back the money the PF stole and took abroad and tell them that since government will start the process of bringing back that money, the PF should willfully bring it back so that they don’t cry persecution for the wrongs they did.

Lastly, let the Church remind ECL and friends on how tolerant their president HH is regardless of how much he is insulted day and night, that he is also human and some of the statements they are releasing are not expected from a statesman.

…. To be continued ; this is a developing write up!!