TAMTAM 3 FEBBRAIO 2020
Dal Malawi ci scrive padre Piergiorgio Gamba
Alcune di queste date sono state cambiate o riconfermate come il Kamuzu Day, la giornata della memoria del dittatore che per 31 anni ha guidato il paese dopo l’indipendenza.
E mentre i negozi chiudono e barricano le vetrine e nelle città la gente fa le scorte per i giorni a venire, tutte le ambasciate ripetono l’appello all’attenzione e a evitare viaggi… la domenica 2 febbraio resta l’ultimo giorno di riflessione e attesa. Importante la lettera dei Vescovi che ripete :”Peace only direction for progress”.
Riassunti del messaggio dei vescovi del Malawi –
Ahead of Court Ruling on Election Petition in Malawi, Bishops Appeal for “peace and order”
Against the backdrop of the imminent and much-anticipated court ruling on the presidential election petition in Malawi set for Monday, February 3, Catholic Bishops in the Southeast African country have called on Malawians to understand and appreciate the value of “maintaining peace and order.”
“Now that we are all aware that the Constitutional Court will deliver its long-awaited judgment on the Presidential Election Case on Monday, 3rd February 2020, we, the Catholic Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) reiterate our call to all Catholics and peace loving Malawians on the importance of maintaining peace and order,” the Bishops have said in a statement issued at the end of their five-day “reflective plenary” Friday, January 31.
“Whichever way the judgment will go,” the Bishops have noted, all citizens will remain Malawians.
They have emphasized, “We urge all people to be peaceful and act as instruments of peace. We believe that our call for peace reflects the aspiration of the majority of the people in this country particularly women and the vulnerable e.g. children and the elderly in villages who are often victims of political violence.”
The election petition was filed at the Constitutional court on August 8, 2019 by the opposition, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the United Transformation Movement (UTM) on grounds of fraud in the May 21, 2019 poll that saw the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) declare the incumbent President Peter Mutharika, leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), winner with 38.57 percent of the vote.
MCP leader Lazarus Chakwera garnered 35.41 percent while the country’s former Vice President Saulos Chilima of the United Transformation Movement (UTM) received 20.24 percent of the votes.
“To those for whom the judgment will go in their favour, we say act gracefully and desist from using provocative words and actions that will incite violence,” the Bishops in Malawi have appealed in their two-page collective statement availed to ACI Africa Friday, January 31.
The Church leaders have added, “To those who will be dissatisfied with the court ruling, we say seek peaceful and lawful remedies.”
“To this end, we all have a moral obligation to promote and maintain peace,” the Prelates have stated and reiterated their call peace adding, “Peace is the only true direction for human progress and development built on the foundation of respect for rule of law.”
In the same statement, the Bishops who represent the eight episcopal sees in Malawi decry “the butchering of the elderly suspected to be witches or wizards” and term such acts a manifestation of “the state of lawlessness and disregard for the rule of law in this country.”
The Church leaders affirm, “We Pastors of souls, entrusted with the duty and responsibility of promoting and defending life graciously endowed to us by the Creator, we cannot remain silent in the face of this clear and direct violation of human life.”
The Prelates warn the perpetrators of the murders saying “impunity is a temporary condition” and call on the authorities to prevent further loss of lives, demonstrating “that their first and ultimate constitutional duty is to protect and defend life of all including the elderly.”
“We call upon law enforcers to pursue justice in these matters,” the Bishops have stated and added, “We call upon the Parliament to enact laws and policies that would create an environment where rights of all citizens, including the elderly are protected and defended. We call all perpetrators of these heinous crimes to conversion of heart for God ‘forgives sins’ but also ‘punishes all offences’ (cf. Psalm 99:8).”
The Bishops have also addressed reports indicating that more than 1.8 million people in their country will face hunger this year as well as concerns that some citizens are “exposed to rotten foodstuffs distributed by the very same government agency, mandated by law to provide emergency relief to the affected population.”
“We find it sinful and disheartening to hoard large quantities of precious commodities by vendors and individuals with the intent of benefitting from the future price increase as is the case now with maize,” the Bishops in Malawi state in their January 31 statement.
They add, “Let us always remember that God hears the cry of the poor and He protects the widow and the orphan.”
Decrying the failure of the economic gains registered by the country to trickle down to the grassroots, the Bishops have called on the government to, “translate the economic gains into poverty reduction for rural people and urgently support those in critical need.”
CATHOLIC BISHOPS CALL FOR CONTINUED PEACE AND RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF LAW
By: Stella Zulu Kaferapanjira
The Catholic Bishops in the country have called on all the faithful and indeed all people in the country to observe peace, as the Constitutional Court is to deliver its judgment on the Presidential Election Case on Monday, 3rd February 2020.
According to a statement by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), titled “Call for Peace and Respect for the Rule of Law” The Bishops have said Peace is the only true direction for human progress and development built on the foundation of respect for the rule of law. Therefore, it is each citizen’s moral obligation to maintain and promote peace regardless of their political, religion and ethnic affiliations.
“We, the Catholic Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) reiterate our call to all Catholics and peace loving Malawians on the importance of maintaining peace and order. Regardless of whichever way the judgment will go, regardless of the fact that we belong to different tribes, regions, political parties, religious backgrounds etc., the fact remains that after the judgment we will remain Malawians and Malawi will remain our country”. Reads part of statement
The Bishops have continued to say the need for peace reflects the aspiration of the majority of people in this country, particularly vulnerable groups like women, children and the elderly in villages who are often victims of political violence. The bishops have therefore urged those whom the judgment will go in their favor to act gracefully and avoid provocative words and actions that incite violence, and those who will not be satisfied with judgment to seek peaceful and lawful remedies citing that” Blessed are the Peacemakers for they will be called God’s children” (Mt. 5:9).
The Catholic Bishops have also shown dismay with by incidents of violence to human life manifested in the butchering of the elderly suspected to be witches or wizards which shows the state of lawlessness and disregard for the rule of law in this country.
“We Pastors of souls entrusted with the duty and responsibility of promoting and defending life graciously endowed to us by the Creator, we cannot remain silent in the face of this clear and direct violation of human life. While we condemn this vice in the strongest terms, we call upon duty bearers to take urgent measures to reverse the situation and demonstrate that their first and ultimate constitutional duty is to protect and defend life of all including the elderly. Continues the Bishops’ Statement
The Bishops have therefore called upon Law enforcers to pursue justice and the Parliament to enact laws and policies that would create an environment where rights of all citizens, including the elderly are protected and defended.
In the statement, the Bishops also expressed their concern about the state of poverty and hunger in this country citing limited youth employment and economic opportunities, and increased gap between the rich and the poor as few indicators.
“The so-called economic gains the country has registered have not translated into improved living standards for the poor people in rural areas. We are saddened by reports that about 1.8 million people face hunger this year. We find it sinful to hoard large quantities of precious commodities by vendors and individuals with the intent of benefitting from the future price increase as is the case now with maize. We therefore, call upon the Government to translate the economic gains into poverty reduction for rural people and urgently support those in critical need. Said the Bishops
The ECM has therefore asked all Catholics and all people of goodwill to continue praying for justice, peace, reconciliation, unity and love to prevail in Malawi.