By Vincent Gunde
The Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops (MCCB) says many citizens, especially the youth are prepared to lay down their life-worse still to beat up supporters of other political parties in support of their political leaders and political parties that have failed miserably to assist them to live a dignified life.
The Bishops say a few handouts in cash or kind are enough to convince them that their political leaders are outstanding, and deserve the sacrifice of the time, life and property of everyone.
They say even political leaders and political parties which have achieved nothing in the past or are completely incapable of achieving anything are still loudly and proudly praised as “Boma”.
In the Pastoral Letter read in all Catholic churches across the country last Sunday, the Catholic Bishops say since the dawn of democracy, there have been an ever increasing habit of handouts in the country saying people expect handouts from practically everybody in authority.
The Bishops say political and religious leaders, civil servants, business people, are all pestered with begging for handouts from morning to evening literally everywhere.
They say over the last 2 years or so, Malawians have heard and seen ugly incidents of political intolerance by fanatic supporters of particular political parties barring and even physically attacking political leaders of other parties as if the country has been parceled out to individual political parties.
“This evil practice is not only against our Constitution as a Nation but also criminal and has no place in our Nation,” reads the Pastoral Letter –Lent 2025 in part.
The Catholic Bishops say over the recent years, Malawians have noted with great concern the use of Malawi Defense Force (MDF) in Malawi Police Service (MPS) related services such as patrolling boarders to stop traders from selling certain food items outside the country, manning road blocks, and re-allocating local communities from their traditional settlements.
They say while the intention of engaging the MDF in these activities might be very good, the fact that the MDF is not trained to deal with members of the general public in a way that protects their dignity and rights, the Malawi Police Service is well trained for such tasks.
The Bishops have noted with great concern that since the dawn of democracy, it is for very few years that there has been food security at household level in spite of having many perennial rivers and a very big lake.
They have cried over very high cost of living which has now become a household song everywhere in the country observing that particularly hit, are vendors who are struggling to sell merchandize and equally badly affected are the country’s Boarding Secondary Schools.
The Catholic Bishops have reminded Malawians that in this Jubilee Year of Hope, God is the ultimate source of renewal and transformation saying every Malawian has a role to play in rolling away the stones of poverty, corruption, and division claiming that these are hindering nation’s progress.
On a sad note, the Catholic Bishops have noted with deep concern that the country has very poor and neglected roads in various parts especially in rural areas and this has been for many years such as Chingale Road, the Rumphi-Chitipa –Ilomba Road, the Phwezi –Karonga Road, Nkhotakota-Dwangwa Road, and many others.
