THE Patriotic Front (PF) in Lusaka has accused former Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu of creating enmity between President Edgar Lungu and the Catholic Church.
Featuring on Muvi Television’s The Assignment programme on Sunday, Emeritus Archbishop Mpundu of Lusaka Archdiocese said the “shameful” Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 10 of 2019 should have been correctly called Bill third term for Lungu.
He also said people should not be dithering around but call the current regime what it is – a dictatorship in everything, except in name.
“[It’s] shameful for many reasons. First of all, why is it that every administration that comes to State House wants to change the Constitution in order to perpetuate themselves in power? This is wrong!” Archbishop Mpundu said. “They are tampering with the Constitution in order to perpetuate themselves in power. They will be remaining there to continue maladministration in this country. It is a shameful bill! That Bill 10 they should have simply called it Bill third term [because] they want to give a third term to Lungu.”
Responding to the Archbishop, Lusaka Province PF secretary Kamba accused the clergyman of being used by the opposition.
“It is regrettable and with a heavy heart that we are compelled to respond to the unwarranted political attacks targeted on President Edgar Lungu by the former Archbishop of Lusaka Telesphore Mpundu,” he said in a statement.
“It is also regrettable that Archbishop Mpundu has allowed himself to be used by people who don’t mean well for this country, the very people that want to use the Archbishop to deliberately create enmity between President Lungu and the Catholic Church. We want to humbly appeal to Archbishop Mpundu to tame his tongue because we are aware of these machinations to try and create a deliberate rift between the PF government and the Catholic Church.”
He further accused Archbishop Mpundu of consistently criticising the PF and mocking them over Bill 10.
“Archbishop Telesphore Mpudu has been consistent in showering negative criticism of President Lungu and the PF. Sometime back he was quoted by the tabloids saying it is time for President Lungu to bid farewell because he has served two terms and that the PF must not celebrate the 2021 election victory because the mood in the country was ‘enough is enough’,” Kamba said further.
“And today, Bishop Mpundu is seemingly trying to mock the PF over Bill 10 when it is clear that Bill 10 is not a PF issue but a public and national issue. It is regrettable that Bishop Mpundu is quoted having said PF should have called Bill 10 as ‘Third Term Bill’. This is highly provocative and misleading the nation.”
Kamba said the PF had no desire to antagonise the Catholic Church.
“Let me state that it is not the desire of the PF to be in an antagonistic situation with any clergyman, especially from the respected Catholic Church and its established ecclesiastical authority. Therefore, let me put it on record that we are responding to the retired Archbishop Mpundu as an individual who has opted to take a biased opinion and political affiliation,” he said.
“We are not responding to the respected entire Catholic Church and its establishment. The PF government enjoys a very cordial relationship with the Catholic Church. It is very sad that Bishop Mpundu has elected to play politics and to be used by the opposition UPND to propagate political hatred and ridicule President Edgar Lungu who has tried by whatever means possible to engage clergymen even those with dissenting views.”
Kamba accused the Archbishop of forming an association inclined to the opposition.
He said such acts from the Archbishop were shameful.
“It is extremely unfortunate and regrettable that Archbishop Mpundu has gone to an extent of forming an opposition inclined association called Our-Civic Duty Association whose agenda is basically to discredit President Lungu and the PF government. These maneuvers by Archbishop Mpundu are very embarrassing not only to the Catholic Church but the entire nation that expects him to play an exemplary role of being a shepherded, a parent to all of us as a senior cleric in this country,” said Kamba.
“The language that Archbishop Mpundu is using is so divisive that it has become clear that he cannot embrace dialogue anymore even when doors are open for him to engage President Lungu or indeed the government establishments of this country. He is indeed putting the respected Catholic Church in an awkward and embarrassing situation because many of us are Catholics and we know the dignified manner in which the local episcopal engages President Lungu and the government.”