By Saunders Jumah
Ever since you broke ranks with your party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and President Peter Mutharika, you have rarely come into the open to inform citizens of this nation your clear stand.
In every statement you made you have sounded metaphorical and usually used riddles and parables. In addition you have been using wrong platform and podiums.
Roman Catholic is the most revered religion with large following in our country, it is remembered to have broken the silence for you and I to be able to speak freely like this. However your activities and seeking political position is tarnishing the good name of this faith.
Despite you being a member of the same but you are the top politician second in command in the country. The freedom we fought in 1994 permit and give you full rights to hold political rallies across the nation anywhere, anytime anyhow.
Using Roman Catholic church to pursue your political career is not only wrong but bringing religious conflict in a secular state like Malawi.
Your messages have been sound, clear and progressive but on the wrong platform. Roman Catholic is neutral organization whose mandate is to serve mankind free from political affiliations.
We are aware you are scared of manipulations and political persecution by those you serve but in a game of politics “fear is a foregone conclusion” you must stop using the church come into the open and join your movement.
Your predecessor Joyce Banda when she was in your shoes after facing the very same treatment you face now stood as the second in command but formed her “People’s Party” and served the nation and her followers.
Choosing to speak in church while your movement is speaking publicly and being harassed by the party that has just disowned you is showing kind of shortage of leadership quality.
7 Bishops stood by their Sheep in 1992 they did not go to speak in Vatican or Zambia, they spoke in Malawi on a great Sunday while Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Kamuzu Banda and Malawi Young Pioneers and Youth League were in the country. This is what is called servant leadership and Shepherdship of leaders.
You have been sending intelligence and progressive message out to the nation but in democracy you are wrong because you are using wrong field and wrong place.
Chilima Movement is gathering momentum without you.
Vice President Saulos Chilima Malawi is a democracy of multiparty system everyone is allowed by law to speak or differ by law.
What you are doing reminds me of the night meetings we had in the bushes of Blantyre and Mwanza in the 1980s for fear of MCP then because by then we were under one party state and dictatorship.
Maenga as well as the Utopian philosophy urge you to get out from your comfort zone and get out of the church come into the open and discharge your political duty which is your career now.
Many of us are questioning your capability already, there are many questions we need to ask you but not in church. Come on the political ground and face the people.
Questions like why are you washing dirty linen in the open? What happened inside for you to start despising the vehicle that brought you to that position? Did you realize of the “isms” of tribe, region and corruption now or you discovered this in 2014?
We cannot come into Roman Catholic church to ask you all these questions as we are not members of the church.
Citizens in numbers are eager to see you on the political platform so that we can share this dream of liberating together this nation.
Make yourself available and be serious with the restoration of this country.
********Saunders Jumah is a regular Maravi Post contributor works for MAENGA;
His views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of the Publisher or the Editor of Maravi Post
Comments
2 responses to “Malawi Vice President Chilima must stop using Roman Catholic Church to advance political agenda; Open letter”
The VP is a coward a big one for that matter. he has demonstrated that he is not a leader who can be trusted. He uses the Catholic Church to vent his anger. he thinks by talking kwa Aroma anzake amumvera chisoni. he must note that Malawi is not made up of Aroma okhaokha and note also that among the catholic members there are people with different political inclinations. I was in the church when you were talking in riddles. I must inform you that many people were annoyed although some were clapping hands in pretext. Stop being babyish as some quarters have already branded you as such.
Alibe Nkani UYU. it is unfortunate that Peter Mutharika gave him the exposure