By iReporter
In his winding open letter to the State President, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri raises interesting issues that demand immediate clarification so that he understands the role that government plays to ensure smooth working relations with the religious community.
That his food distribution exercise is a great gesture cannot be overstated. Thousands have already benefitted from his gesture and that goes a long way to alleviate hunger problems in our midst.
What we find off in Prophet Bushiri’s communication is twofold; him raising pertinent issues to the head of state through the social media platforms and his presentation of concerns in unprecedented manner.
Why unprecedented? State and Church have always had a relationship defined by a special protocol when doing things. Note should be taken that Bushiri’s Enlightened Christian Gathering Church (ECG) is not the first religious grouping to bail Malawians out in dire times like these. In the same vein, ECG is not the only religious institution at present which is going around the country to distribute food.
The foregoing means that Bushiri’s concerns on not receiving enough security during his exercises are all but true. The Roman Catholic Church through their arm – Catholic Relief and Development Commission (CADECOM), CCAP Synods through their relief departments, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Anglican Church and Muslim Association of Malawi are some religious bodies coordinating distribution of thousands of tonnes of maize to Malawians across the country.
Never at any time have these institutions demanded exaggerated security to carry out their exercises. This is so because tradition has it that community leaders are capable of coordinating such programs without problems at all. On assertions that some chiefs did not welcome him, all the man of God had to do was contact relevant government ministries and departments to intervene.
Under normal circumstances, chiefs are the first people to welcome help for their subjects. As earlier stated, most of the things Prophet Bushiri has complained about are unfounded as they emanate from what people are saying on the social media. Most of the discussion therein is too opinionated and sensational and cannot be taken with grain truth. As things are right now, every Malawian knows that the prophet is a spiritual leader nothing else.
Those who opine that he is eyeing the Presidency in 2019 are doing so within the constitutional parameters of their freedoms. It will therefore be lack of reason if anyone was to stop Bushiri’s exercise on speculation based on the 2019 polls. President Mutharika has not even stopped any of his fellow politicians from opposition to help Malawians with food. How then can he stop someone whose political life is only true on the lips of rumour mongers? It is advisable that food and politics do not cross paths and this is the underlying belief within Professor Mutharika’s government.
It is not late for Prophet Bushiri to book an appointment with the President where both his unfounded and founded concerns can be addressed once and for all. It is sad that the man of God has decided to suspend his exercise before sitting down with the head of state, not even his ministers or any government. Next time – to avoid similar scenarios- the Prophet will need to talk to relevant authorities to avoid getting tricked by informal platforms such as social media whose purpose is to excite those with urge for pleasure.
