THE concerns raised by two Catholic Church leaders expressing their concern over the growing disunity make sad reading.
It is disheartening that after 58 years of being independent, the country is being divided along ethnic lines. It should not be so.
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Lusaka Diocese Archbishop, Dr Alick Banda and Emeritus Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu are said to be deeply concerned about the reverse tribalism taking place in the civil service that has seen more than 400 civil servants offloaded to Cabinet Office in holding positions.
According to civic activist Brebner Changala, the two clerics met for the first time after a long separation for political reasons and have reconciled and reunited for a common cause – the good of the Church and the country.
Mr Changala, who was at their reconciliatory meeting said “What is happening in the civil service where civil servants are being purged on the basis of their ethnicity has been a driving force for Archbishop Dr Banda and Archbishop Mpundu to come together.
They (Archbishop Banda and Archbishop Mpundu) are deeply concerned about the reverse tribalism going on.”
“There is an attack on civil servants on the basis of ethnicity and too many have been shunted at Cabinet Office while another ethnicity is taking over their positions.
The peace, harmony and unity Zambia has enjoyed since 1964 is under attack. Zambia is methodically being divided on ethnicity basis,” Mr Changala said.
The concerns raised by the two Catholic Church should raised serious questions as to whether the new dawn administration is really serious about uniting the country or is taking Zambians for a ride.
It is common knowledge that soon after winning the August 12, 2021 tripartite elections, the United Party for National Development (UPND) started “cleansing” the civil service, claiming that it was full of Patriotic Front cadres.
But it forgot that some of the civil servants were the same people the PF inherited when it succeeded the Movement for Multiparty Democracy regime.
Most joined the civil service during the UNIP era. They can at best be described as career civil servants who served the political party in government.
But what has worried Dr Banda and Archbishop Mpundu is the open disregard for professionalism that has seen officers from certain regions being sidelined, or even downgraded for preferred regions.
This must indeed be very depressing for Emeritus Archbishop Mpundu who backed the UPND in the run-up to the general elections as its leader, Mr Hakainde Hichilema promised to unite the country across the ethnic divide.
He definitely feels he has been betrayed.
This, according to Mr Changala, has prompted Archbishop Dr Banda and Archbishop Mpundu to come together – with help from former President Edgar Lungu – and see how they can end the tribal purging going on in the public service.
They want to see a united nation in which no one should be discriminated along ethnic lines.
Moreover, as the country marks the first commemoration of Kenneth Kaunda Day on April 28, the two clerics should be commended for reminding Zambians of the ideals that he stood for, a united Zambia.
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