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Government has said that it would engage the Catholic Bishops over the concerns which they raised in the pastoral letter recently.
Chief Government Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, said that only a dialogue provided an opportunity for the government to learn more from the Catholic Bishops.
Responding to the Bishop’s concerns at a media briefing in Lusaka on Thursday morning, Mweetwa said government wanted to particularly learn on the solutions they envisage that could be prescribed to some of the challenges raised in the letter.
He reiterated government’s unwavering commitment of being a societal and community-demand driven government.
“The President Hakainde Hichilema is a strong advocate of polite and sober dialogue and consensus building on national matters with a view to achieving a win-win outcome on issues of national interest,” Mweetwa emphasized.
He further said that Hichilema was a strong defender of the rule of law and that the law must be applied judiciously, without fear or favor.
The Minister of Information and Media also indicated that the Head of State, Hichilema, was ready to meet with the church leaders at the earliest instance of convenience.
“The government is open to dialogue as a way of resolving national matters adding that it will continue to maintain an open door policy and be receptive to positive criticism from its citizens and institutions,” Mweetwa stated.
He promisee that the nation would be updated on the outcome of the dialogue with the Catholic Bishops.
“Upon assuming office, Hichilema pledged to closely work with the Church in fostering development in the country,” Mweetwa reiterated.
He acknowledged that the church and government cannot afford to work in isolation but as partners in realizing the much needed development in the country, as well as addressing challenges affecting citizens.
Read More: Catholic bishops reiterate demand for transparency, accountability in governance
Recently the Catholic bishops in Zambia demanded transparency and accountability on debt restructuring and mining concessions.
The Church also regretted the utterances by ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) Secretary-General, Batuke Imenda, for branding Lusaka Archbishop, Alick Banda as ‘Lucifer’ of Zambia.
On the Judiciary, the Catholic Bishops noted that it was the mandate of the judiciary to adjudicate in matters where a stalemate has been reached in a political party.
On Parliament, the Bishops noted that the National Assembly was a place of honour and dignity endowed with the privilege to legislate on behalf of the Zambian people but that, however, some of the recent happenings in the House fell below the expectation of the citizenry.
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