WHEN THE WICKED RULE
The people groan
Tony Nkhoma
WHEN the righteous are in authority, people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, people groan, Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka Archbishop Dr Alick Banda has said quoting Proverbs 29:2 of the Bible.
And Archbishop Banda says late sixth president Edgar Lungu will always be remembered as a president who enacted a Constitution that was a product of broad-based participation and consensus.
He said people longed for leadership which served with compassion and leadership that served with integrity.
Speaking in his homily during the requiem mass for Lungu at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Berea, Hillbrow, Johannesburg in South Africa yesterday, Archbishop Banda said leadership that put people first and put service above status and self-righteousness.
He said the people of Zambia had lost a leader who had borne the weight of office in humility and silent strength.
“As we bid our last farewell to the late 6th president of Zambia, let us not overlook the lessons he is leaving behind, namely: leadership is service; true authority is in humility and in lifting others up, and power belongs to the people,” Archbishop Banda said
He said Lungu gave his accomplished service to the people of Zambia at times quietly, and at times boldly, both in public as well as in private life.
Archbishop Banda described Lungu as a humble man, easy to relate with, sociable, approachable and available.
“He was the people’s president. And in furtherance of the biblical injunction, of ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’, Lungu related very well with neighbours,” he said.
Archbishop Banda said Lungu, just like many, had both strengths and weaknesses, vision, and imperfections but ruled the country with resilience in trying times of drought and Covid-19 pandemic.
“Despite all that, he showed resilience and dedication to public service; maintaining the country’s peace, superintending over massive infrastructure development across the country, and living the legacy of his predecessor [Michael Sata] of ‘More Money in the Pockets’,” Archbishop Banda said.
He said history would speak loud about Lungu for enacting a Constitution amendment that was a product of broad-based participation and consensus.
Lungu left office peacefully when the moment came, an act of prudence and humility.
Archbishop Banda said Lungu did not exhibit acts of desperation for power, but a recognition that leadership is stewardship, and not ownership.
Lungu was scheduled to be buried in Johannesburg after the requiem service but the burial was halted by a court order following an urgent application by the Zambian government in the South African High Court in Pretoria.
The mass proceeded without Lungu’s body.
