FODEP Condemns Bribe Receiving African Methodist Church The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has condemned the African Methodist Church in Luapula for receiving a K2, 000 bribe from the Patriotic Front campaign team ahead of the November 22 Mansa by-elections. According to a statement by Fodep executive director MacDonald Chipenzi, the civil society is demanding that the church returns the money and avoid a potential legal challenge after the election. Chipenzi has said politicians now consider the church as a “vote bank” while its leadership is referred to as “electoral ATMs [automated teller machines].” Below is Fodep’s Statement on the Mansa By-Election THE Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) is saddened with the Chitamba African Methodist Church in Luapula for accepting a donation of ZMK2, 000 from the Patriotic Front Campaign team on Sunday, 10th November, 2013 during the Sunday church service. FODEP is disturbed that the church which is supposed to be in the forefront fight corruption is now embracing and entertaining it. We would like to appeal to the Church in Zambia to help curb electoral corruption perpetuated by electoral donations to reduce possible election petitions. The continued invitation of politicians by church leaders to their congregations for church services during campaigns and subsequent acceptance of gifts and exorbitant offerings and pledges being made by politicians has resulted in costly by-elections caused by election petitions like the case was in Chipata Central. Church leaders must not encourage corruption by deliberately inviting politicians to their congregations during campaigns tempting them to make unrealistic church donations or offerings in order to woo church members’ votes. Church leaders should know that Politicians are now considering the church as “a vote bank” and church leaders as “electoral ATMs” hence the donations to energise pastors and bishops to convince their members to vote for a particular candidate in their preaching. In this regard, FODEP wishes to express its greatest disappointment to and further condemn the African Methodist Church of Chitamba in Mansa Constituency for receiving donations of ZMK1, 000.00 from Patriotic Front (PF) campaign manager and deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Honorable Nickson Chilangwa, and another ZMK1, 000.00 from Luapula Province Permanent Secretary Mr. Kasolo respectively during a church service where the duo in the company of the Mansa Central PF Candidate, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya among others attended. FODEP monitors in Mansa revealed that the Church in question invited PF candidate and his campaign team to the Church during which they made the donations in question and church members urged to vote for the PF candidate Dr. Chilufya on the 22nd November Mansa Central by-election. FODEP would like to remind the African Methodist Church leadership and the PF campaign team that Chipata Central parliamentary seat was nullified by the Court of law not too long ago due to politicians engaging themselves in church donations during campaigns, which the PF is very much alive to. Finally, FODEP would like to advise the church, political parties, candidates and their supporters that donations of any sort during campaigns are illegal and amounts to electoral blackmail and corruption. We call on the African Methodist Church in Mansa to return the donated money to the owners to avoid contestation of the election results and invite grounds for a possible electoral petition. Signed: McDonald Chipenzi Executive Director zambiareports/2013/11/12/fodep-condemns-bribe-receiving-african-methodist-church/
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 06:55:06 +0000
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