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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Four Decades of Grace (1964 - 2004)
A Joint
Pastoral Statement from the Christian Churches in Zambia
To Mark the Country's Forty Years of Independence
"Your
Light Must Shine in the Sight of Men" (Matthew 5:16)
Introduction
To
all Zambians of Good Will!
1. The three Christian Church mother bodies, namely, the Council of Churches in
Zambia (CCZ), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), and the Zambia
Episcopal Conference (ZEC), greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Since the joyful occasion of national independence in 1964, we have known
that Independence was not the end but rather the beginning of a long and
difficult road towards nation building. The Church has always called for unity,
dedication and hard work from each and every citizen as necessary conditions if
that nation building is ever to become a reality.
3. This year marks forty years since we started our nation building. As we
celebrate now our fortieth independence anniversary with joy and thanksgiving,
it is befitting to use the occasion to reflect on how, as a country, we have
performed on our journey towards nation building and what challenges lie before
us.
4. This is also an occasion for us, as Churches, to thank God for the gift of
independence, and to look critically at our own contribution to the building of
a better Zambia. We get
our inspiration from the Scriptures where it is said "For I know the plans
I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a
future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I
will hear you. (Jeremiah 29:11-12).
REASONS
TO CELEBRATE
Social
Integration and Harmony
5.
Despite our country's social diversity, we have been able to hold together, in
unity, as citizens of Zambia.
Today many Zambians have married or have strong friendships across ethnic lines.
Many Zambians have also settled in different parts of the country which are not
their native homes without any feeling of insecurity or not being accepted.
Zambia has also become home to people of different racial backgrounds who play
an active role in our country's social, political and economic spheres. This
achievement has by no means been accidental, but a result of God's grace as well
as the will and determination of our founding fathers and mothers to build one
nation from numerous ethnic and racial groups. We should cherish and nurture
this bond and never take it for granted. We should diligently guard against
anything that would, through political expediency, threaten it.
Absence
of Serious Civil Conflict
6.
Zambia has not known extreme civil strife to the level we see in some countries.
The description of Zambia as an "Oasis of Peace" is indeed
appropriate. For this reason, Zambia has played host to hundreds of thousands of
refugees from some neighbouring countries and other parts of Africa beset by civil strife. We should celebrate the grace of having been spared from
such extreme civil strife and also celebrate the opportunity we have been given
to serve and give refuge to our brothers and sisters running from social and
political instability.
7. The relative peace, stability and unity in Zambia also allowed us to give
unreserved support to those brothers and sisters who were still in colonial
bondage. In the four decades of our independence, the rest of Africa has been liberated. We should be happy as a country to have played a critical
part in the emancipation of the African continent particularly in our region.
Clearly, our immense sacrifices towards Africa's
liberation have not been in vain.
Relative
Political Stability
8.
Notwithstanding various administrations Zambia has experienced, the country has
been relatively stable politically. The country has undergone many political
transitions, which have even seen change of governments. However these
processes, though generating fierce political contest, have never degenerated
into anarchy and the disintegration of the state. All major political problems
have been resolved by either dialogue or the due process of the law.
Investment
in Infrastructure, Health and Education and Other Areas
9.
During the colonial era, very little was done in terms of investment in human
and infrastructure development. At the time of independence, in 1964, there was
therefore a great challenge for Zambia
to make education and health services available and accessible to all Zambians.
10. This could not be achieved without massive investment in health and
educational facilities. In the past forty years of independence, hospitals and
rural health centres have been constructed in all the districts. In addition we
have our national referral hospital, the UTH, and two other major hospitals in
Ndola and Kitwe. Infrastructure in education, in terms of primary schools,
secondary schools and tertiary institutions, outstanding among them being the
University of Zambia and the Copperbelt University, have been built and these
have, over the years, produced the required human capital for the nation.
11. The policy of free education and health services played a critical role to
accelerate the necessary investment in human development. That Zambia today is a
significant exporter of highly skilled personnel is a testimony to this
investment. It must be noted though that this is now negatively impacting upon
our society, as we suffer from the so-called "brain Drain".
12. We can also celebrate Zambia's investment in other relevant infrastructure
such as roads, electricity, telecommunications, and information technology.
These are vital ingredients in the development of any country.
The
Contribution of the Church to Nation Building
13.
As we commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Zambia's independence, we
celebrate the fact that as a church we have not been mere spectators in nation
building and national development. The churches have made and continue to make
significant contributions in the areas of health, education, rural agricultural
development programmes, youth empowerment and the fight against HIV/AIDS and its
devastating effects on the family and society at large.
14. Though our well meant contributions have sometimes been misunderstood, we
have also played our part in governance issues, always bringing in the moral and
ethical dimension in the promotion of greater respect for human rights, the
establishment of social justice, and strong concern for the poor.
15. We can celebrate and be thankful to God for the wonderful spirit of
ecumenical cooperation that has marked our Church progress in Zambia. Health
efforts (through the Churches Health Association of Zambia CHAZ) and joint
pastoral letters are two examples of this cooperation. We can rejoice that we
strive to live out what Jesus prayed for at the Last Supper, that we all may be
one so that people will believe Jesus is the one sent by God (John 17:20-23)
CHALLENGES
AND SETBACKS
16.
Today we can look back as a nation and be happy about our achievements. But we
also recognize learning points, which should serve as lessons in building our
future. We can just mention a few cases in the various structures and sectors of
our society.
ECONOMIC
SPHERE
Nationalisation
of Major Industries
17.
After the Presidential Watershed Speech of 1968, Zambia went for wholesale
nationalisation of major industries and the subsequent creation of a state-run
economy. Whereas the reasoning at the time was to redistribute the benefits of
our national resources to the majority of citizens, sufficient care was not
taken over the years, to ensure continued productiveness of these industries.
Political interference, mismanagement, lack of reinvestment, and personal greed
killed many of these industries and this contributed to the general decline of
our economy.
Dependency
on Copper
18.
For a long time, Zambia relied
on a mono-economy of copper mining. Our economy thrived in the initial years of
our independence due to high revenues earned from copper production. However,
our economic vulnerability was exposed with the decline of copper prices on the
world market in early 1970s. This problem was compounded by the global oil
crisis, which saw huge increases in the prices of oil on the world market. The
diminished revenue from copper earnings and the increased price we had to pay
for importing oil contributed to trade imbalances against Zambia. Thus Zambia
went into massive borrowing from international financial institutions and
creditor countries to meet our revenue short fall and hence the beginning of our
current external financial indebtedness.
19. Even with clear problems in the copper industry, as a country we failed to
develop credible economic alternatives. This is despite the fact that Zambia is
endowed with an abundance of natural resources like fertile land, water, forests
and tourist sites. We know that these are the same type of resources on which
some thriving economies in other countries are anchored.
20. The failure of our economy led to social problems such as unemployment,
poverty, and the persistence of curable diseases. It also led to the collapse of
infrastructure and public services, and to a huge increase in our debt burden,
now over US$ 6.5 billion. Zambia was once regarded as one of the richest
countries in Africa. Today,
sadly, it is one of the poorest nations in the world.
21. There was an opportunity and hope for a fresh start with the political and
economic reforms of 1991 but it has ended up as a missed opportunity. The
economic reforms of the 1990s, all too often externally imposed and not
nationally owned, have not achieved the desired results. We have experienced
massive privatisation of industries and yet the anticipated results of a vibrant
private sector driven economy have not been realised. Industries have been
closed, foreign capital has come in primarily not for production but for
marketing, and unemployment and poverty have escalated.
POLITICAL
SPHERE
The
Introduction of the One Party State in 1973
22.
This is another dark spot in the history of our country. At the time, there may
have been justification to move away from multiparty politics, which had
degenerated into violent divisions in the nation. It was then deemed necessary
to introduce the One Party State, ushering in the Second Republic, in order to pull
the country together in our quest for nation building. In time, the one party
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