LUSAKA AUGUST 05, 2016 (CISA) – Bishop Evans Chinyama Chinyemba of the Catholic Diocese of Mongu has urged the faithful to pray for peace in the country and to vote in next week’s elections.
“Arm yourselves not with a party panga, but with your NRC and voter’s Card. Your vote and not violence is what will be count at the end of the day,” Bishop Chinyemba said in a letter to the faithful.
“As you line up to vote, remember the millions of Zambians who are not able to vote because they are under-age. If you put your selfishness before the future of those not yet able to vote, you shall be held responsible,” added the bishop.
The bishop decried the public media’s behaviour that seems to have left the Electoral Commission of Zambia powerless knowing that the hand of government is in both institutions.
“Zambia votes aware of how Zambians have allowed the Public Media ZNBC, Times of Zambia, Daily Mail, ZANIS, NAIS (state-owned, ed.) to destroy the public media ethics and have decided to always speak for the party in power,” said the bishop.
The bishop, further said the public media has given birth to some online media that have become mouth pieces for the opposition political parties, consequently “with all these election media challenges, the Electoral Commission of Zambia should after this year’s elections revise its Electoral Code of Conduct in as far as it relates to the media.”
“As Zambia goes to the poll on the 11th August, 2016 (feast of St. Clare of Assisi, ed.), we seek St. Clare’s intercession especially for those who are involved in various forms of media,” he said.
