PERMANENT Secretary in the Office of the Vice President Ndiwa Mutelo has urged religious leaders to take a more active role in promoting national values and addressing social issues in the country.
Mr Mutelo noted the pivotal role the church plays as a custodian of the nation's moral and ethical standards.
He said this at a church leaders’ meeting for Livingstone constituency at Livingstone Museum on Wednesday.
“We are the custodians of national values. The declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation is something we uphold, and as such, we are committed to fostering a mindset change among our people,” he said.
Mr Mutelo said religious leaders hold a unique position in society as men of God enjoy clerical privilege and are rarely questioned by their congregants.
He encouraged them to leverage this influence to support government initiatives aimed at curbing alcohol and drug abuse, promoting hard work, and discouraging laziness, which he described as a growing concern in the country.
“There are many people in the country who need to be working, but instead, they are idle.
We must not allow slumber, for a person who does not work should not eat. The church should lead by example in these areas,” Mr Mutelo said.
And he called on the church to take a proactive stance in promoting the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), a key government initiative designed to enhance local development.
He stressed that the government is eager to collaborate with religious institutions to ensure the success of this programme.
“We want the church to be at the forefront of promoting the CDF. As the government, we want to work closely with you to achieve our shared goals for the nation,” he said.
Member of Parliament for Livingstone Rodney Sikumba has called on the church to take an active role in the distribution of CDF forms and in shaping the development agenda of the constituency.
Mr Sikumba who is also a Minister of Tourism said the church's pivotal role as a key partner in driving community development.
"We are eager to meet with the church to ensure that we make well-informed decisions that will benefit our communities," Mr Sikumba said.
"The church is an essential partner in this development journey.
However, we have noticed that some individuals believe the CDF does not exist, partly because they have not heard about it from church leaders," he said.
Mr Sikumba urged church leaders to become more involved in the CDF process, because their input is crucial to the success of the fund.
Mr Sikumba noted the ease with which community members approach church leaders, making the church an ideal institution to distribute CDF forms.
"We want the church to be proactive by distributing CDF forms to those in need,” he said.
Father Daniel Naji, Dean of the Catholic Livingstone Deanery, emphasized the need for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to consider supporting private schools that serve the community.
He stated that schools run by the church should benefit from the CDF. Despite several attempts to secure funding, these efforts have been futile.
He called for a change to ensure better outcomes and stressed that the application process should be made easier.
Another pastor, Another pastor, Reverend Simuyemba Kutemwa of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Libuyu, mentioned that he is also running a school and has not received any support from the CDF.
Reverend Kutemwa, who is also the executive director of Mother Eve School, said he had applied several times, but his requests were rejected.
He emphasized the need to reconsider the church when distributing CDF funds.
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