‘Woe to sinful nation of Malawi’: Churches bemoan corrupt leadership, seed of evil as they organise national prayers

The Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM)- an umbrella mother body of 64 Church denominations and 58 Christian organisations in Malawi- has described the worsening socio-economic situation and the recurring problem of corrupt leadership in Malawi as a sign that Malawi is on a sick bed requiring urgent divine intervention to bail it out from the storm.

Malawi is facing economic turmoil  characterised by, wide spread food shortages and worsening corruption.

In a strongly worded statement made available to Nyasa Times, EAM says it is now clear that corruptionhas become so entrenched in the country’s political and socio-economic system to the extent that it has fastly become a norm rather than a vice, as a result, patronage, clientelism, ethnicism and tribalism have become the order of the day shaping our political, social and economic landscape.

“Malawi is now like a rebellious, sinful nation foretold by Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 1: 1-6) whose whole heard is injured, whose whole heart is afflicted, and whose whole sole of its foot to the top of its head there is no soundness- only wounds and bruises and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil – but still a brood of evil doers, a people loaded with guilt, and a nation given to corruption. It’s high time we holistically dealt with this evil once and for all,” reads part of the statement signed by EAM’s General Secretary Reverend Francis Mkandawire.

EAM further says it is undeniable fact that Malawi was facing serious socio-economic challenges and that the reports of massive corruption due to greed and lack of integrity on the part of those in the political and administrative leadership of the country were a source of great concern.

“The ‘Cashgate’,  ‘Tractor gate’,  ‘Maize-gate’, and all other ‘gates’ that may have happened or are happening behind the public eye, for example, are tragedies that call for serious holistic sober reflections- spiritual, political, social and economic- on the current state of our nation in view of our national development aspirations”, Mkandawire said.

“ The ‘what is there for me syndrome’ seems to have dominated the political decisions of our elected leaders, both outside and within the August house over the past years with little change. Consequently, it has been the electorate who have been on the receiving end – who continue to be given a raw deal.”

Evangelicals say  it is high time  thta political leaders understood the fact that leadership is essentially about serving the people rather than accruing for oneself personal aggrandizement or wealth at the expense of the heavily taxed poor Malawians.

The influential Christian mother body also took a swipe to attack the political leadership for their contribution towards the continued electricity blackouts, citing the current situation was a result of lack of visionary political leadership.

“The recent prolonged frequent power black outs have exacerbated the situation prompting the closure of a number of businesses. We are paying heavily for the “short term” project mind set, by our leaders of yesterday and today, which preferred or prefer short term projects which would guarantee votes within a five year electoral period, as opposed to long term projects which would benefit the country for years to come.

“Consequently, there was and is apparently no sufficient consideration for investment in huge projects such as generation of power and water supply to meet the growing demands of the growing population in Malawi” reads part of EAM’s statement.

Meanwhile, Evangelical Association of Malawi has announced about its plans to hold nationwide prayers for the healing of the nation starting from 9th to 29th January 2017 in response to the current deteriorating socio-economic and political leadership crisis in the country.

“We would like to invite the general public to participate in the “21 Days of Prayer for Healing of our nation” starting from 9th to 29th January 2017. These prayers, whose theme is “God heal our nation”, have been set aside in order to give Malawians- in their respective areas, homes, and places of worship- to seek the face of God on the prevailing socio-economic challenges affecting the country.

“ No single human being how wise or educated can solve these challenges without the divine hand of God. The Scriptures are clear that “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build, build in vain” Psalm 127:1.We call upon all Malawians, to stand together as one people and cooperate with God, in this New Year, to build a better and prosperous Malawi for us all. ” reads the statement.