Chakwera for Godly values in govt, all sectors: Realistic transformation

The Chairperson of Africa Ministerial Advisory Board (AMAB), a forum of Africa Christian  political and church leaders from the continent, Reverend Dr Lazarus Chakwera  says solutions to woes facing Africa  lie within the continent itself by reflecting on whether Godly values have been a way of life in the leadership at  government, political, business,  society, church and family levels.

Chakwera said this at a meeting that drew together African Christian political and church leaders from eight African countries that took place at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe.

He said as believers within the Continent it was not Godly just to watch destructive things happening but to be active participants in transformation for all sectors as servants of the people just like Jesus was.

“When you look at Ministry, never look at it in a narrow but broad sense. The Lord we serve is the God that created heaven and earth and christian political and church leaders who are disciples or servants of the living God must be in the forefront to see to it that the Kingdom of God reigns in practical sense amongst humanity,” he observed.

Chakwera: Let us be part of the change that we desire
Chakwera: Let us be part of the change that we desire

“As a leader of the biggest opposition party in Malawi, coming from a background of church leadership,  my current role  is continuation of ministry , in response to God’s call to serve the people of Malawi in managing the affairs of the Malawi government from 21st of May 2014 to save the people of Malawi from the social ills perpetuated by poor leadership and lack of Godly values,” Chakwera said.

Chakwera therefore said that’s why when certain quarters question his joining mainstream politics and advancing that he abandoned God’s work, he has always put it to them that he hasn’t abandoned or left ministry.

The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) hopeful said he just retired from a position in one type of ministry  to take up a role in another  as a broadening of God’s responsibility bestowed upon him.

Chakwera further said coming from a background of  a person who has defied all odds and made it from infancy, he believes he shall survive and make it in the forth-coming Malawi’s tripartite polls to take up the divine assignment of Presidency of the Republic of Malawi.

He explained that when he was born, most people in his family doubted his survival after two siblings born before him died at infancy stage but that his father stood his ground and named him Lazarus, implying that he would come out from whatever was causing death in the family and live; and true to this, he survived.

Chakwera admitted having struggled with the Lord just like the biblical Jacob when God first spoke to him about going into mainstream politics and finally accepted in obedience.

He said he was glad he came out from that struggle without dislocating his hip since he did not actually force it on himself by asking  God but it is God’s will upon him and Malawi.

“The Lord spoke to me and asked -haven’t you listened to people’s cries, haven’t you seen the suffering, didn’t I say I  have to come and deliver?” Chakwera said.

He added that he had to speak to his family and  the church leadership,  studied and meditated David’s and Moses’s call and God reaffirmed it.

Chakwera said what eventually happened was that he had to go to a party that was renowned for its notorious past, where he was first ranked as an outsider, competed for its presidency amongst the eleven contestants and overwhelmingly accepted and  voted as president.

The MCP leader explained that many Christians have shunned joining politics and believed the notion that is advanced in our societies that politics is dirty forgetting that it is the people who have mostly been in politics who have made it dirty through various malpractices.  He said time has come to change this belief.

He said it was important for Africa to recognise that the continent has mostly been engulfed by such challenges as corruption and wars that have contributed to underdevelopment because of  practices with ungodly values.

Chakwera said the type of leadership Africa needs has to be exemplary since behind every malpractice, there is a spirit that flows down to the grassroots if left unchecked.

Reverend Chakwera quoted Hebrews 11 to remind delegates to the meeting that righteousness is what exalts a nation and called on them to rise up and correct the situation in their respective countries.

“Let us be part of the change that we desire,” he said.

In his presentation on Paradigm Shift regarding Godly politics, a renowned consultant on leadership and faith-based issues in Africa, Dr Sam Ndoga said there was nothing wrong with christians and church leaders participating in active politics.

He cited the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa which was founded by Reverend Donald Dube in 1912 and 4 other pastors came after him such as Albert Luthuli who was deeply religious and Oliver Tambo, a devout christian. He said these led the party before Nelson Mandela, adding that ANC adopted what was first composed as  a Christian hymn (Nkosi Sikele ‘li Africa- God bless Africa) as the country’s  national anthem later.

He further quoted Martin Luther King as follows “ A Gospel that doesn’t deal with the issues of the day is not a Gospel at all”

Ndoga who is also a university lecturer in South Africa  further said ANC at that time adopted Isaiah 61 as their political statement since it represented everything they believed  in as a political movement.

He said he believes politics founded as well as centred on Christian or Godly values is the best.

AMAB’s objective is to help bring Christian values to the centre of policy development and implementation in governments, public institutions and civil society across the African Continent.

At the end of the meeting, Chakwera was given another mandate to continue as the Chairperson of AMAB for another two years.

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