Government won’t engage church through the media-Sakeni

Chief Government Spokesperson Kennedy Sakeni has said government values its partnership with the church and is therefore reluctant to engage it on national issues through the media.

Mr. Sakeni said the Patriotic Front (PF) government has an open door and inclusive policy in which all stakeholders were free to engage in dialogue over issues of concern in building a better and prosperous nation.

He said government will not depart from its commitment of upholding the fundamental tenets of democracy, good governance and the rule of law as espoused in its party manifesto.

Mr. Sakeni was responding to a pastoral letter issued by the Catholic Church in Lusaka today in which the church raised a number of issues on the state of the nation.

This is contained in a media statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

In its pastoral letter signed by 13 Catholic Bishops, among them the Archbishop of Lusaka Telesphore Mpundu, Archbishop of Kasama Ignatius Chama and Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) vice president Alick Banda, the church expressed its views on numerous issues currently dominating headlines in the media.

The issues included the Public Order Act, the constitution making process, the prevailing political situation in the country, the Barotseland situation, alleged lack of political integrity among the political party leaders, by elections, the judiciary, human rights and the registration of sim cards.