Bishop Valentine Kalumba, OMI, of the Catholic Diocese of Livingstone in Zambia, has urged Zambians to embrace peaceful co-existence among Zambia’s over 73 tribes and languages. The Bishop was speaking to Vatican News in the aftermath of Zambia’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
Reflecting on the just-ended national elections in Zambia, the Bishop of Livingstone said that with the elections over, it was time for a reset, an opportunity for reflection and healing. The Bishop also appealed especially to social media users not to fan the flames of ethnic division.
In his remarks, Bishop Kalumba said it was sad that elections, not only in Zambia but worldwide, have become moments of great tension, stress, and anxiety. Ordinarily, voting in an election should be a celebration of citizens exercising their fundamental rights and making their democratic voices and choices heard, Part of the solution, the Bishop suggested, lies in returning to the Gospel meaning of leadership. Leadership at all levels of society, he said, should always be about service. The current high stakes of contesting political leadership to amass wealth or resources for one’s family, friends, and tribe run counter to the spirit of Servant Leadership. Notwithstanding all that has happened in recent days, Bishop Kalumba said that, generally, especially in Livingstone Diocese, the voting and the announcement of election results seem to have gone fairly well. According to the Livingstone prelate, there may have been some isolated criminal elements in the City of Livingstone, when some persons sought to take advantage of the election climate to loot and commit acts of vandalism. Still, the authorities were able to deal with these incidents.
