Friday, March 29, 2024

Who’s Who 2016: Father Frank Bwalya Endorsed by the Catholic Hierarchy

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Alliance for Better Zambia president Father Frank Bwalya blows a whistle against the government's refusal to release the Zambian draft constitution
Alliance for Better Zambia president Father Frank Bwalya blows a whistle against the government’s refusal to release the Zambian draft constitution

Hunt for Successor 59
By Field Ruwe

Fast Forward: 21.11.2016: “A laicized Catholic priest who once called his president a potato has won the presidential elections in Zambia. The election of Father Frank Bwalya has broken a five-year authoritarian rule by Michael Sata who many feared was turning the country into a family empire. Endorsed by the Catholic hierarchy and the majority of the country’s three million Catholics, Father Bwalya beat the populist leader by a large margin…”

How about that? This could happen. In fact it is likely to happen. Of the three major candidates, Hakainde Hichilema (UPND), Nevers Mumba (MMD), and Father Frank Bwalya (ABZ), the latter is in a better position to win the 2016 presidential election. Father Bwalya who belongs to the Bemba people, the largest ethnic group in the country with 6.5 million people (55% of the population) has the full blessings of the Vatican. The presidency is his to lose.

If Father Bwalya fails to defeat President Michael Sata he will become the first Catholic priest to lose a presidential election. Whenever and wherever a Catholic priest has given up his priestly ministry and ecclesiastical duties to join the race for the presidency he has won. Bishop Fernando Lugo Mendez of Paraguay and Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti are a good example. They both triumphantly rode on the mystic of the Vatican in blatant defiance of the Canon law that prohibits the Catholic clergy from holding political office.

“That’s not true,” I hear a prelate saying. “

Hold on sir, let me finish: while the Catholic Church considers politics a serious hazard to moral theology it discreetly supports priests who seek public office. How can it not when its priests are subjects of the Vatican, a sovereign state, whose political leader is the pope? How can it not when it calls upon the same priests to preach and practice social responsibility and struggle for social justice? How can they have any impact without involving themselves in the chaotic world of politics? Most of all, how can the Vatican sustain its empire without its monastic agents (priests) expanding the influence of the Roman Catholic Church around the world?

All said and done, the most urgent question is: can Father Bwalya receive the backing of three million Catholics in the country? Answer: Yes he can, and here is why; while some priests may feel Father Bwalya has overreached himself and should be curbed by the church, there are many who feel he is walking along the right path and has their support. They believe they have found in the youthful and avuncular Father Bwalya the much needed courteous, yet courageous and tough voice with which to rekindle the Roman Catholic prowess. He is perhaps their holy grail.

Don’t forget it has been a tumultuous period for the Roman Catholic Church in Zambia. Since the mid-1991 when FTJ declared Zambia a “Christian nation,” to shouts of “amen,” “precious Jesus,” and “hallelujah” the number of people who consider themselves as “devoted” Catholics has hit rock bottom. With Father Bwalya as president the Vatican has an opportunity to restore its authority and contain the Evangelicals, mainly the Pentecostals whom it accuses of benefiting from the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation and of “proselytizing” (stealing its flock). With him in State House whether laicized (stripped of his priesthood) or not it will be possible to revisit the “Evangelical” Christian nation clause and fine tune it.

Let’s backtrack for a minute. During FTJ’s reign the Catholic hierarchy refused to render its theological support to his declaration and accused him and his Evangelical accomplices, Nevers Mumba and General Miyanda included, of lobbying and manipulating legislation to suit their religious stature. Over the years, the Catholic’s appeals to FTJ and his successors to have the “Christian nation” clause removed from the Constitution’s preamble have fallen on deaf ears—even deafer this time now that the constitution is in the hands of a fickle Catholic-bred president who used the cross of Jesus as a campaign wand and falsely vowed to rule the country in accordance with the Ten Commandments.

It is out of this gloomy situation that Father Frank Bwalya emerged and began to promote his progressive agenda. Like Bishop Lugo and Father Aristide, Father Bwalya is a proponent of Liberation Theology, a political methodology within the Roman Catholic Church perpetuated by priests in Latin America as the Church’s moral reaction to the poverty caused by social injustice. Although censured by the Vatican for its Marxism concept, Liberation Theology has been identified as the most popular avenue to secular power for it links political activism to Christian theology.

Father Bwalya has been applying this concept since he was ordained and appointed Station Manager of the Catholic-operated Radio Icengelo. A trained journalist with a Bachelor of Divinities degree and diploma in Philosophy, he used the station to candidly “preach food for all men and women” in the manner of Father Aristide who in 1988 told his congregants that “the solution [to starvation] is revolution, first in the spirit of the gospel; Jesus could not accept people going hungry. It is a conflict between classes, rich and poor.” Father Bwalya interpreted the Aristide “revolution” through his Red Card campaign and became an instant political celebrity.

Father Bwalya’s sudden impact on the people was fulsomely acknowledged by the Catholic Church. Notice how in 2008 the Catholic hierarchy canonically admonished him and withdrew his duties as Icengelo manager but kept the collar around his neck even when he attacked them for curving to the demands of the government to have him fired. Father Aristide and Bishop Lugo had similar experiences. Like them, Father Bwalya’s appointment as curate of Ipusukilo Parish was withdrawn and he was placed on an indefinite sabbatical (leave). He was ordered to “remain obliged and maintain celibacy until a new way of life is determined by the competent ecclesiastical authority.”

And as recent as January 2014, the Bishop of the Diocese of Ndola reported that Father Bwalya was free to practice active politics” as long as “he does not do on behalf of the Ndola diocese or the Catholic Church.” This was more or less a special dispensation from the Vatican for Father Bwalya to leave the church, become president, and return to the clergy at the end of his service.

What does all this mean for Father Bwalya? It means that in the political situation he finds himself today, he has endless opportunities. First, Zambians in general place a priest in a mystical niche. They regard him as a selfless man who exercises a higher caliber of righteousness. In an impoverished Zambia, a priest occupies a special status; he is a messenger of God called upon to provide light in time of darkness. He strengthens and encourages the poor and the sick in their struggle for survival.

Father Bwalya, who is yet to win national likeability, should take advantage of this ecclesiastical prestige to garner support from the people of Zambia if he is to break the tyrannical leadership of President Sata. He must depict himself as a uniter and not a divider and incessantly attack President Sata for being a tone-deaf leader (chumbu munsholowa).

He must make all Zambians see him as an honest administrator, moral educator and a cultural mainstay, and above all, a nation builder who carries with him the “One Zambia One Nation” leitmotif. Presently, he does not meet the afore-mentioned qualities. Many people are not sure he is a priest worth voting for. His past relationship with Sata has reduced him to an imprudent chameleon in a white collar and tattered flip-flops. He needs to remove the stigma. To do so, he needs help from the clergy.

Gates at the Vatican are open for him. After the deportation of Lundazi-based Father Viateur Banyangandora in 2012, the Catholic hierarchy is beginning to distance itself from Sata. Catholic opposition is intensifying. Priests who were unhappy with the MMD and supported Sata’s PF policies and ideologies feel betrayed. They know they are facing the reality of the country ruled by the most dangerous president whom the people of Zambia have blindly allowed to equip and wage a violent repression. They are beginning to speak from the pulpit against him.

“He [Sata] is a very arrogant man,” Rwandan Father Banyangandora said. “And so are his ministers. He’s a man who doesn’t allow anyone to criticize him. When you do, he sends police officers to your home.”

Such tactics and abuses are increasing as Sata consolidates his power. The beating, arrest, intimidation, harassment, persecution, and prosecution of his political opponents and members of the media, is a matter of grave concern. The Catholic hierarchy has seen the impossibility of reconciling Catholic faith with Sata’s fatal dictatorial philosophy which could plunge the country into a bloodbath.

“There is too much violence in our country. Political cadres are fighting each other every day. These are some of the vices that are part of the wound of Christ,” lamented Saint Ignatius Catholic Church Father Charles Chilinda at this year’s mass to mark Easter Sunday. And he cautioned: “Today you might be a politician and tomorrow you will be an ordinary citizen. God is the ultimate boss.”

The above statement was made in the wake of Sata’s threats to “sort out” Chipata Catholic Diocese Bishop George Lungu for encouraging prayers for the goodwill of the constitution. The Catholic clergy knows that president Sata can be sadistic, cruel, and belligerent. It is this reason that has earned himself a proviso from the Council of Churches in Zambia: “an attack on one faithful servant of God is an attack on the entire body of Christ.”

Father Bwalya is among the servants of God. He should take advantage of the present situation and escalate his liberation theology. He must use Catholic clergy as his loci power. He is familiar with all the priests in the country. With their support he must find access to the non-Catholic traditional churches that are members of the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) like UCZ, Anglican Church, Reformed Church of Zambia, and Seventh Day Adventist, and together device a brilliant campaign strategy with an attention to detail worth a victory. Winning the support of the traditional church will earn him a strong woman-vote and an endorsement from marketeers around the country.

Having said all this, UNPD Hichilema is way ahead of Father Bwalya. After coming third in all his attempts he has moved into second place and become the flagship candidate of the opposition. He carries Father Bwalya and other opposition leaders on his coattails. I shall address his predicament in my next article. All in all, removing Sata in 2016 will require a pragmatic, strategic and an unselfish coalition party with Father Bwalya at the helm.

Please Note: I have created a website www.aruwebooks.com on which you can access all my articles, essays, books, and my autobiography. On it you can also learn more about the books I have written and read snippets of chapters. Contact me, blog, or join in the debate.
Field Ruwe is a US-based Zambian media practitioner, historian, and author. He is a doctoral candidate at George Fox University. ©Ruwe2012

30 COMMENTS

  1. Mr Ruwe STOP hallucinating. Which planet are you on? Bwalya has never and will never be endorsed by the Catholic church. Its againist its canon law. Do not confuse tolerance with endorsement. He is just a wayward former priest and ordinary catholics have long carried the cross of his misadventures. Hopefully not for long!

    • Field Ruwe believes because he lives in the USA then Zambiaans must listen to whatever he says. His is gospel truth.

      But those of us who knew him from Secondary School in Chingola, we know how the gentleman abused dagga with a now late friend.

    • Field Luwe I thought you were smarter than the hallucination and day dreaming that you are now exhibiting. Frank Bwalya may be the noisiest guy in town but the fact is, he entered politics on the wrong footing and he is likely to end up like Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda.

    • @HRH, you are a liar. I know Field Ruwe better than you. He was in my class from form 1 to form 5, he never smoked or tasted beer. Do not start tainting his name. Criticize him, fine, but don’t lie.

  2. This analysis is shallow and leaves much to be desired. How do you work on the assumption that all Catholics and Bembas will vote for father Bwalya? Have you also considered the voting trends in your analysis?

  3. Ba Ruwe, nomba elyo mwa ruba…! I wonder what has brought on all this hallucination. See what being away for a long time has done to your mind.

  4. This is such an off article…who says that 55% of Zambia are ethnic Bembas or is it ..Bemba speaking illiterate urbanites?! So far Fr Frank has not made any inroads anywhere. He has been effective in protesting against MMD but it is doubtful what his mission in politics is about.

    We need to differentiate opinions and researched articles. I do not need anyone’s opinion to tell me who they think will win elections in 2016….but if you show me evidence in focus groups , may just listen…

  5. This is by far the most useless, unreasonable article I have read on LT since the beginning of 2014. The author just got a pen and started writing whatever was coming into his dreams. He even claims to be a doctoral candidate at some university. Article far below par. Not even a simple political cadre in a compound in Chawama dreams like this.

  6. Mr. Ruwe, this time around a Bemba cannot go through. I am not tonga. I am not bemba, and I am not Lozi. I belong to one of the smallest tribes in Zambia. By the way, I am not a tribalist, but a bemba will not win in 2016. This is the cause of the fight in MMD. MMD knows that Nevers (Bemba) cannot go through in 2016

    • Jackson Nyirenda.Why is that,characters like you have conveniently chosen not to believe and accept that NO BEMBA has ever ruled zambia.KK is from Malawi though born in Zambia,FTJ was from DRC but settled in Luapula for Lunda people,Mwanawasa was Soli/Lenje,Rupiah is Nsenga/Chwewa and Sata is Bisa(possibly from Tanzania but settled in Mpika.So why deny a Bemba to be President of Zambia?Please let not the hatred for Bembas stop you from reasoning properly.

  7. Mr. Ruwe, please do visit Zambia sometimes – if at all you’re in the USA – and see for yourself the current political atmosphere. Your father Bwalya cannot be endorsed for whatever reason because he betrayed the church and what it stands for. He was rejected the moment he went to bed with Sata and the PF. Please make better assessments before thinking of wasting time and space in your articles.

  8. I don’t know what type of drugs Field Ruwe is on…but, clearly, they are not good for his mental health. I don’t support any of these opposition cartoons, but, surely, how can you say Father Bwalya is in any position to compete with HH – even in a fictional state of mind? Field Ruwe’s attempt at satire is so feeble he should focus on his PhD first …for a doctoral candidate to be writing stuff of this low quality is extremely worrying. You should have started at UNZA – the opportunities you overlooked in favour of looking for scholarship to study abroad have cost you a lot. There was quality education at UNZA in your time and it was FREE! Stop perpetuating divisive political misconceptions…you are practicing a rare kind of weak intellectualism.

  9. I have followed yo article luwi .Its a pity that yu think that only Bembas and Catholic can rule Zambia regardless of personality,competencies and managment Skills.I would like to remaind yu that while its true that bembas are the majority catholics its not true that all bembas or catholics will vote for a bemba regardless of their personal preferences.The issue of comparing fr Bwalya to HH is misplased.HH has much pedegree and grassroot structures.At the moment UPND is an organization with functioning organs and arms.So its not easy to build or to destroy these building blocks that has been laid down over the years.If yu think all bembas wont vote for HH then yu mistaken.

  10. This is how people with low IQ reason. Ruwe’s analysis is very wrong and biased. Indeed times have changed and it does not mean that simply because his name is Bwalya, all those people who associate themselves with that tribe will vote for him. Sata would not be president if only Bembas voted for him. Besides if all Bembas favored fellow Bembas, we would not have so many Bembas leading different political parties. The Vatican has got no influence in Zambia and the Catholics are losing touch everyday as their mandates are being exposed everywhere around the world and nobody trusts. Now we know it is just a mafioso organization period!

  11. I was looking foward to a good analysis; but just after reading three paragraphs and another two in between, rating is an F. Sorry ba Field, mwaitaya

  12. Utter rubbish! What a load off t0$$ from a PhD candidate. The unfortunate part is someone will award him a PhD despite his lack of capability to critically analyze issues.

  13. @ Ruwe – this is not the right way to campaign for Fr. Bwalya. You would rather write an article that articulates how once Bwalya and his party win an election, what socio-economic and political policies will they put in place to take Zambia forward? That way we can listen to you.

    You have done an analysis based on online publications – not based on experiences of the Zambian people in Chimwemwe and Chalwe folo’s village. You are completely off the trail. Try next time.

  14. I think there is a dimension to Bwalya that is not tackled in the article. It is just like Sata, who we know is a popular man, but have no leadership skills so is Father Frank Bwalya. I think Father Bwalya is as popular as Sata and may just be like Sata when it comes to leadership qualities. It would be wrong to assume that since Hugo and Aristide became presidents as former priests, Bwalya can be a suitable president for Zambia. Aristide does seem to be a prototype of a president we want to role Zambia given its economic and social problems at the moment. Hugo, another Bwalya prototype exemplified in the article, I strongly suggest we should avoid emulating and if possible avoid. Liberation theology can be a misfit where 90% are in poverty as Zambia.

  15. Liberation theology is suitable where the gap between the poor and rich is huge. That is not the case of Zambia where 80% are poor and even the so called rich 20% are not as rich to share their weather without getting poor in a week. A liberation theologian is not a suitable candidate. We may need one to voice for the poor, but we may not need him all the time if we have brilliant economic managers and leadership. We need an economic manager and a leader to take Zambia forward. With all due respect to your excellent writing skills, I would say Bwalya is not a leader nor an economic manager just like Sata. Both can hallucinate but not manage: no wonder I have never head Bwalya talk about his development agenda for the country besides his intellectual capability to red flag sins of others.

  16. In second place? He has no support in Luapula, Northern, Muchinga, Copperbelt, Eastern, Central and Lusaka provinces. I do not know if one can win with three provinces, two or one province (Southern Province).

  17. RUWE, HAVE YOUR VISIONS THAT FR. BWALYA WILL RULE ZAMBIA, I IN ZAMBIA SAY , KEEP ON DREAMING TILL 2016 THEN YOU WILL BE IN SCHOCK THE DESRTER OF CATHOLIC FAITH WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE NO IMPACT, HE IS A VUVUZELA ONLY. MOVE OVER WE WANT TO DANCE, PF ALUTA CONTINIUA .

  18. If you say bembas will be voting for Bemba candidates.then Chilufya,Mumba ,Chipimo & cosmos mumba will share the bemba votes.

  19. Is Frank Bwalya the most popular of the Bemba candidates? I doubt it. If Frank wants to gain support from the rest of Zambia, then let him address rallies in Nyanja. Nyanja does not belong to any tribe. It is like Swahili of East Africa. Kaunda used Nyanja to his advantage and he was accepted by the country. Father Bwalya speaks too much Bemba to his detriment . People will just see him as another Bemba noise maker. Sata has spoilt the chance for another Bemba to rule Zambia at least in Frank Bwalya’s time. The next president of Zambia will be the one who speaks Nyanja well. A president should try as much as possible to speak a language other than his mother tongue. That is what is called strategy!

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