All Africa report: Government has demanded an apology from Roman Catholic Church priest Godfrey Mpundu for comparing frogs with human beings and urged him to stop sowing seeds of hatred for political gain.
And a non-governmental organisation has called on Father Mpundu and Mongu Diocese Bishop Paul Duffy to stop campaigning for the opposition in view of the many developments taking place in Western Province and the rest of the country.
Chief Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said in Lusaka yesterday that it was disappointing for a priest to compare human beings to frogs and the clergyman's statement was against the will of God.
Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said clerics should respect God's creation and build peace in society instead of sowing seeds of hate.
He said some members of the MMD were also Catholics and Fr Mpundu's job was to offer counsel to the Government and not to insult anybody.
"Government wishes to register its utmost disgust at allegations by Fr Godfrey Mpundu that Government has neglected the people of Lukulu District in Western Province," Gen Shikapwasha said.
He said allegations of underdevelopment by Fr Mpundu were unfounded and calculated to incite public hate against the Government.
Gen Shikapwasha said Fr Mpundu's statement showed how ignorant he was on developments which had taken place in Lukulu.
He said contrary to the clergyman's views, the Government had continued to take development to Lukulu and Western Province as a whole to improve people's living standards.
Various development projects in health, education, agriculture and road sectors were being implemented in both Lukulu East and Lukulu West constituencies at a cost of more than K30 billion.
"The Government has a programme to take development to all parts of the country and the people of Lukulu are witnesses to what Government is doing in their area," Gen Shikapwasha said.
Fr Mpundu was quoted in yesterday's edition of The Post newspaper as saying the people of Western Province were better off voting for a frog than the MMD while Bishop Duffy had said earlier that the people in the province wanted change of Government.
And Centre for Elections and Governance chairperson, Gershom Musonda said in Lusaka yesterday that his team had just arrived from Western Province where the Government was constructing high schools in Lukulu, Mongu, Nangweshi, and Shang'ombo.
Mr Musonda said the open campaigns for the opposition by the two priests would reduce the Catholic Church to an extension of the political parties and the respect they command would collapse.
He said the Catholic Church had many problems which had increased the exodus of priests to other churches.
He said the decision by the diocese to paint a prison building in Mongu was merely meant to issue a political statement because people who work for the companies owned by the Catholic Church were underpaid.
And the MMD women and youth wings have condemned the disparaging remarks issued by Fr Mpundu against the MMD Government.
Speaking at a joint media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, MMD Lusaka Province chairperson Jane Mkalipi described the remarks as regrettable especially that they were made by a clergyman from a church founded on principles of love.
Ms Mkalipi said the clergyman should be in the forefront of uniting Zambians instead of issuing demeaning statements against Government leaders
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