ian leaders have said they are deeply troubled by the uncertainty, confusion and widespread despair which have followed the collapse of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as a single and united, national opposition movement.
“We are equally troubled by the increasing factionalism and tendency among those committed to the struggle for freedom and democracy to allow themselves to be polarized according to the particular leader each chooses to support. The provocative and inflammatory statements made by some have only served to exacerbate the divisions, and we condemn them,” said a statement by Christians Together for Justice and peace (CTJP) this week.
The group insists that it is non-partisan, and is only concerned with politics in the broad sense of the word which constitutes a significant part of people’s lives and therefore falls under the Lordship of our Saviour Christ.
“The standards against which we judge the policies and practices of every party are the most exacting standards of all, namely those of the Servant King, Jesus Christ and the kingdom values of truth, justice and compassion, especially for the weakest and most vulnerable in society. Against these standards all parties fail lamentably of course, but some represent honest attempts to serve the nation and are worthy of support from individual Christians. Others are so far opposed to the concept of servant leadership and the kingdom values that a Christian cannot support them without betraying his or her Lord,” say the leaders.
The group has previously stated that the present policies and practices of the ruling party are ‘abhorrent to God’.
“We believe God is waiting to anoint another leadership entirely, but they must be men and women after God’s own heart – wise, caring, humble and obedient to the word of God,” they said.
“It is for this reason that we view the disintegration of what was once a united opposition party committed to the democratic principles of freedom, tolerance and non-violence with such dismay. It represents a betrayal of the hopes and aspirations of millions of peace-loving Zimbabweans who were looking for a radical break with the politics of lies, violence and lawlessness entrenched under so many years of Zanu (PF) mis-rule. Nor have those who have assumed the leadership of the resulting factions of the MDC so far demonstrated the qualities of Godly leadership for which the nation looks.”
The leaders called on Zimbabweans to commit themselves to prayer and to the search for a new leadership, and to reject the rush to join one or other of the factions or new parties and the making of shallow and superficial judgments about who is right and who is wrong.