Police pick up Fr. Frank Bwalya
Police in Kitwe Friday afternoon picked up Father Frank Bwalya, the director of an NGO called Change Zambia or die.
Information reaching the Watchdog indicate that cops are questioning the priest over his Red Card campaign which he launched on 27th February 2010.
When he launched the campaign, Father Bwalya said the idea is to save the country from the insensitive, corrupt, dictatorial and selfish MMD regime.
But the police are interpreting this as an attempt at removing a legitimate government from power using unconstitutional means.
Fr. Bwalya had said during the launch that the foul behaviour of the MMD government deserved nothing less than a red card.
The red card campaign includes whistle blowing and honking.
Father Bwalya told his supporter that:
“As part of the red card campaign, all Zambians will whistle or make sounds using any available instrument, wear red arm bands or head bands and flash red cards every Friday from 16:00 until the next day,” he stated. “During the meeting, participants called upon all motorists to move with headlamps on every Friday. We wish to remind the general public that the RCC kicks off as scheduled today, Friday 5th March 2010 and we are confident that the campaign will gather pace and popular support as more people become aware of it and inevitably decide to participate.”
Fatrher Bwalya began the civil disobedience campaign with Transparency International Zambia (TIZ), Citizens Forum and Southern Africa Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD).
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Imwe ba Volganologist, finshi mwaishiba, nangu fishi mwakwata, pakuya ku Malawi ukomwafuma mukongolafye impiya, ubunga mulombafye pali ba neighbour, umunani ni Kholowa. You comment on every issue even when your mind is blank on a particular issue, contribute on issues you are conversant with.
Fr. Bwalya used a wrong forum to advance his calls for a true democratic Zambia. I appreciate his efforts in ensuring that Zambia attain real democracy but even in democracy there are rules to follow.Change Zambia or Die can be correctly or incorrectly interpreted according to one’s school of thaught. So Fr. Bwalya should tone down and act in more civilised manner.
I agree with Bwebya on his/her account of who the Catholics are. For instance, in Germany the current Pope, Benedict XVI is implicated in a child molestation scum by a Roman Priest were he acted to the contrary by paying compensation the complainant and transfered the accused priest to another catholic church. Therefore, Volcanologist is left to wonder whether this is the culture of the catholic church to be always involved is scandals? Am sure its only few disgruntled priest like Fr. Bwalya who are tanishing the name of a good catholic. The church does not support the act of Fr. Bwalya, Mpundu, etc.
Fr. Bwalya’s rights are being violated, and it is also clear that our police service is a reactionary entity including the OP that require to be vanquished from national life, and new organizations created. Our democracy has been ruined by politicians using ZP and OP to ensure that their MAFIA orgs are perpetually in power. Fr. Bwalya’s experience is not an isoltaed one, but a systematic set of planned events by the ruling mafia.
Zambia needs change, but not this type of violent change. Fr Bwalya has a better platform through the pulpit to talk to his folk.We all become emotional about the need for change, there many jobless people , but Fr Bwalya will not have solutions to numerous problems faced by this country.The young prist needs to go for retreat and fasting to reflect on the mammoth task of changing this country.When I saw his picture he looked drunken!! He could require spiritual help, mental disoders comes in different forms.
No Comment he wants to become a hero for nothing.
HELP FREE FR FRANK BWALYA BY CALLING ZAMBIA’S STATE HOUSE NOW TO HELP TO FREE ZAMBIA’S POLITICAL PRISONER CATHOLIC PRIEST FR FRANK BWALYA FROM STATE PRISON NOW-http://zambianunion.blogspot.com/
This fake priest may not be normal. A sound priest would not form an NGO of that nature. This is a clear indicator that there is something seriously wrong with this so called priest. If he feels strongly about political issues, the best for him is to join a party of the mulamu for his Bishop. It would suite him 100%.
Some Priests should not mistake politics with spiritual issues – Uyu waya sana.
This is a shame to the Roman Catholic church unless it thinks and supports this ignorant priest. Yes a shame because he is doing it in the name of the church and NO ONE has stopped him from the church, let alone the Bishop Mpundu.
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One would wonder as to what is meant here by the mmd that Fr bwalya is going to be charged with conduct likely to cause a bleach of peace. This sort of intimidation by the mmd government is tatamount to foolishness and rubish together with luck of reasoning, Flashing of a red card by Fr Bwalya is no different to what every NORMAL Zambian citizen is fighting for against our corrupt leaders. To those who don’t see what is really wrong in this current govt luck serious reasoning and are abnormal. Its just that Zambians do forget easily. FR bwalya was not Violent to the reason of being arrested. All those who are under opposition are busy Flashing out the red cards but its just that they have not done it publicly and come rain or come sunshine the mmd govt will not make it in 2011.Someone should mark my words and Even them in the mmd are just pretending to be in the party inorder to keep their but they know that there is no future in this party. No one should argue on this cause I have made my on research on this matter. Those who want to object should also do their on..
Bwebya
Its seems you know some history about the Catholic Church. Thanks for sharing nothing but ignorance on the same.
SORRY EDITOR FOR THIS LONG ENTRY BUT IT COMPREHENSIVELY NAILS IT ALL
The changing role of Catholic Church, State
IF the Catholic Church does not control some of its foreign Zambian based priests,and indeed fanatical tribal inspired thuggery Priests like Frank Bwalya of the Die Zambia, Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu, father Mwewa and Simon Kabanda, it will become more likely that the power of the embattled Church – to control events in Zambia will become even more diminished.Looking at the bigger picture, the Catholic Church in Zambia and the world over has its serious troubles.
But the Church also has much unique economic, cultural and historical strength-if the Vatican and its local leadership in Zambia can keep its eye on the ball.Already, the country is experiencing what some commentators call “the rise of the rest.”
The growth of non Catholic Church organizations in Zambia has taken on full speed just like those in other African countries with links to America, China, India, Brazil,Russia the Middle East and smaller actors, where they are all creating a world where these other, originally considered,small Church organisations are moving up to the Catholic Church’s level of economic clout and self-assertion.
Apart from the numerous fornication and marriage interference accusations and court appearances of the various Catholic priests on the Copperbelt and other parts of the country, the recent defrocking of one of Zambia’s most famous and once very influential Catholic Archbishop Milingo is perhaps the biggest crack in the local Church’s leadership void.
And the massive, more than US$ 600 million, compensation payments to defiled young boys by Catholic priests in the USA and the recently revealed child molestations in Ireland that resulted in the resignation of several high -level long- serving senior Catholic clergy is another big blow in the Church’s spiritual leadership problems.
Of course no other one Church can challenge the Catholic Church at every level.But many churches can, and do, challenge the Catholics at one level or another.A key development is that the very role of the Catholic Church in Zambia and the world at large is becoming less defined.
Even non-Church clergy, by this I mean the ordinary members of the Church, in Zambia are also wielding more and more clout in the name of the Church.Examples include the Catholic priests’ massive anti- Government outbursts and the open support to an opposition political party whose leader is Catholic.
On the more benign side, there are non-government organisations (NGOs) such as those that are driving much of the world environmental movement.Indeed, near to 25,000 NGO representatives were registered at the recent Copenhagen climate summit talks.
And there are many within the Church that are driving the right to abortion and stem cell research against the Catholic Church’s own teachings.These are just some of the many big challenges the Catholic Church needs to address truthfully.
Many Catholics in Zambia have moved on to other faiths, especially Pentecostal or born again, as they are called citing the lack of spiritual fulfilment in the Church, and some also argue that the influence of the Catholic Church is not only waning on many of the most critical issues of our time in the country, but also have become very confusing.And others say the Sunday Gospel teachings have become more of political rallies than spiritual healing.
They further argue that the traditional systems for addressing national and global issues among the Catholic Church are more ineffective now than ever especially in this rapidly changing technological age.Thus there’s an emerging innovative spiritual teaching power void.
This power void is being filled by a small group of players within the Church who are not ordained priests, which are referred to as “the superclass” – Or Charismatic’s-a new elite who claim to be much better suited to operating as Super Christians and also claim to influence national outcomes than the vast majority of political leaders.It makes for a two-edged sword.
Some of these new elite who are ordinary Church members are from business and finance, and are subject to traditional forms of influence and suasion, not to mention the rule of law.
Some, “are masters of new or traditional media preaching, some are religious leaders themselves who traverse the country on crusades preaching “Jesus Loves You” messages that are more appealing to the down trodden and poor, and globally, a few are top officials of governments that do have the ability to project their influence on nations.
Others of the superclass are members of “a kind of shadow elite – criminals and terrorists.”Locally these have been seen to post distasteful columns and comments usually on politics and openly citing individual political leaders in the ruling party in newspapers and their magazines – all this they do – in God’s name.
In both leadership and accountability, there’s quite a difference between what we’re dealing with in the Catholic Church in the developing world versus the developed world.The Catholic Church in the developed world much of which is literate is having an increasingly hard time fulfilling the expectations of their flock.
Thus more and more, and on the international scale the Church is undergoing an almost lawless evolution to the extent most Catholic churches, in previously strong Catholic countries, are empty unlike the increasing numbers found in Pentecostal or fundamentalist churches in the same countries.
In the developing world, we see examples of some of the Church’s priests involvement in the Rwanda genocide that has resulted in the continued destabilisation of the entire eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where small fiefdoms and powerful warlords rule much of the day.
In this instance, however, the Vatican was prompted to condemn the priests’ actions and called on those who were involved to be punished as the law demands.But despite this Vatican warning we still see it in the broken system of governance in predominantly Christian/Catholic regions of Angola and the recent shooting of the Togolese team is a good example, we saw it in the Liberian and Sierra Leone wars, also in Nigeria, and Madagascar where armed rebels are wreaking havoc for diamonds, gold, oil production and lumber.
Or coming home, we have to wonder how things will play out in the 2011 elections with some Catholic priests’ open disrespect and continued involvement in the day to day hate politics in the nation under the pretext of talking on behalf of the poor.
We seem to see a situation where the church is associated with lawlessness.They helped fuel despondency with the UNIP government with their persistent Pastoral letters, yet today the same priests say Kenneth Kaunda was a God- fearing man.
They helped quell the third term debate but they kept quiet when the New Deal Government with the help of the superclass a kind of elite members of the Church practised blatant nepotism and the abrogation of the National Constitution in trying to jail Chiluba and many members of his administration.
Some priests even helped preach for the unconstitutional removal of the DPP.This crisis of instability and lack of control within the Church is compounded by the absence of a national or a global strategy to combat the asymmetric threats that the Catholic Church themselves face.
It’s going to make for many more interesting developments – and opportunities for non catholic Christian churches – as we turn the page on the calendar and enter the new decade.
We need objective blogging/ analysis in Zambia. Normally when a story/news comes out most of the blogging is based on which party ones supports and not on objective analysis based on a story. You will find the pro MMD’s seeing and defending everything in the eyes of the mmd, the pro opposition seeing and defending everything in the eyes of the opposition and we seem to miss objectivity in our analysis of the news or story. If Zambia needs to develop we need to be objective in our analysis , may the Lord deliver Zambia from subjectivity. God bless Zambia and may he bless all the bloggers.
kapatamoyo or whatever u call your self, you are as dull as this father frank bwalya. if u have nothing sensible to say u will do well keeping to your self
KAPATAMOYO,
If i may kindly ask you a simple question from your very own catalogue of used words i quote, what is this animal you are calling “political hegimony”, “hegimony”,”hegimony”in Zambia that Frank Bwalya should fight subversively?
In short or literal meaning what is “political hegimony”? or just hegimony as you have put it?
Frank and all should not be worried; let us remember how long the Great Nelson Mandela lived in jail for fighting injustice and and political hegimony.
So long there is injustice in the governance of Zambia, people will not stop talking and protesting.
The government must not put the MMD in bad light in the Country; and remember, the government cannot put the whole country in jail. They will need to declare all the living space within Zambian boarders a prison.
The government is so insensitive, and void of skill to negotiate and bargain with citizens.
If the government governs, and does not oppress the rights of citizens, they will earn the praise of Zambians.
Why make a hero of this crazy man by picking him up. the red card campaign was doomed to fail, he would have been honking alone and would have run out of steam by end of march.
Jail sex will make this priest think twice about insulting Government.
I seriously suspect Fr Genocide Bwalya may be Lenshinas incarnate. Mark my words, before long we will see satchet’s of his red urine being offered around. He must be slightly intellectually challenged but more importantly a moraly corrupt psychopath.
this Father or whatever you can call him is a hopeless character. you see for me it all goes back to the level of education. when you give audience to these uneducated, ungrateful foolish idiots like Frank Bwalya and Michael Sata they get too excited over nothing. we can not allow politics in our beloved country to be characterised by these men of no substance. this Frank Bwalya has grown big headed, I hope the Police can do a good Job on him. it is so unfortunate that The Post is now a mouth piece of these chaps. its always sata This sata that, making the man even look so foolish and ungrateful. anyway i am not surprised because even the chap at the helm of The Post is just trying to acquire a decent education in his fifties. But, like I have said before, Sata is not presidential material, & Frank Bwalya is not even worth discussing. cadder
can we in the opposition,stop this poor reasoning skills and always looking for political mileage at all costs.do you understand the meaning of a demonstration in the first place.if you recal on the third term bid,we rejected that attempt by kafupi by blowing horns at five.but in this case this red card demo,is not only unecessary,its a wasted cause,bcoz this is 2010 for how long will we blow horns,and flush red cards,until election day. moreover what bigger demonstration is there other than the general elections,where this father can use it as an opportunity to quench his frustrations.as much as we want change let us be werry of the kind of change we are talking about.be very careful with these catholics,already their names are attached to the genocide in rwanda,let zambia not be another recorded case of catholics role in civil war,because these two bemba catholics are making the political climate volatile. what abt those who are pro government,should they also honk at eight and flush green cards,jus imagine the confusion that will be there. i agree with those who say father bwalya must be stopped,do not open room for unecessary wars.
Catholicism in Zambia, from what I’ve observed in the past few weeks is now demonstrating it’s irrelevant existence and archaic ways. Besides who doesn’t know that in this country it’s ‘regional heavy’ and supports one character from that region? You should just listen to the banter that comes to their fat priests in a particular language!
i concur with THE SAINT’s views. Watch this space…..
Ther are some who say that this “man of God” is speaking for the poor. Let us examine the facts. The Roman Catholic Church has enough money to write off the debt of every poor country in the world! Why doesn’t it do so? The army of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) has professionals in all walks of life! There are engineers, doctors, scientists etc. and all they do is sit around in the Vatican and other sees, eating choice foods and drinking fine wines everyday. The Pope has his own police force and army (Swiss guards). The Vatican is one of the richest 6 square miles in the world! This institution continues to collect money from its poor members while the vestures of its priests, bishops and archbishops as well as cardinals and Papa are worth so much money. Talk about bling! The face of poverty is shown through Franciscan and Dominican orders, but even then, these so called poverty voweres have a decent meal, shelter and clothing for the rest of their lives. They will not look after their own relatives, pay school fees for their nephews and nieces, let alone those whom they sire outside their vows of celibacy! No, friends, do not talk about ‘speaking for the poor’ concerning this cult! They claim to have 4 million adherents in Zambia, but that is because their doctrine is ‘give me a child, and I will make him a Catholic for life.’ Many so called Catholics have nothing to do with this institution. It is the real wolf in lamb’s clothing. They pass for ‘holiness’ when they clasp there palms, bow their heads and speak in a funny tone and language, but inside they are ravenous wolves. Many are simply mistaken and misled. If what the Roman Church has been invoved in throughout history were to happen in this century, Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda, would smell of roses! there never has been a more terrorist organisation than the Roman Catholic church!
If Frank Bwalya is a democrat, he will let the due democratic and legal process by which a government is changed to take place through the ballot. Calling for civil disobedience in a democracy is tantamount to treason and attempting to overthrow a legitimate government by illegitimate means. What would happen if for example, the soldiers, the police and other vital service providers decided to join this campaign? If this man is a messenger of God, he would realise that calling for anarchy is from the pitfall of Hell and not from the Holy Spirit. God is for order and not confusion. If the Roman Catholic Church admits of such behaviour, it is little wonder that many consider it to be anti-Christ!
Zambian politics are disgusting. Imagine if the same zeal was used to arrest Ka chiluba and register the London judgement so that our money is brought back where would this country be? Zambians are a bunch of cowards. By our history we all run away from the Luba-lunda kingdoms and the ngonis run away from Shaka. So historically we are cowards who run away when things are tough. No wonder this docility. A poltical dribbler have taken advantage of this.For Zambia to gain independence people fought. Even economical independence we need to fight not being docile hiding under peace. Zambians are peace loving people, will you eat peace. i m not supporting war but constitutional fighting. Wake up mother Zambia. I feel for my children what a Zambia i will leave behi8nd for them
In the euphoria of 1990 we all welcomed the fact that the shackles of authoritarian laws had come to an end..we embraced what we called freedom of speech freedom of association and all sorts of freedoms.
Its 20 years on and I think time to reflect on how we have used those freedoms..its been ‘easy’ for citizens to call their leaders, ‘stupid. ‘thief’ ‘twit’ ‘lumpens’ and also in the name of protest to disregard order.
Does freedom mean there are no laws? Can one in the name of democracy just up and stage a protest or call on others to raise up and run amock provided they do so of their own free will? One needs to look at the history of some countries to realise how they collapsed into statelessness where we ask ‘how could that happen to humanity?
Frank Bwalya might have issues personal or otherwise but one needs to urge him to excercise caution even in the loss of patience with those of the powers that be…We know he has vowed not to be timid and one can only hope that the fuller extent of his quest will be laid bare in the coming weeks.
What does democracy and its freedoms mean for us?
We on longer have a POLICE SERVICE in Zambia. What we have now is a STATE POLICE that is preoccupied of defending and protecting the wants (not needs of Human Security) of the ruling Party and Its Government (the P. I. G). This is an indication of failure in leadership. In socio psychology we say that a PIG that fails to rule finds solace in using State Machinery which includes ba Shu Shu Shu ba Police and the Army plus Thugs to intimidate people with progressive and or independent opinions or views. Democracy and peace is not built on force and corruption but on the citizenry with a vision and a listening ear. Failure to this is a receip of escalating conflict that may lead into physical or direct violence if unchecked or managed or resolved amiably. This kind of PIG embracesses structual violence and or institutionalised violence since the colonial era though it is highly unacceptable after a generation of independence. Shame upon who ever is failing in his/her duties. It is better such people never existed as human beings but something else like stones or cows to provide proteins for us who want to live in a culture of peace and nonviolence and embrace a non-response to conflicts…
We on longer have a POLICE SERVICE in Zambia. What we have now is a STATE POLICE that is preoccupied of defending and protecting the wants (not needs of Human Security) of the ruling Party and Its Government (the P. I. G). This is an indication of failure in leadership. In socio psychology we say that a PIG that fails to rule finds solace in using State Machinery which includes ba Shu Shu Shu ba Police and the Army plus Thugs to intimidate people with progressive and or independent opinions or views. Democracy and peace is not built on force and corruption but on the citizenry with a vision and a listening ear. Failure to this is a receip of escalating conflict that may lead into physical or direct violence if unchecked or managed or resolved amiably. This kind of PIG embracesses structual violence and or institutionalised violence since the colonial era though it is highly unacceptable after a generation of independence. Shame upon who ever is failing in his/her duties. It is better such people never existed as human beings but something else like stones or cows to provide proteins for us who want to live in a culture of peace and nonviolence and embrace a non-response to conflicts.
UNIP and its dictatorial tendencies are back! Vukani maZambia!
This is the same injustice we are talking about.if truly zambia is a domocratic country as they hav put it on paper,then they should allow people to voice up their grievances.the fact is that the MMD has outlived its usefulness,hence the need for the RED CARD next year.Fr frank Bwalya has not forced anyone to blow whistle’s and wearing the Red bands.its upto the people if they want to join in.i dont see any crime in doin so since we are a democratic country on paper.its the zambian people’s right to voice out on the wrong things happening in the country,nothing is good in zambia at the moment that can stop people frm demonstrating if they so wishedjust last week..the some POLICE officers in eastern province who were providing security at the just ended Ncwala complained of non payment of allowances which they worked for and was due to them..wats good about that?doesn’t those Police men deserve to get wats due to them?and if people decide to voice out on such issues then its a crime?wat democracy do we even talk about then?FREE THE MAN OF GOD,HE HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING WRONG..HIS ONLY CRIME IS JUST TO SPEAK FOR THE POOR VOICELESS ZAMBIAN.JUST LIKE BA ZUZE SAID!VIVA Fr FRANK BWALYA.
Let the great man go. He has democratic rights to demonstrate against poor governance. The police should not focus on people doing good, but must chase Chiluba and his supporters in the mmd
Father Bwalya should not worry to be arrested. KK and FTJ were also arrested at one time. Its normal for leaders to be arrested for speaking the truth
In a democracy, all peaceful protestation is lawful and should be allowed. These are governance issues Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn earlier alluded to. We are slowly backsliding to authoritarianism.
Let him rot in jail. Thes fools should be taught a lesson
viva Frank and be brave..the lord will be with you all the way!!