By Kapya Kaoma When Father James Phiri, General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), reportedly called on the opposition to “put bitterness aside” and focus on the next election, Jesus’ words came to mind: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be […]
By Kapya Kaoma
When Father James Phiri, General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), reportedly called on the opposition to “put bitterness aside” and focus on the next election, Jesus’ words came to mind:
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13).
I never thought these words would apply so directly to Zambia’s religious and political reality.
Speaking to ZNBC, Fr. Phiri said that “it is painful to lose elections, but the opposition must set aside their bitterness, as the church is praying for them.” This statement amounts to a major moral betrayal. He expects the opposition to quietly move on to the next electoral cycle without addressing the severe injustices of the vote that just concluded.
Fr. Phiri appears to misunderstand the concept of justice. Courts operate on the principle of injury: there must be an aggrieved party, and the recent election left the opposition with a list of grievances. Asking them to swallow their pain while their leaders remain behind bars and countless supporters face politically motivated charges before biased courts is insulting.
Contrary to Fr. Phiri’s suggestion, the opposition did not just fail despite doing “their best”—they were actively denied justice. As Fr. Phiri himself noted in pre-election statements, the opposition was forced to campaign in a hostile environment, starved of legal protections, and repeatedly persecuted by state security across the nation.
Demanding that the opposition look toward a future vote without addressing the systemic flaws engineered by this regime is both illogical and suspect. Religious leaders would be better off applying directly for political favors than using the church as a shield for a partisan agenda.
Is Fr. Phiri himself not bitter about injustice? Is he not bitter about innocent musicians being arrested simply for performing for their preferred candidates in Mongu? Is he not bitter about citizens being assaulted for exercising their right to vote, courts being locked down, or the military being deployed to tallying centers?
Fr. Phiri knows that Zambians deserve answers and that those responsible must be held accountable. If these immoral violations go unaddressed, what is the point of holding another election at all?
Moreover, it is disgraceful that foreign entities—including the United Nations, the European Union, and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa—have shown the courage to denounce abuses that Zambian church leaders seem too afraid to confront. Why is there such a gaping chasm between the findings of international observers and the narrative Fr. Phiri is pushing? As the old saying goes: “He who pays the piper calls the tune.”
I agree with Fr. Phiri on one point: “It’s not over for them until God says so.” But I refuse to pray for the opposition to quietly bottle up its bitterness. Instead, they must demand justice—from God, through local, regional, and international legal channels, and from the people of Zambia. This is both their democratic duty and their fundamental right.
After all, righteous indignation can be the very foundation of justice; only those who have been wronged can demand redress. Philosophers of liberation have long endorsed Jean-Paul Sartre’s argument that outsiders and beneficiaries of power have no moral right to dictate how victims of oppression should respond to their oppressors.
Fr. Phiri was not the victim of police or military brutality. He did not risk his livelihood on a campaign, nor did he shed blood. He lost nothing. From the comfort of his office, it is easy to tell victims to blindly place everything in God’s hands. But is this what Kafwaya’s widow wants to hear? What about the families of Bishop Trevor Mwamba, Mundubile, or Makebi? Behind these elections are human wounds and shattered lives that can never be rebuilt. Fr. Phiri’s lack of empathy is appalling.
Besides, if prayers alone sufficed, why would we need laws or courts?
As a theologian, Fr. Phiri knows that God demands active justice for the oppressed. Instead of placating the powerful, he should have urged the opposition to seek redress through the legal system. He should have called on the courts to act with strict impartiality—for the law must never wear political regalia. He should have demanded an independent inquiry into the military’s presence at tallying centers, as well as the immediate arrest and prosecution of all perpetrators of political violence, including state security officers.
Furthermore, he should have called for an independent, international investigation into the irregularities surrounding the G20 forms and result tallies to restore a shred of legitimacy to our republic’s democratic processes. Finally, he should have challenged the President to make the ongoing treason trials public, allowing Zambians to see the evidence for themselves.
Had he taken these steps, his interview would have reflected an independent moral voice. As it stands, it was a devastating letdown.
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