Monday, September 26, 2011

Zambia's Operating Principles

I mentioned a few days ago Zambia's new president being sworn in on a Bible.  Now we see where this leads!  (For Democrats, cue the scary theme music.)  From September 25, 2011 Voice of America:

The new president of Zambia, Michael Sata, says his government will be governed by the Biblical 10 Commandments.
Mr. Sata pointed specifically to the commandment “thou shall not steal” during a speech at a Roman Catholic church in the capital, Lusaka, on Sunday.
The president, who is Catholic, also said the government will have closer ties with the church.

The article indicates that the Zambian constitution declares Zambia a Christian nation.  This appears to be the provision in question in the 1996 Constitution:

DECLARE the Republic a Christian nation while upholding the right of every person to enjoy that person's freedom of conscience or religion;
Unsurprisingly, foreign governments think that they know better:
Pressure from overseas governments and NGOs to drop the “Christian Nation” clause in Zambia’s constitution, has drawn sharp protest from church leaders in the Central African country.
The former Executive Director of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, Bishop Paul Mususu, told the Times of Zambia last week that it was wrong for foreigners to dictate the terms of the constitution and promote a secular state that would support gay rights.
“It is not proper for us to get rid of what we have cherished over the years. We shall be sinking so low if we allow things like homosexuality and pornography in the name of freedom of expression,” Bishop Mususu said.
Sweden and a number of NGOs working in Zambia have urged lawmakers to adopt a secular constitution and Bill of Rights that would grant civil protections to homosexuals.  

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