Repentance, Restitution, Forgiveness, Retribution and Reconciliation
Jubilee Centre March 23rd, 2009
After South Africa had its first democratic election in which Nelson Mandela emerged as the elected President, the world watched tensely on how the nation was going to deal with the atrocities of apartheid. For South Africans there was no question about the need to deal with their past effectively if they were going to make the transition to a new dispensation. Their debate was not on whether they should deal with past but on how to deal with the past of which some of it was still fresh (Desmond Tutu, 1999).
Though our nation is not at the same divisive level, it faces a similar situation to that of South Africa with how to deal with corruption and theft in the high places that happened during the Chiluba reign. Even though some people have been convicted and sentenced in some of these cases, the question we must ask is whether the outcome of justice has fulfilled the element of deterrence. The Bible several times refers to deterrence as a justification for punishment (Deut 19:20
). Can we truly say that this has been achieved? The recent statements in parliament by Hon. Ben Mwila and Hon. Peter Muchungwa where they accused both the Task Force and the donor countries of hijacking the judicial system suggests that the element of deterrence has not been achieved. Their statement suggests that there has been a miscarriage of justice.
The challenge of theft and corruption in high places is a failure of leadership than a failure of values. In 1991 when we set out a bold vision for creation of a nation founded on democratic principles we did not emphasize the values that make democracy to work. Because of lack of values to guide us, a section of people in the nation see the Task Force as an institution to punish and humiliate selected individuals because of political or personal differences. If in 1991 or for that matter in 1964 we as a people had defined our values, morals and beliefs, then each constituency would have been electing and sending to Lusaka the best men or women who embody those beliefs. These cases have provided for us a look into the beliefs, values, and philosophies of life of several influential leaders in politics, government, media and law. These cases have been going on for the seven years. What have we learnt?
We have an opportunity to write for ourselves a Constitution that can represent our values, morals and beliefs. The cases in court of law for abuse of power and theft give us an opportunity to learn from factors that would have contributed to the criminal behavior of offenders. These factors can contribute immensely to coming up with a Constitution that will ensure that there is in place a system of checks and balances to prevent abuses of power on the part of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government through mutual accountability. The church has a responsibility to encourage and facilitate such actions by offenders, where the needs of repentance, forgiveness, restitution, retribution and reconciliation are met. May the outcome and the process of these court cases move us forward to the roots of justice, righteousness, and well-being for the nation?
Lawrence Temfwe
