Fighting Corruption
Jubilee Centre June 2nd, 2009
The pending investigations into corruption scandal of over K10 billion in the Ministry of Health is very disturbing, especially in light of the current discussion on why the West’s efforts to aid Africa have done so little good. In January 2005, the then United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown offered hope when he stated that medicine that would prevent half of all malaria deaths costs only twelve cents a dose” (Easterly, 2006:3-4). Gordon Brown was silent about the tragedy of corruption that is causing millions of child deaths and unemployment for thousands of youths. It is a tragedy that so much well-meaning compassion is not having impact for good for the people in need because of corruption.
Hosea says that the fundamental reason that such vices exist in the community is lack of knowledge of God (4:6a). Hosea says that the priests, whose primary duty was to teach the law of God to the people, had failed to do so (4:6b-7). Hosea says that the priests fed on people’s sin. He says the more the people sinned, the more the priests received (4:7-8). During Hosea’s time the priests profited from the continuation of sin; it gave them power and position in high places. So instead of confronting leaders in high places and seeking to lead them out of sin, they ate and drank with them.
God calls corruption sin. The message Zambians need to hear is that God judges sin. God will judge Zambia for our slaughter of children to curable diseases and for lack of moral conduct in public places. When a society is characterized by vices such as stealing, injustice and lack of acknowledgement of God the result is political and social turmoil.
Before God’s judged Israel and sent them into Babylonian captivity because of their greed, corruption and selfishness, He sent them prophets who predicated that Israel would be punished. The corruption and theft of resources calls for prophets who remain faithful to God and who know that people’s acceptance or rejection of them is not the measure of their success. When sin is abounds God’s word of calling people to repentance is deemed offensive. Jeremiah served God faithfully for 40 years and during that time people ignored, rejected and persecuted him. In today’s account Jeremiah’s preaching would be unsuccessful.
The message of repentance is one of the greatest needs right now in our nation or Zambia may soon no longer be a “Christian Nation.” Theft and corruption in high places is a clarion call to the priests to agonize over the message they must deliver to the church, community and nation. It is a call to priests to be examples of faith and courage and for them pray for those who refuse to respond to the truth. This is the time for priests to commit themselves to being successful in God’s eyes and not by human standards.
Lawrence Temfwe
