A Chance For Our Churches

THE Church Leaders Declaration on Elections in Namibia, while long overdue, is a welcome step. The Declaration was launched in the capital this week.

Nobody can deny the crucial played, in particular by the Council of Churches, in Namibia’s long struggle for Independence, but since self-determination came about in 1990, critics have bemoaned the fact that the voice of this institution has been muted and even politically compromised at times.It is encouraging to note that church leaders, from a wide variety of denominations, have also recognised their own shortcomings in this regard.The Preamble of the Declaration acknowledged ‘the failures of the Church in many instances since Independence for not being obedient to God in raising a prophetic voice in search of a just society’.It also made mention of the fact that said church leaders had also reflected on the historic role of the Church in the liberation struggle as well as the CCN’s programme of repatriation, resettlement and reconstruction (RRR process) of exiles leading up to the 1989 elections. Leaders explored how the Church had been engaging itself in civil life, and admitted that while there had been ‘failures’ there had also been ‘positive input of the Church in transformation, nation-building and democracy in the country since independence’.The call by the Declaration for churches in all 13 regions of the country to work together and put aside personal and denominational differences and themselves exhibit tolerance. This is important as rifts between religious denominations in Namibia, if not as deep and divisive as those between certain political groupings, have nevertheless been a contributory cause for the non-involvement of churches in Namibian civil society over the years since independence.The Declaration makes the following call on churches and faith-based organisations, with a view to the election year ahead:• to take up the role of intercession through mobilising individual and corporate prayers in the nation to ensure a peaceful electoral process;• to take the role of being a prophetic voice by speaking out on all issues that relate to the wellbeing of the nation and to offer counsel, where necessary, to assist in nation-building;• to declare their willingness to work for peaceful, free and fair election processes in our country;• to institute, in respective congregations, an education programme to ensure understanding of the provisions of the Namibian Constitution and the Electoral Act;• to publicly advocate for the inclusion of voter education and democracy into the life skills syllabi in schools;• to take a strong stand against any violation of the fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, as well as in the Electoral Commission’s Code of Conduct for political parties;• to denounce derogatory utterances by political leaders, party members, organised civil society groups and members of the public and any actions that threaten peace and the rule of law;• to refrain from allowing churches to be used as a campaign podium for political parties; and• to avail church facilities as polling stations to the Electoral Commission of Namibia.Finally, the Declaration appealed to the Government, public office bearers, political parties and other role players in the current political process, to build on and protect the principles enshrined in the Constitution ‘so that the elections will be fair and just’.Good intentions, but also a tall order for churches which are only just waking from their dormancy. But the Declaration is undoubtedly a good start and we hope that the churches will constantly remind themselves of the commitments they’ve undertaken, and remind themselves constantly of the need to speak out when things go wrong.It is absolutely essential that church men and women do not only preach from the pulpit to their congregations about the principles they’ve endorsed, but also play a more meaningful public role in speaking out to ensure that tolerance becomes the watchword for all in the year ahead and thereafter.