We have failed this country —Bishop Mtumbuka

Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of the Catholic Church Karonga Diocese has said that poverty continues to worsen in the country because of lack of concern for the poor masses and cluelessness by those in authority. Mtumbuka was speaking at Catholic University in Chiradzulu District yesterday during the institution “s congregation graduation.

By Justin Mkweu

Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of the Catholic Church Karonga Diocese has said that poverty continues to worsen in the country because of lack of concern for the poor masses and cluelessness by those in authority.

Mtumbuka was speaking at Catholic University in Chiradzulu District yesterday during the institution’s congregation graduation.

The bishop, who is also the Board Chairperson for the Catholic University of Malawi Council, lamented that even though thousands of students graduate each and every year, the country has remained the same with poverty worsening especially among the rural masses.

He added that the cluelessness of those in authority spans every sector including religion, politics, academics, judiciary, and many others who do not seem to care about how poor the country is and come up with solutions that will reduce poverty.

“The level of poverty for the poor is getting worse each and every day because we the old ones have failed this country through our incompetence and cluelessness, on top of having no heart for the poor masses in this country,” he said.

Mtumbuka who is known for his hard talk style of preaching then called upon the students to be the light of the world by changing the situation through application of knowledge they have acquired.

He said if things continue the way they are being done now, the people of Malawi will continue languishing in poverty and the country will not move forward for the benefit of its economy and its people.

“The poverty of your relatives and the misery they pass through should annoy you and the situation should not go on like this because it will even affect you as you will not be able to secure jobs but join the bandwagon of hand clappers and thieves and the country will get worse,” he said.

The university has graduated 1, 235 students in different disciplines.

Guest of honour at the event, Deputy Minister of Education Monica Chang’anamuno, said the graduating students should use what they have leant to bring solutions in entrepreneurship, instead of just having job seeking mindset.

“We are making sure that our students should compete on the international level. Therefore, we have to provide good standards of education because substandard education is a suicide to this nation and wherever the person will go,” she said.