THE CLERGY HAVE SUCCUMBED TO THE INTRICATE TEMPTATIONS OF THE WORLD OF POLITICS.

The clergy have increasingly been made a butt of many cynical jokes. This is because the faithful have developed a cynical distrust of them. And it is quite easy to understand the anger and frustration from the faithful. Big money allegedly from the “clergy’ is threatening to corrode our democracy. But it is not only the money from the clergy (which is actually a lingering misnomer for the church). We also have undue influence from the filthy wealthy cabal who in communion with the clergy are pulling their massive resources together to debilitate the process for essential reforms in this country. Judging by their countrywide campaigns which are awash with all sorts of posters, leaflets and other political rally appurtenances, we have no doubt that colossal sums of money are involved. And, it cannot just be the contributions made by the Christian faithful. There must be undisclosed sources from which these colossal sums of money come from. And since the source(s) is a highly guarded secret, this can only be the kind of money whose aim is to pervert democracy. We all know that it can only be a perversion of democracy for a section of the clergy and politicians to rely on massive financial resources rather than prayer and ideology to influence the referendum outcome. This perversion has been made possible by the very fact that at the moment there is very weak legislation that prohibits political groupings and individuals from sourcing and spending unregulated funds in a political campaign. Is it not time that the conscientious public demanded full disclosures of all contributions and disbursements that have so far gone to the No camp? If indeed it is the money from the faithful, is its use not inconsistent with the purpose for which it was given? We need to know whether the faithful were consulted by the clergy before their tithes were injected into this muddy referendum campaign exercise. This is because no clergy on any pretext whatsoever can elect to use the church resources for purposes other than that which they are meant for. By using the faithful’s money in a political campaign, the clergy have succumbed to their appetites and lost their spirit among the singularly intricate temptations of the world of politics. By the end of the referendum campaign, the clergy will have to deal with the fact that they will increasingly be seen by the faithful as having become a misnomer and a cover for socio-political stagnation. As for the Yes Team, I wish to remind them that commitment and consensus in strategy are prerequisites for a successful campaign. They must try to counter the floodgate of lies perpetuated by the naysayers. They must also deal decisively with those in their midst who have concealed their inner self behind the glib mask of duplicity. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis