On preferential option for the poor
The option for the poor or preferential option for the poor is one of the basic principles of the Catholic social teaching, as articulated in the latter half of the 20th century. The concept was championed by many Christian democratic parties in Latin America at that time. This was a great initiative that was taken by the Conference of Latin American Bishops.
The conference was held in 1968 in Medellin, Colombia. In this conference, the bishops agreed that the “church should take a preferential option for the poor”. The bishops decided to form Christian-based communities in which they would teach the poor how to read by using the Bible. The rationale of the bishops was to liberate the people from “institutionalised violence” of poverty. They informed the people that poverty and hunger were preventable.
The movement initiated by the Latin American Bishops drew on the influence of Paulo Freire, widely regarded as the greatest literacy teacher of the region, along with father Camilo Torres and Bartolome de Las Casas. It allowed for the poor to object to the hegemony and hierarchy they have been subjected to for the past centuries. Instead of only accepting what they were given, the people could now demand more like soup kitchen, day care, cooperatives, neighborhood organisations, higher wages and better medical care.
The bishops and nuns that took part in this effort were hoping that the “religious fervor” of the region would help make the result extremely powerful. They felt that the poor were blessed people and that the church has a duty to help them. Finally, the movement became known as liberation theology.
Let us as Malawians be challenged to make a preferential option for the poor, namely to create conditions for marginalised voices to be heard, to defend the defenseless, and to assess lifestyles, policies and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor. The moral test of any society is based on how the most vulnerable are treated. God’s love is universal, so this principle does not intend that we should focus on the poor to the exclusion of others, but rather that we are called to prioritise those who are in most need of our solidarity.
As political parties are yet to release manifestoes and the campaign period will be launched soon, I would be very pleased to hear ideologies, philosophies and manifestos that lean towards the poor people as we prepare for the May 21 Tripartite Elections.
As Malawians, we have an opportunity within our jurisdiction to elect a leader who will be concerned with the life of the poor people in our Warm Heart of Africa. It is our opportunity to reflect on the gap between the rich and the poor. It is the time to evaluate the people who are aspiring to be our leaders come May 21 if they have the right motive of being on the side of the poor people.
The former president of United States of America Barack Obama once said: “With patience and firm determination, I am going to press on for the jobs. I am going to press on for the equality. I am going to press on for the sake of our children. I am going to press on for the sake of all those families who are struggling right now. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I do not have time to complain. I am going to press on.”
Finally, I will not have an aorta of energy to stomach a type of a leader who will be there to amass wealth for himself, family, political party, tribe, among others, at the expense of the poor people in the Warm Heart of Africa. This is my greatest prayer as we all vigilantly soldier on towards the May 21 Tripartite Elections. As we eagerly wait to cast our vote, my prayer is for God to grant us peaceful and fair elections. n
