Speak the Truth Boldly

Speak the Truth Boldly was the sermon title at Ainsworth United Church of Christ’s Jubilee Sunday service on February 18, 2007! We held our service a month after the actual Jubilee Sunday in order to lift up the Africa experiences of two Jubilee Oregon members, Rev. Lynne Smouse Lopez and Dr. Patricia Rumer who traveled to Kenya and Zambia in January.

Pat and Lynne shared how the Jubilee movement, South and North, is speaking truth boldly in demanding total debt cancellation to the United States government and in former “debtor” nations such as Zambia. Wangari Mathaai, Nobel peace prize recipient from Kenya, denounced the actions of the World Bank and IMF in a fiery speech at an Illegitimate Debt forum in Nairobi. She asked “how could the most powerful bank loan money to governments that could not pay without sacrificing the lives of people? We cannot tolerate these debts because they are literally killing our people.”

She and other speakers urged the churches to use their moral authority – “we have the numbers and the voices, but we don’t raise that voice! We cannot be silent while people suffer – we are the agents of the Lord!”

Lynne spoke of how debt cancellation is inextricably linked to trade justice. Although much of Zambia’s debt has been cancelled, the same harmful IMF economic conditions continue. The IMF is urging the Zambian government to impose a 17.5% value-added tax (VAT) on food, drugs and mosquito nets in a country that is malaria-ridden! She asked the congregation – how would we react in Oregon if the government imposed such a tax? Or if China, to whom the USA is in debt, suddenly imposed conditions that compromised our sovereignty by changing the Constitution or Congressional laws? How would we feel?

The service included a Scripture reading in Swahili by Geoffrey Bunyoli, Kenyan member of the congregation; a children’s sharing with Rev. Cecil Prescod in which the children were given basic school supplies and health aids and then, because of IMF conditions, all these supplies were taken back. The choir sang two special Jubilee hymns.

Living out our call to Jubilee! The service concluded with an altar call where congregation members pledged their involvement in local Jubilee Oregon activities – ranging from visits to Congressional representatives around debt cancellation legislation to participation in book discussion groups on global economic justice.

Ainsworth UCC has been a Jubilee congregation since 2001. Four AUCC members traveled to Africa in January – in addition to Pat and Lynne, Dustin and Cara Pattison also participated.

Pat Rumer
February 20, 2007

Report about Jubilee Sunday Celebration - Rev. Chris Laing

St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, on the grounds of the Oregon Episcopal School, held a full-blown Jubilee Sunday. Display table, use of many of the worship resources, a chance for me to preach, and a forum discussion following. There was also use of bulletin inserts from the Episcopal Church detailing aspects of the Millennium Development Goals.

This was the third year, I think, of raising the subject of Jubilee with the congregation. This year there was a strong response to bring the congregation membership issue to the next vestry (council) meeting. An announcement in the Oregonian led to a couple of new visitors. And a new
member stepped forward to be our parish contact person.

I am thankful for the support from parish leaders and what clearly seems to be the Spirit moving at St John's!

Chris

Why am I a Jubilee debt campaigner? - by Pat Rumer

Why am I a Jubilee debt campaigner? The movie, The Constant Gardener, offered a realistic, brutal picture of one of Africa's largest slums, Kibera. The on-the-ground reality is a slum surrounded by a lush golf course, elegant homes with a wall to keep out slum dwellers, and a nearby supermarket offering a "variety of choices."

What the movie does not show is the vitality and resilience of the children and in particular, the mothers organized in the Watoto Wa Dunia (Children of the World) project.

Debt is not about economic statistics - it is about people and their lives. Kenyans know that the debt service burden affects their health, schooling, job opportunities (or the lack thereof) and housing. Debt is slavery and at times, death. Mary, an AIDS orphan in Kibera, shared about a poem about AIDS and how it brings misery and loss. It is the people who suffer and yet struggle for their lives and those of their children. To make a better world is why I demand that the debt be cancelled.

An African man, Mr. Washiri, at the Illegitimate Debt Forum in Nairobi,challenged the audience saying, "it is morally wrong as church people not to pass the message. People must be aware. It is the reponsibility of the churches to bring the message home!" Cancel the debt requires public outrage.

Wangari Matthai, Nobel peace prize recipient from Kenya, asked, "How can you punish these poor people? Poor people are being sacrificed by their governments to pay these debts. We cannot tolerate these debts as they are literally killling our people!"

It is the women's voices that are the strongest - demanding, exhorting and importuning for justice because debt = death and slavery. Can we in the USA be morally outraged and raise our voices to demand the cancellation of the debt?

This is a story from Gloria, a Zambian business woman, and Ella, a Zambian Consultant.

They have increased the fuel costs, so now people are walking because they can not afford the bus. The food is too expensive, people are having one meal a day. Some do not even have that meal. A loaf of bread costs $0.70 which is prohibitive.

The households are being run by children, orphans, who have nothing left, the eldest at 12 years of age is looking after all the other children, so they have to stop school. Because of SIMS (HIV/AIDS).

The new “investors” come in and abuse the wage structure. You are so happy to have a job, but you do not even know how much you are going to be paid. You can not even afford transportation to work, you have to walk. The job does not have a pension, so once you are off, that is it.

Gloria says, What I want is to increase the salaries, take care of the doctors and nurses salaries, then they will remain with us. Create job opportunities, screen the investors who come in. They only have the profit in mind, they will do what ever they can to make money, at the expense of the worker who will not get anything. They are employed on a casual basis.

Ellas says, the wages must be increased and the health sector salaries must be increased. The anti-retroviral drugs must be moved to the rural areas so that the people there can access it. We need more counselors so people can understand what AIDS is.

January 26, 2007 blog

Today we traveled to Siavonga to visit a district hospital and day clinic. In a district of over 70,000 people they have this hospital and one mission hospital. The district hospital has four doctors, sixteen nurses and one midwife. We visited the wards, pharmacy, laboratory and day clinic.

The government used some of its debt relief to abolish health user fees in the rural areas like Siavonga. In addition, the medicines are free. This is a mixed bag. The abolition of fees has increased access for people; more people are going to the hospital and clinic. Unfortunately, the funding and infrastructure is not in place to have enough staff and medicine to handle the increased demand.

The poorly funded government and they years of wage freezes by the government, imposed by the IMF, means that the government wages are not sufficient to attract doctors and nurses. The brain drain is great. Zambian doctors in Namibia make four times what they would earn in a rural area in Zambia.

Meeting with Jubilee Zambia

January 25, 2007

After a very early morning flight on a very professional Kenya Airlines from Nairobi to Lusaka, Zambia we met up with Jubilee Zambia and the network of Civil Society for Poverty Eradication (CSPR.org.zm) at Jubilee Zambia’s home in The Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection (JCTR). Nanchila Nancolo, the Jubilee-Zambia Coordinator, provided us with a very comprehensive description of the current debt situation.

As is typical of the IMF, the Zambian Government was required to insitute a conditionality of freezing wages and hiring freezes for many years. For example, University professors had to wait two years to be paid. When there were funds to hire teachers or doctors, the wages were so low the government could not recruit anyone. The “Brain Drain” is significant. The debt relief received so far will help, but Jubilee Zambia is concerned about continued borrowing by the government to meet budget deficits, lack of transparency, no parliamentary oversight and a lack of political will to stand up to the IMF.

Jubilee Zambia wants transparency in all loan contracts, parliamentary oversight, monitoring of the use of the debt, reform to the trade sector so it benefits the country and local ownership of economic policies.

Chris…from JCTR presented their basic needs market basket analysis of the monthly income needed for a family of six in Lusaka to afford basic food and housing. The needed monthly income to meet basic needs is $366 per family per month, or $2 per person. In fact, wages, for those few who have jobs, averages much less. For example, a government secretary earns between $150 to $250 per month. In a country of 11.9 million people, only 470,000 have jobs in the formal employment sector.

For Zambia to get its partial debt cancellation, the government had to fulfill the conditionalities imposed by the IMF. One key requirement was privitization of government owned companies. The Zambian National Commercial Bank is a good example. It is the only bank in many rural areas. Since private companies are totally profit driven, if a rural branch is not profitable, it will be closed. This will have a huge impact on the agricultural sector and micro finance schemes. Imagine not having a bank in your town and having to travel for hours to get to a bank. The Zambian people are very upset about it, but the government had to agree with the IMF conditionality or it would not get debt relief.

When a government owned company, like a copper mine, is privatized, the company who is buying it gets a tax holiday for 5 years. We were told by CSPR that many times these companies leave when the five years are up. The new corporation who buys the company gets a NEW 5 year tax holiday. And on it goes.

Copper is a significant mineral for Zambia. Prices are up, but the government only gets royalties of 3.6%. The people of Zambia get toxic spills into their rivers. A clear case of environmental debt.

Like our home state of Oregon, Zambian workers contribute more tax revenue than the corporations. But that tax burden is carried by less than 500,000 people.

The IMF is now recommending a 17.5% value added tax on food, agricultural input, newsprint, fuel, mosquito nets and other basic needs. The citizenry is very much opposed to it, but it is yet to be seen if the government will stand up to the IMF on this “recommendation”.

Next Tuesday we will meet with the IMF and ask them a few questions about the tax on basic goods and the tax exemption enjoyed by corporations.

Voices from the South – a reflection by Pat Rumer, World Social Forum

“Is unconditional debt cancellation possible?

One of the most challenging issues facing the Jubilee global movement is the call for 100% cancellation of the debt without “harmful conditions.” These harmful conditions are the Structural Adjustment Programs of the IMF that debtor nations are required to adopt in their domestic economies BEFORE they can qualify for any form of debt relief. The topic of conditionality was on the agenda of one of the Debt workshops with South and North speakers.

Alejandro Bendana, a Nicaraguan founder of Jubilee 2000 in Latin America, observed that a victory (like the 2005 debt deal at the G8) presents new problems. Jubilee campaigners say debt cancellation and the G8 and international financial institutions (IFI’s) talk about debt relief. The terms of the debate are constantly changing and Jubilee campaigners need to follow the discourse. Since 2005 the IFI’s have focused on anti-corruption measures imposing new conditions on debtor nations to ensure “transparency and accountability.” However, the transparency and accountability demands do not apply to the lenders, the World Bank, IMF and regional development banks.

Alejandro challenged Jubilee movements in the North to not buy into the anti-corruption arguments but instead to support the ethical principle that all nations have the sovereign right to determine their own political and economic futures. If the people of Nicaragua or any other debtor nation demand transparency and accountability from their government, their actions support and strengthen democracy. If the IMF and WB impose anti-corruption conditions, it reinforces a colonial “the North knows best” mentality.

As a panel member and a Jubilee USA campaigner, I said that I have encountered people who decry the corruption in African and Latin American nations and believe that it is only realistic to require anti-corruption measures. In a recent conference in Honduras on external debt and the internal debt cancellation process after 2005, Hondurans were quite open about their struggle to realize the benefits of debt cancellation. If Jubilee South rejects lender-imposed conditions, is there a role for Jubilee northern movements to work with Jubilee South to ensure that the funds (cancelled) reach the poor? There is no easy answer to my question. Both North and South campaigners affirm the need to long-term education in our societies to understand the power imbalance between North and South while working to achieve a more just and equitable economic systems.

After the workshop I reflected on the Leviticus passage as well as the Lord’s Prayer. Both parts of the Bible talk about Cancellation or Forgiveness of Debts. Debts are to be forgiven every seven years, the Sabbath year, but there is no mention that debts are only to be cancelled if the debtor proves how he will spend the money. In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus prays, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” The biblical vision is for “unconditional debt cancellation.” Are we able to live out this visionn?