Ondjiva - The bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Angola (IELA), Dom Tomás Ndawanapo, on Wednesday in the southern Cunene Province called for greater family involvement in raising awareness and reporting acts of vandalism of public property and other crimes.
Speaking to ANGOP about the proposed Law on the Crime of Vandalism of Public Goods and Services, the religious leader repudiated reports of acts of destruction of common heritage, social disorder and other deviant behaviour.
He also said thatvandalism slows down the country's development, because the resources spent on recovering damaged goods could be channelled into other projects.
Dom Tomás Ndawanapo considered that many of the acts are the result of a lack of education and family harmony, the use of drugs and other psychopathic substances, which is why families should serve as sources of inspiration and motivation for young people, transmitting the principles and norms of good social behaviour.
"The formation of citizenship, social moralisation and the recovery of moral and civic values, the protection of common goods are the duties of families, in order to discourage negative practices," he said.
The bishop assured the willingness of the church to continue to play its role as a partner of the state, also in raising citizens' awareness about social coexistence.
The cleric warned about the deviation from religious behaviour, where the habits and customs, the traditions of African peoples are being cast aside and that, to the detriment of faith, the word of God is being used for enrichment.
The aforementioned law, which will soon be sent to the National Assembly, establishes a specific legal framework to combat vandalism of public goods and services, in line with the current regime and the evolution of needs to prevent and repress this type of crime.
Among the main measures are stiffer penalties for offences involving the destruction of public property, damage, attacks on security, subtraction of public goods or the taking away of public property. FI/LHE/ASS/DAN/jmc
