Lozi tribalists must be opposed
Lozi tribalists must be opposedBy Editor
Monday June 18, 2007 [04:00]
“… having supported presidents Dr K. D. Kaunda, F. JT Chiluba and LP Mwanawasa, respectively, it was now opportune for a president from Western Province”. This is the brazenness with which a group of 30 Lozi politicians and other personalities put their case to each other for a Lozi president.
There are two things that shocked us about this group or gang. The first thing that shocked us was to find the names of people one thought were well-educated, socially aware or conscious and above the tribe to be associated with such tribal nonsense. Some views seem to be shocking because of the ideas on which they are based.
The second thing that shocked us is the brazenness with which such backward tribal sentiments are being expressed. One only requires little intelligence – if a little is all one has – to realise that an approach based on one’s tribe and not one’s merits or abilities to become president doesn’t seem right and it is actually a recipe for mistrust and conflict. A political criterion that is based on one’s tribal or ethnic background carries in itself the dangers of tribalism.
We are not accusing this gang of 30 of tribalism but we feel their approach to politics, no matter how well intended, carries with it all the dangers inherent in tribalism. We know very well that unanimity of consensus is usually not easy in politics. And differences of opinions on issues will always be resolved around their bases. If the politics of any nation are based on certain ideas or values, the political conflicts that may arise in that nation will be dominated or argued around those ideas or values.
However, if the foundation is tribal or regional, the conflicts that may arise will acquire a tribal or regional character. We would rather have a system, whatever its defects or shortcomings, that looks at one’s merits or abilities and not one’s tribe or regional background. This is because if political differences arise, they will be solved around the issue of merit or competence, and not tribal or regional bases.
There is no merit an individual should claim by merely belonging to a certain tribe. No one became a Lozi as a result of his or her merits; no one became a Lozi as a result of his or her achievements – they are simply Lozi by accident, they had no choice in the matter. As such they should neither be credited nor disadvantaged in any way by simply being Lozi. Let merit prevail in all that we do.
Daniel arap Moi, former Kenyan president, once described tribalism as a cancer. That was an accurate description of a demoralising challenge that we face today. We dealt with this issue at length last year when tribal tendencies exhibited themselves to an extremely high level in UPND. We denounced it in the strongest terms. And we were accused of being anti-Tonga.
We are not anti-any tribe; we are simply anti-tribalism. And we detest tribalism wherever it may come from. We are opposed to Lozi tribalism just as much as we detest Tonga or Bemba or indeed any other tribalism. Tribalism is truly an evil we have to overcome. For our nation to live and prosper, the tribe must be subordinated to the nation. If the tribe is put above the nation, the nation will not survive or prosper. We urge all Zambians to avoid tribalism and regionalism and work tirelessly and selflessly to foster unity in the nation.
Our unity as a nation will continue to be an essential target of the activities of political opportunists, hyenas and jackals of all hues as long as our politics remains a vehicle for fulfilling personal ambition and not necessarily an opportunity to serve the people.
As we have stated before, unity is not just a feeling or something abstract. Unity is sustained by a clear concept of our objectives and precise understanding of the tasks of each moment.
Unity implies drawing an ever firmer dividing line between the people and opportunistic politicians, regardless of the form their politics may take. It is therefore imperative for us as a nation to create a new mentality and way of seeing things. The fulfilment of the giant tasks, of getting our people from this painful and humiliating poverty, that lie ahead of us implies achieving and consolidating national unity.
To be united, it is not enough to simply state that one is united so repeatedly or to sloganeer about it. It is necessary to wage a constant battle against all divisive situations, political practices and tendencies. It is necessary to understand the grandeur, diversity and complexity of our country. Knowing this complexity means studying its divisiveness in the country and the ways of combating it. It is imperative that all this diversity and specific peculiarities lead to real unity among our people. We do not know tribes, regions, races or religious beliefs; we only know Zambians who are equally exploited and equally desirous of progress and prosperity in their country.
The question that arises is: When is it the right time to launch an offensive against tribalism, regionalism, disunity and the political opportunists championing or fomenting it? We cannot limit our struggle or fight to certain evils while neglecting others, because these would later come to hound us, to destroy us. The roots of an evil which we underrate and decide to pull out at a later date become the roots of a cancer which can destroy us, invading the whole body, before we can get to that ‘later date’. The idea of waiting until the consequences of tribalism, regionalism and disunity have become tangible realities for all to see is erroneous.
It means allowing evil ideas, practices and attitudes to gain ground or take root, only to fight them when they are strong and entrenched. It is like not fighting a crocodile on the bank only to fight it in the middle of the river. Clearly, not joining the fight against tribalism, regionalism and disunity now, when the conditions are ripe, is lack of political foresight and an error of strategy. Today the conditions for launching an effective battle against tribalism, regionalism and disunity in the nation really exist.
Therefore, the unity of our people and the unity of our various tribes and regions are the basic guarantees of progress and prosperity in our country. It is only through unity that we can develop this country and eradicate poverty and backwardness from its face. It is therefore imperative that we fight and overcome anything that impairs national unity.
Tribalism and regionalism is not really a problem of the great majority of our people. It is something that is foisted on them by greedy and unscrupulous politicians out to feather their own political nests. They are every day dividing people just to chalk up their political opportunities. They are not in politics to serve the tribes or regions they claim to represent or to be in politics for and on whose support they rely for political survival.
They have no real interest in the people, they have no real love for the people and commitment to the interests of the people. They are not in politics for this. They are in politics to fulfil ambitions, pleasure and for personal financial reasons. If they were truly for the people, their love for the people and commitment to the people’s interests would have manifested itself in so many ways. But some of these politicians have no record of public service at all – or even of tribal service. They are nothing but selfish and greedy individuals trying to manipulate the difficult economic and social situation our people find themselves in.
There is no region of our country that has today escaped poverty because someone hailing from there had become the president of the Republic of Zambia or hailed some very senior or powerful position in government. Poverty affects our people across the width and breadth of our country in primarily the same way. The scars of poverty that our brothers and sisters bear in Shangombo, Kalabo, Chavuma, Sinazeze are no different from those of their brothers and sisters in Chadiza, Nabwalya, Kaputa or Mwense.
Therefore, what this country needs to move forward is not more and more doses of tribalism or regionalism but the election of a political leadership that squares up to the challenges our country faces today.
What we need is a type of politics that will encourage and enable the best sons and daughters of our people to come up and take up the political leadership of our country and serve the interests of our people heart and soul. Narrow tribal or regional approaches to politics will not do. We therefore welcome the decision that has been taken by the MMD in Western Province to distance itself from tribal politics and support whoever has a national acclaim regardless of his or her tribal or regional origins. This is the way things should be – let merit prosper.
Labels: EDITORIAL, MMD, TRIBALISM
posted by MrK @ 3:48 PM
1 Comments:
" The question that arises is: When is it the right time to launch an offensive against tribalism, regionalism, disunity and the political opportunists championing or fomenting it? "
Let's step back and instead of looking to stop Lozi tribalists, or Southern Province tribalists or any others, let's look at a way of taking tribalism out of national politics.
When budgets are distributed in a way that is unambiguously non-tribal, we will see tribalism as a path to political success cut off, and we will see tribalims disappear from natioal and even regional politics.
This is what I suggest:
- 50% of national revenues are directly distributed to local government
- local government will be municipal or rural councils of 30,000 people each, 350 in total nationwide
- they will each receive $1.25 million or more per year
- they will provide - education, healthcare, policing, public amenities and administrative tasks
- headed by an elected council leader
- all expenditures tracked by an independent state agency
- by-elections callable after at 2 years, in case of incompetence or fraud
- participatory budgeting for the money that is not spent on the 5 basic services
These councils are so small, that they undercut any hint of the so-called 73 tribes (or districts).
PS,
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