Maravi

Chiefs Chimbuka and Chewe accuse Chiluba of lowering chiefs’ integrity

Chiefs Chimbuka and Chewe accuse Chiluba of lowering chiefs’ integrity
By Ernest Chanda
Tue 25 May 2010, 04:00 CAT

TWO traditional leaders from Northern Province have complained that Frederick Chiluba has lowered the integrity of chiefs by parading them together with cadres.

Commenting on the just-ended Luapula ‘consultative’ meeting organised by opposition Patriotic Front (PF) ‘rebel’ parliamentarians between former president Chiluba and chiefs, chief Chimbuka of the Bemba people in Chinsali said Chiluba had no moral right to parade chiefs before himself.

Chief Chimbuka questioned Chiluba’s regard for traditional leadership, especially that he himself discouraged such when he was in power.

“I thank all the traditional leaders in Luapula for handling Chiluba in the manner they did because they didn’t dance to his tune as he had expected. But what has surprised me is that the same Chiluba when he was in power, he forbade politicians from abusing chiefs. Again he forbade chiefs from being partisan. But this man is today parading chiefs with cadres as if they were his subjects. Any way, I understand now why Chiluba behaved that way at the time,” Chief Chimbuka said.

“Dr Kaunda then as president of UNIP had senior chief Inyambo Yeta as his vice. So Chiluba feared that if Dr Kaunda left politics, chief Yeta was going to take over UNIP. So he condemned the idea of chiefs practicing partisan politics as one way of blocking chief Inyambo Yeta. Chiluba also thought that by banning chiefs from politics, he would finish UNIP. Our traditional leaders were treated as such under Chiluba, but how come they are now politicians who should be paraded together with cadres?”

Chief Chimbuka also dismissed allegations from MMD officials that PF leader Michael Sata insulted Paramount Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba people.

“Sata did not insult Paramount chief Chitimukulu as some politicians were saying. For me as a member of the Bemba Royal establishment I dismiss those allegations. I’m the one who questioned our Paramount chief’s involvement with the MMD administration. Sata never said a thing and I do not understand where these people got the notion that he has insulted chiefs. The truth is that these people are damn scared of Sata because they know that when he becomes president he will prosecute all of them for their corruption,” said Chief Chimbuka.

And chief Chewe charged that Chiluba was aimed at destroying the dignity of traditional leaders.

“This Chiluba is a destroyer aimed at eliminating all the dignity we have as traditional leaders. Who is Chiluba to be gathering chiefs and ask each one of them to introduce themselves? In the midst of cadres you have chiefs standing up one by one saying, ‘I’m chief so and I’m chief so.’ What nonsense! Chiluba was a bus conductor and we worked together in Kitwe. And this vigilante William Banda he was a bus inspector and I met him at Nakonde,” chief Chewe said.

“Chiluba should not be allowed to reduce chiefs to a level of cadres and asking him whom to endorse. I urge my fellow traditional leaders to be united against political abuse from Chiluba. If that meeting was really about development, why were we simply treated to campaigns against Sata? I challenge Chiluba to organise the same meeting in the Northern Province if it was really about development.”

Last week, Chiluba opened what was termed a developmental meeting in Luapula Province organised by Chembe MMD parliamentarian Mwansa Mbulakulima and all PF rebel parliamentarians in the province.

But the meeting later proved to be a campaign tool for President Rupiah Banda.

Labels: CHIEF CHEWE, CHIEF CHIMBUKA, CHIEFS, CHILUBA

posted by MrK @ 4:18 AM