Maravi

Listen to the complaints of chiefs

Listen to the complaints of chiefs
By The Post
Tue 19 Oct. 2010, 04:50 CAT

It is a strict duty of justice and truth not to allow fundamental needs to remain unsatisfied. And there is a great danger that government policies, if not combined with clear social concern, will bring socio-economic deprivation. Living conditions must be improved, especially for the poor, the rural dwellers.

It is comforting to hear strong voices from our royal palaces concerning the plight of the rural poor. And we can only hope those in government will listen to these critical voices respectfully and give them favourable consideration.

We urge them to listen to the voices of critical traditional rulers like senior chief Luembe of the Nsenga people of Eastern Province. We know that those in government don’t like criticism, they only welcome praises. When they are praised, they want it to be done publicly. Even chiefs should praise them publicly. And when it comes to criticism, it shouldn’t as far as possible be done.

If it is done, it should be private or secret. And this is much more so if it is coming from chiefs. But chiefs have got an open duty to their subjects, and their royal establishments are the instruments by which their subjects should co-operate together in order to achieve the common good.

In most of our rural areas, this royal authority is needed and is sometimes the only authority available to guide the energies of all towards the common good. For this reason, our traditional rulers must be conscious of their specific and proper role in the political community. We say this because our traditional rulers have subjects who each day cannot meet the basic needs necessary for a decent human life.

It is therefore their duty to advocate just government policies and be more involved in the provision of life's basic material needs like food, education, healthcare and housing. They also have a duty to ensure their subjects have a standard of living worth of human dignity that includes enough food, clothing and adequate housing.

It is a strict duty of justice and truth not to allow fundamental needs to remain unsatisfied. We need more and more chiefs who are willing to speak for their subjects; chiefs who are not only concerned about their own welfare, about their transport and the state of their palaces. If the community is successful, the chiefs will also be successful and their personal problems will reduce.

A chief who presides over a poor community is a poor chief. We say this because we find it difficult to understand how a chief who heads a poor community can be rich and prosperous. The comfort and prosperity of a chief should be in direct proportion to that of his people.

Therefore, the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of every subject, especially of one who is poor and afflicted in any way, should be the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of every traditional ruler. We want the best for our chiefs.

But they can only get what we their subjects are able to give. If we have nothing, we will give them nothing. There is no sensible subject who would take pleasure in seeing his chief suffering in poverty, living in a dilapidated palace with no proper transport and even adequate food for himself and his family.

Chiefs with a vision pay more attention to the needs of their people than to enriching themselves because ultimately, the prestige of a chief lies in the quality of subjects he reigns over. For this reason, there is need for us to fight for the empowerment of our chiefs so that in turn, they can empower us.

And likewise, there is need for our chiefs to fight for the empowerment of their subjects so that in turn, they can also empower them. Every subject of theirs should have the chance to enjoy the wellbeing necessary for their full human development. Each of our chiefs should help prepare their subjects for political, economic and social tasks through their cultural heritage.

For instance, if the policies and practices of King Lewanika were to be followed, every subject would be cared for and made to make a positive contribution to the general wellbeing of the community. King Lewanika ensured that every subject of his had access to food and provided every family with land needed for their survival.

There were no landless people in King Lewanika’s kingdom. King Lewanika also paid great attention to education. He was actually impatient about this matter and wanted to see quick progress in education. This visionary king also paid great attention to the development of transport and agricultural infrastructure. He dug canals all over his territory as a way of improving transport and irrigation.

This was a caring king, and as his Mbunda name “Lewanika” suggests, he was a unifier of people from all backgrounds and walks of life. King Lewanika presided over a kingdom of 17 diverse tribes but managed to care for all.

And because of this, his subjects also cared for him. This is the care we want to see from our chiefs today. In Lewanika’s policies and practices, they should look for guidance and inspiration. And this is what we see in chief Luembe’s approach to issues affecting his subjects.

Aided by our rich traditions and cultural heritage, we believe that sustainable and integral human development can be promoted in ways that truly serve our people. For we know that true development in our country means true justice where there is fair sharing of resources and the benefits from economic development to improve the lives of all our people, especially the most vulnerable in our communities.

And we believe that adherence to tradition and culture can help make our traditional leadership relevant and credible amidst a situation of many problems but also many potentials. We shouldn’t forget that the poor deserve preferential attention. And the poverty that they are enduring is impoverishment caused by unjust political, economic and social structures.

Our traditional rulers have both the right and duty to participate fully in building a just, fair and humane society with all the means at their disposal. A traditional leadership is not fully rooted among its people if it does not try to establish justice and fairness and ensure that the subjects get what they deserve.

Traditional rulers need to be listened to. And as chief Luembe has correctly observed, the government should think of the poorest people in remote areas. This should be at all times, not only during election times when they are seeking their votes.

Labels: CHIEFS

posted by MrK @ 3:49 PM