Barotse royals express their feelings to Kunda

Barotse royals express their feelings to Kunda
By Mwala Kalaluka and Agness Changala
Fri 07 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT

THE Barotse Royal Establishment says feelings of anger over the exclusion of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 from the new constitution will make dialogue with the government on the issue difficult.

But Vice-President George Kunda says the government will clamp-down on anybody intending to hold a public meeting in Limulunga next week over issues arising from the Barotseland Agreement. Meanwhile, home affairs minister Mkhondo Lungu, says anyone agitating for the secession of Western Province is committing treason.

Sources that attended the close to five hours closed-door meeting held between Vice-President Kunda and the Barotse traditional leadership at the Litunga’s palace in Limulunga on Wednesday, said the BRE leadership demanded that Vice-President Kunda immediately states the government’s position on the matter.
The sources said two separate meetings were held within the Litunga’s palace.

They said the first meeting with Vice-President Kunda attended by the Litunga, his younger brother Anang’anga Imwiko (chief for Lukulu district), the Ngambela prime minister and some indunas including Professor Oliver Saasa Induna Kaluwe was held in the Litunga’s house Kwandu.

They said the second meeting, which was more open, was held in the conference room Kashandi within the Litunga’s palace. The sources said the meetings took place from 11:00 hours to 15:00 hours.

The sources said Vice-President Kunda was accompanied to the meeting by home affairs minister Mkhondo Lungu, provincial minister Richard Mwapela, the president’s legal advisor Joseph Jalasi and a Mr. Kaumba from Office of the President (OP).

“Some of the issues that were raised by the BRE were that of leaving out the Barotseland Agreement in the NCC National Constitutional Conference. They said the exclusion was hurting and had angered their children in the area,” the source said. “They said there might be no hope that there will be dialogue with the government.”

The sources said Vice-President Kunda replied that the government was of the idea that the issue of the Barotseland Agreement is discussed between it and the royal establishment.

They said Vice-President Kunda explained that taking the Barotseland Agreement issue to the NCC constitution route would lead to it being shot down because other people did not understand it.

“The Ngambela didn’t seem to understand the explanation from the Vice-President because what he wanted was for the government to immediately agree that the Barotseland Agreement would get into the Constitution,” the source said. “But the Vice-President said that is not how things were done. He said he has been sent by his boss President Rupiah Banda to find out what the tension was all about and to report back.”
The sources said Vice-President Kunda told the meeting that the government was ready to discuss the matter and they were surprised that people in the province had been fighting and calling for secession.

“There was no agreement. He just came to find out what the problem was and if there was something the government had not done right,” the sources said.

And on the intentions by Barotse activists to hold a public meeting at Limulunga next week, where the Litunga’s palace is located, Vice-President Kunda urged for the cancellation of the meeting.

“He said the government would charge those people with treason if they hold the meeting. He said those that were released on a nolle prosequi last time were lucky because the Litunga intervened,” the sources said.

The sources said in response the Ngambela said in as much as they were willing to discuss the Barotseland Agreement issue with the government, their children were agitated and they were causing problems.

“On January 14, 2011, the Ngambela said the issue of the meeting would cause problems for the BRE. He said ‘those children Barotse activists will come and beat us. If you (government) allow them, they will come and harass us and force us to secede’,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Lungu at a press briefing yesterday warned that anyone agitating for the secession of Western Province was committing an act of treason.

He has warned that the government would not allow the January 14 meeting being mooted by Barosteland activists to discuss issues surrounding the Baroste Agreement as it would only cause probems in the country.

And a former Ngambela for Western Province during the reign of the late Litunga Ilute Yeta IV says the Barotse activists’ meeting will go ahead next week.

Maxwell Mututwa said in an interview from Mongu yesterday that the Barotse activists could not talk to the government over the Barotseland Agreement 1964 without getting the people’s feelings over the matter.

“The government should not in any way try to block this public meeting because we want to get the people’s views,” Mututwa said. “That is when we shall call for a meeting with the President or his representatives. We don’t want to preach our own views but the views of the people of Western Province. The meeting will take place whether the government like it or not.”

However, Lungu said that government would not allow the meeting the Barostseland activists had mooted for January 14 called to discuss issues surrounding the Baroste Agreement of 1964.

He said the police command in Western Province took the right course of action by telling them not to proceed.

“Doing so is actually breaking the law and constitutes a treasonable offence,” Lungu said.

He said the government was aware of the meeting as it had received information through its security agencies.

Lungu said the discussions between the Litunga, Vice-President George Kunda and the rest of the people who attended went well.

However, he was unable to go into details of the meeting because Vice-President Kunda was yet to report to President Rupiah Banda.

President Banda sent Vice-President Kunda to meet the Litunga to find out abo\ut the recent disturbances that had occurred in the province.

Lungu said the government was determined and resolved as always not to allow any person or group of persons to disturb the peace and security which the country had enjoyed from 1964 to date.

He also said circulating of seditious material was an offence and that the law shall take its course on all persons involved in such activities.

And Lungu said his ministry was ready to provide an enabling environment to all political parties to market themselves to the electorate.

He said the year 2011 presented an opportunity for the citizens to exercise their democratic right of voting for leaders of their choice at all the three levels.
Lungu said political gatherings are expected to be free of any form of violence so that the right to assemble is not abused.

He said political leaders must also ensure that they conduct their campaigns and package their messages in a manner that will not be suggestive of any form of anarchy.

Lungu called on the media to ensure the information disseminated does not cause panic and anxiety among the general citizenry.
He said those aggrieved were encouraged to seek amicable means to resolve matters.

The minister also called on all Zambian citizens to abide by the law irrespective of political, social or security diversity.

Commenting on Colonel Panji Kaunda who stood by his statement that 2010 elections would be the bloodiest if the government does not put in place measures to stop violence, Lungu said it was wrong for anyone to predict violence in the forthcoming general elections because it may scare away voters from taking part in the electoral process.

Lungu said leaders should stop making statements that would incite people to be violent and discourage others from going to the polls.