Maravi

Corruption and our chiefs

Corruption and our chiefs
By The Post
Mon 10 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT

The prosperity of chiefs has always been tied to that of their subjects. And since chiefs were traditionally not fending for themselves, what they ate, what they wore and all their glory emanated from what their subjects were able to bring or do for them. Today, a great majority of our people, especially those in the rural areas where most of our chiefs reside, are impoverished. This means that they have very little to give to their chiefs because one can only give that which one has.

If a chief’s subjects have nothing, the chief will get nothing. And this is the case today. Our chiefs are getting very little, if not nothing, from their subjects. The only ones who have something to give are those in control of government resources.

And today, both the chiefs and their subjects are looking up to those in control of government resources to survive. This in itself is weakening the bond between the chiefs and their subjects. We say this because the chiefs today don’t seem to be dependent on the contributions of their subjects. As such, their loyalty, faith and commitment lies elsewhere. And if chiefs have lost that commitment, that loyalty to their subjects, there is no way their subjects can also continue to be loyal to them. People have faith in those who have faith in them; people are loyal to those who are loyal to them. Today, the chiefs are more preoccupied with their own survival while their subjects also have to fend for themselves and worry about their own survival. Situations of this nature create other problems. Greed and vanity set in. When people have to think only about themselves, serious problems start because values, standards, ethics, traditions and cultural norms suffer. Things that were simply never done become acceptable and normal day-to-day occurrences in society.

Senior chief Bright Nalubamba of the Ila people of Namwala in Southern Province is right when he observes that there is too much poverty in our nation, especially in the rural areas. He is also correct when he laments about how painful it is to see some chiefs defending wrong things instead of helping their people. Chiefs are supposed to ensure that the voices of the voiceless poor that they preside over are heard and their needs met.

But we need to continue to ask the question: what has gone wrong? Why are the people’s representatives in the forefront of defending wrong things? One would expect that chiefs who in most cases live among their people would keenly understand the struggles of their subjects and strive to improve their lives. But from what chief Nalubamba is saying, this is not the case. Some chiefs seem to be finding it easier to defend the wrongdoing of those in power than to speak out on the misery and suffering of their poor subjects. The question is: why?

When corruption grips a nation, no institution is spared. There are not many of our people who would sincerely say that corruption is not a big problem for our country. Everybody knows that our country is suffering the consequences of the corruption epidemic. Any institution that can be used to advance the corrupt interests of those who today control state power is under attack. Chiefs are no exception. In the name of recognising the institution of chieftaincy, a system of corrupt patronage has become a normal part of our politics. Some chiefs, especially those who are viewed as being favourably disposed towards the political party in power, are given all sorts of gifts and inducements to maintain their support. What this does is that these chiefs are now forced to toe the ruling party line and support whatever those in government want. When this happens, an important voice which would have served the needs of the voiceless is shut up and our people continue to wallow in poverty. This might sound very simplistic but unfortunately, it is true. This is how the powerful office that chiefs occupy has been emasculated and left to serve the interests of the ruling party and its corrupt leaders.

Chief Nalubamba is right also by observing that Frederick Chiluba’s behaviour is an insult to our people because of the corruption that he presided over. Today, Chiluba tries to parade himself as an innocent victim of Levy Mwanawasa’s vindictiveness and yet most of our people know that Chiluba was nothing but a petty-minded and shameless thief who attacked every institution that the country needs to run properly. Our people have not forgotten that Chiluba used to parade chiefs to support his evil schemes, including his ill-conceived third term bid. Chiluba’s student, Rupiah Banda, has picked up the same habit of abusing chiefs in this shameless way. Chiefs are paraded to support this or that government scheme in return for very small favours that can never compare with their responsibility to the people, which they abdicate by this behaviour. The poverty of our people, which has resulted in the poverty of their chiefs, is being manipulated to turn chiefs against their own people. We say this because when a chief supports schemes that are going to condemn generations of his subjects to a life of poverty and deprivation, such a chief has become an enemy of his own people. And this is what Rupiah continues to do with many of our chiefs. There are not many chiefs in our country today who speak candidly and fearlessly in defence of the interests of their people. Most of them, when they speak, it is only about their own welfare – their allowances, automobiles, palaces, personal medical attention and so on and so forth. The interests of their people are only talked about in passing if ever they happen to be talked about.

The corruption of this important institution has left our people poorer, helpless and in despair. For many of our poor people, their chiefs are nothing but an extension of self-seeking opportunists who do nothing for public good. This is an unfortunate development that needs to be arrested. What they are forgetting is that none of our great chiefs are remembered for how much personal wealth and luxury they had accumulated for themselves. King Lewanika had the opportunity to make a personal fortune for himself and live a very comfortable life full of luxuries. Lewanika did not indulge in that type of thing. There were no personal mansions built for him. Instead, Lewanika selflessly concentrated on building schools, constructing canals and other economic and social infrastructure for the benefit of his people. This is what made his kingdom attractive to the 21 tribes he presided over. No piece of his people’s land was given away or concessioned to anyone for personal benefit to himself. His entire foreign and economic policy was premised on serving and preserving the interests of his people. This is what made Lewanika loved, admired and respected by his people. And his commitment to the welfare of his people made him a great visionary. We want our chiefs to be like Lewanika in the service of their people. We want our chiefs to emulate Lewanika’s spirit of honesty, incorruptibility as the essence of their self-respect.

Labels: CHIEFS, CORRUPTION

posted by MrK @ 7:09 AM