Maravi

Know, admit where the Barotse problem lies

Know, admit where the Barotse problem lies
By The Post
Sat 08 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT

We may not share or even understand the agenda of the Barotse Agreement activists.

And we don’t need to share or understand their agenda to defend their inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms. These people, whatever their agenda – palatable or unpalatable, popular or unpopular, have the right to the full enjoyment of their inalienable rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the right to equal protection before the law.

And no government grants these fundamental freedoms because they are endowed to all of us, without exception, by the Creator. And since these rights or freedoms exist independently of government, they cannot be legislated away, nor are they subject to the momentary whim of those in government, of George Kunda or Mkhondo Lungu. And this is why individuals may be free when their government is not.

It can never be treason for the Barotse Agreement activists to hold a meeting without George’s approval. We know that it is a common tactic of tyranny to charge opponents of governments treason. For this reason, the crime of treason must be carefully limited in definition so that it cannot be used as a weapon to stifle dissent or criticism of the government. Abusing the criminal justice system will not in any way create a peaceful atmosphere in any part of our country. Respecting the rights or fundamental freedoms of our people will not in any way weaken government or make it incapable of enforcing the law and punishing offenders. On the contrary, the criminal justice system in our country will be effective to the degree that its administration is judged by the population to be fair and protective of individual rights, as well as of the public interest.

As we had stated in our editorial comment of Wednesday, the ideals of free expression, assembly and citizen participation are easy to defend when everyone remains polite and in agreement on basic issues. But dissenters – and their targets – do not agree on basic issues, and such disagreements may be passionate and angry. And as we have stated before, the challenge then is one of balance: to defend the right to freedom of speech and assembly, while maintaining public order and countering attempts at intimidation or violence.

To suppress peaceful meetings in the name of order is to invite repression and tyranny; to permit uncontrolled violent assemblies is to invite anarchy. Again, there is no magic formula for achieving this balance. In the end, it depends on our commitment as a nation to maintaining the institutions of democracy and the precepts of individual rights. We all have a duty to defend each other’s rights when they are threatened. And by doing so, we are not doing anyone a favour but simply fulfilling a duty. We have always thought that if one cannot sacrifice oneself for others, one is incapable of sacrificing oneself for anything; a person that cannot sacrifice himself for others is incapable of sacrificing himself for his own sake; a person that is not willing to fight for rights and freedoms of others will never be ready to fight for his own rights and freedoms.

There are moments when difficult and bitter decisions have to be made, and for us there will never be any hesitation if what is at stake are rights and freedoms of any individual wherever they may be on this planet. We believe that defending the rights and freedoms of individuals boosts the prospects for peace in any place as it helps to prevent the political and social calamity that may result from the violation of such rights. Whoever is incapable of fighting for others will never be capable of fighting for himself.

Furthermore, the suppression of freedoms of speech and assembly of those Barotse Agreement activists in Mongu that those in government find offensive today is potentially a threat to our exercise of these same rights and freedoms tomorrow – which someone else might find offensive.

There are compromises that can be made to maintain peace and order without totally stopping the Barotse Agreement activists from having their meetings. For instance, we are very uncomfortable with them holding their meeting next Friday in Limulunga, where the Litunga’s palace is located. This is not an ideal place for such a meeting. And out of respect for His Majesty, the King of Barotseland, this meeting should be taken somewhere else and leave the Barotse royals to enjoy their peace. Anything that lowers the standing, the prestige of the Litunga should be avoided. Holding a meeting in Limulunga that is likely to result in chaos will end up reducing the prestige of His Majesty and, as such, should be avoided. This meeting can be taken somewhere else where the Litunga or anyone else for that matter will not be disturbed. Such a meeting can be taken to Sesheke or Ngonga plains or anywhere mwa sana. This is something that even the authorities should be agreeable to unless their intention is to totally stop these people from holding their meeting regardless of how peaceful it is. In that case, it will not be the meeting they are against because it may disturb the peace, but it is the agenda they are opposed to.

If it is the agenda they are opposed to, then stopping meetings is not the best way to kill this agenda, to destroy this idea. They had better find another effective way of destroying this Barotse Agreement agenda because stopping meetings of these activists will not do. The best way to address this issue is to meet the people involved in it, listen to them, hear their grievances and remove the cause of dissension. There is no alternative to dialogue, to negotiations. We say this because negotiated solutions can be found even to conflicts that might have come to seem intractable. And solutions emerge when those who have been divided reach out to find a common ground. If the government’s own approach is that of repression, then it won’t see peace in Western Province. If the government truly wants to see peace in Western Province, it has to take a path that leads to peace because repression leads to conflict and not to peace.

The government may not want to be seen to be talking to nonentities behind this Barotse Agreement tension or unrest. But these are the people they need to talk to. They shouldn’t forget that the exercise of power must be the constant practice of self-limitation and modesty. The problem they have is with these nonentities, non-persons they are not talking to and they don’t seem to be willing to talk to. These are the people they need to be talking to. We say this because these are the people they have problems with. These are the people they should be talking to and whose concerns they should be trying to address.

Labels: BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT

posted by MrK @ 1:50 PM