Maravi

Traditional leaders not representing their subjects - Nalubamba

Traditional leaders not representing their subjects - Nalubamba
By George Zulu and Moses Kuwema
Mon 10 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT

SENIOR chief Bright Nalubamba of Namwala says people in rural areas should put pressure on their traditional leaders to ensure that they speak on behalf of the poor. In an interview, chief Nalubamba said it was disappointing that some traditional leaders were not representing their subjects but their personal egos.

“There is too much poverty in this nation especially in rural areas. It is painful to see some chiefs defend wrong things instead of helping the voices of their subjects,” chief Nalubamba said on Friday.

He said it would be foolish for traditional leaders to ignore the country’s high levels of poverty as they commented on various issues of national interest.

“I am not against chiefs speaking on various issues of governance because it is their right to do so. However, it will be foolish for a chief to ignore the fact that poverty is rife on the ground. It will be foolish of a chief to choose to ignore the fact that his subjects are living in abject poverty,” chief Nalubamba said.

He observed that the growing trend by some traditional leaders of supporting certain ideologies with a view to gaining some support from the corridors of power was total deceit to their subjects.

“Subjects have an opportunity to know the stance of their chiefs on various issues but it is not true that whatever a chief says is gospel truth. People are now poorer and they are not the same as they were two years ago. You cannot ignore that. You will be foolish to ignore people’s concerns about poverty, their health, bad and dilapidated infrastructure,” he said.

Chief Nalubamba said the tendency by traditional leaders not to properly represent their people was a source of concern.

“Our subjects enjoy the same rights such as those in urban areas. They participate in the electoral process of the country and in most cases they vote more than those in urban areas but the kind of development is not satisfying,” he said.

Chief Nalubamba cited the Monze-Niko road and other infrastructure in the country which remained dilapidated.

And chief Nalubamba said former president Frederick Chiluba was portraying typical behaviour of a criminal.

Commenting on Chiluba's recent statement that he held no grudge against the Levy Mwanawasa family despite what he went through during the time he faced corruption charges, chief Nalubamba advised Chiluba to stop insulting Zambians.

"That is how criminals behave. My advice to him is that let him not insult us," said chief Nalubamba.

Labels: CHIEF NALUBAMBA, CHIEFS

posted by MrK @ 7:07 AM