Maravi

Nalubamba backs Nkomeshya

Nalubamba backs Nkomeshya
By Moses Kuwema
Wed 15 June 2011, 06:20 CAT

SENIOR chief Bright Nalubamba says chieftainess Nkomeshya’s concerns on development are a reflection of what is happening countrywide. Commenting on remarks by chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II of the Soli people that most of the developmental projects in her area had been turned into white elephants, chief Nalubamba said he was in full support of the Soli chief’s statement because that was the case countrywide.

“What she is saying reflects our concern and what is happening countrywide because these people when they bring the so-called development they don’t consult the people to find out their needs.

You cannot talk about bringing in schools without desks, where do the pupils sit? The problem is that these people when they are elected, they think they are wiser than everybody else,” chief Nalubamba said.

He wondered how areas like his chiefdom which were far from Lusaka could progress if a place like Chongwe which was near the central government could complain about lack of development.

“There is need to improve consultations because if people are not consulted, you end up bringing things which people have not asked for the community should participate,” he said.

Chief Nalubamba said the linkage between the government and the people at the grassroots was currently missing in the country.

He said the current situation was such that people were being given whatever the government thought of even when they were not among the priorities.

“There is a lot the government can do by shifting from the current scenario where everything was centralised to decentralisation because at the moment the community's participation is very negative because people are only given what leaders think of and this should not be the case because I would like to believe that our democracy is a participatory one.

It is not enough to address rallies and tell people what you intend to do, you need to engage them in discussions,” he said.

Chief Nalubamba also said there was need for leaders to change their mentality of being partisan all the time and consider every citizen as their child but that it was unfortunate that people in government did not understand things that way.

And chief Nalubamba has described the meeting that was held recently in his chiefdom with opposition political party leaders from the Patriotic Front and UPND as fruitful because it gave people an opportunity to air their views, which the two parties should look into in the event that they came into power.

Labels: BRIGHT NALUBAMBA, CHIEF NALUBAMBA, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA

posted by MrK @ 4:34 AM