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Hansungule condemns Rupiah's threats on Nkomeshya

Hansungule condemns Rupiah's threats on Nkomeshya
By Ernest Chanda
Fri 09 Sep. 2011, 14:00 CAT

PROFESSOR Michelo Hansungule says President Rupiah Banda's threats on senior chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II are unpresidential. President Banda's threat to retire chieftainess Nkomeshya if he wins this year's presidential election, the Pretoria University law lecturer said the President displayed a complete lack of simple judgement.

"It is unfortunate the President has chosen to use a hammer to hit a fly. Even if you are panicking, it is never done that way. I don't know who advises him but whoever it is clearly does not want him to win re-election, hence the distastefully poor advice. In making the uncouth tantrums he did against Nkomeshya Mukamambo ll, the President displayed the worst in him - a complete lack of simple basic judgement," Prof Hansungule said.

"Both decent women and men of goodwill have a duty to publicly condemn President Banda for going so public against a simple village defenceless woman only trying to be what she is, which is to fight for what is right for her people. Freedom of expression is the hallmark of democracy and not criminal activities of terrorists like William Banda which the President seems, with his utterances against the chietainship, to be blessing."

He said chieftainess Nkomeshya had a right to associate with people of her choice.

Prof Hansungule said the constitution also provided for freedom of association, which meant choosing whether to associate with MMD members and officials including the President or not.

"It must be understood that President Banda's visit to Chongwe the seat of chieftainess Mukamaambo II was political, not government. The President was going to the area to campaign for his bid to political office and for those of his party's contenders to the National Assembly and local councils. In these circumstances, it is unbefitting of the President to insist on paying a courtesy call on the chieftainess who by law is banned from taking part in partisan politics. The Constitution is very clear that chiefs must stay clear of partisan politics so what was the President trying to do to encourage the chief to break the law?" he said.

Prof Hansungule said chieftainess Nkomeshya was one of the few chiefs in the country who understood the law and role of traditional leaders, especially their involvement in politics.

He said chieftainess Nkomeshya had been very consistent in defending her throne from cheap politics and she must be commanded for that.

"Zambia badly needs chiefs of such courage. Chiefs that are as courageous as chieftainess Nkomeshya are becoming scarce. Due to high levels of poverty, many chiefs have sold their souls to the greatest bidder and it is a shame how they are forced to praise the ruling party by the day. Several chiefs have been driven long kilometres to Lusaka to praise the ‘king' yet chieftainess Nkomesha who lives in Lusaka has made sure she has nothing to do with such nonsense," he said.

"Throughout the democratisation of Zambia, chieftainess Nkomeshya has sided with the people. She came to the Oasis conference to show solidarity with those that said No to the third term."

He said chieftainess Nkomeshya's integrity has been a family inheritance which was also displayed in her late father chief Nkomeshya.

Prof Hansungule urged President Banda to research about the Nkomeshya family and discover their life of principles.

"But this 'stubbornness' for truth and justice goes deep into the Nkomeshya family. If only President Banda had read Fergus Macpherson's 1974 book 'Kenneth Kaunda. The Times and the Man', he would have easily discovered that the Nkomeshyas have never entertained corruption and dictatorship. In this book, Kaunda, through Macpherson reveals that chieftainess Mukamambo's father chief Nkomeshya was degazetted by colonial masters for adamantly refusing to have his people evicted from their ancestral land in order to pave way for a Forest Reserve," Prof Hansungule explained.

"When most would sit down before a white man, the old man chief Nkomeshya stood on the side of his people even though he knew that this would spell doom on his chieftainship. He did not care the colonial trappings of power. In this sense, chief Nkomeshya and now his daughter chieftainess Nkomeshya are like President Nelson Mandela's father who when he was ordered to appear before a colonial magistrate in his capacity as chief to answer charges that his subjects' cattle had strayed and destroyed a white farmers' maize crop, he responded by saying 'I will not come. I am still preparing for battle', and of course he lost the chieftainship."

He said the country lacked such traditional leadership for democracy.
Prof Hansungule said it was the duty of all chiefs to defend democracy.
He said women like chieftainess Nkomeshya deserved everyone's respect and protection because they defined people's identity.

"Politicians like President Banda and his erstwhile campaign manager 'Malawian' for William Banda do not care our identities, our respect. All they see in us are votes, not people. Chongwe people who were subjected to William Banda-perpetrated violence must sue him and the MMD and make them pay for what they did. It is clear police cshief Francis Kabonde cannot take on William Banda because he is Rupiah Banda," said Prof Hansungule.

"Chongwe people have no police to protect them. President Rupiah Banda and his namesake William Banda cannot protect them. They must turn to the courts for their protection. All women and men of good will cannot let the President get away with this. President Banda should be condemned for the terrorist remarks against the chietainship of Nkomeshya and it must be made clear to him that should anything happen to the chief especially given the loose canons of the likes of William Banda out there, he would be held responsible."

Addressing a public rally in Chongwe, President Banda threatened to ‘retire' chietainess Nkomeshya if he won this year's election.

That was barely a day after chieftainess Nkomeshya refused to accept a courtesy call from him.

The chieftainess also refused to get a ‘gift' presented on Friday, a day before the rally from President Banda's emissaries comprising his special adviser for political affairs Dr Francis Chigunta and Zesco managing director Ernest Mupwaya.

Labels: CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA, MICHELO HANSUNGULE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 3:08 PM