Maravi

It'll be suicidal for Rupiah to remove Nkomeshya

It'll be suicidal for Rupiah to remove Nkomeshya
By The Post
Mon 05 Sep. 2011, 14:00 CAT

IF Rupiah Banda and the MMD win the September 20 elections, that will be the end of the reign of chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II of the Soli people.

Why should this be so? Rupiah has made it very clear that if he wins this month's elections, he will retire chieftainess Nkomeshya. What crime has chieftainess Nkomeshya committed? Has Nkomeshya violated any part of the culture, customs and traditions or wishes and aspirations of the Soli people?

We ask this question because Article 27(1) of the Constitution of Zambia clearly states that "subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Institution of Chief shall exist in any area of Zambia in accordance with the culture, customs and traditions or wishes and aspirations of the people to whom it applies". And Article 129 the Constitution states that "a person shall not, while remaining a chief, join or participate in partisan politics".

What wrong, in this regard, has chieftainess Nkomeshya committed? Chieftainess Nkomeshya is a traditional guide of her people. She has a duty to guide her subjects, and indeed the whole nation, in matters that affect the lives of the people of her chiefdom in the light of her people's culture, customs and traditions or wishes and aspirations.

And chieftainess Nkomeshya, by reason of her role and competence, is not bound to any political system. She contributes toward the reign of justice and charity within her chiefdom.

And as we have stated before, she has both the right and duty to participate fully in building a just and peaceful chiefdom with all the means at her disposal. This is what informs and guides the statements and actions chieftainess Nkomeshya has made or taken. She is only fulfilling her responsibility - the duty to speak for her subjects.

Thus, the right relationship between our politicians in government and the traditional authority in Chongwe should be partnership rather than enmity. There is no crime chieftainess Nkomeshya has committed in reminding Rupiah and his government of the need to pay attention to the human needs and sufferings of her subjects. And this means she will be "political" but not "partisan".

In our view, the only crime chieftainess Nkomeshya has committed against Rupiah is not to endorse his candidature for the presidency of this country like other chiefs in Southern Province and other parts of the country have been ordered, bribed or manipulated to do. Rupiah has no problem with chiefs engaging in politics on his side.

He welcomes endorsements from chiefs and is very pleased with chiefs who urge their subjects to vote for him. In this regard, we have the examples of chiefs Mukuni and Mwanachingwala. None of these chiefs have ever been accused of being partisan or interfering with the rights of their subjects when they campaign for him, when they urge their subjects to vote for him.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If it is good and acceptable for some chiefs to endorse Rupiah and urge their subjects to vote for him, then it should equally be good and acceptable for other chiefs not to endorse him and campaign against him or endorse his opponents and urge their subjects to vote for them.

This is difficult for Rupiah to accept because his is not a selfless service. Rupiah governs by double standards. What is good for him is the only thing that matters. And this approach to life and to politics leads to dangerous intolerance.

Clearly, what is distinctly lacking in Rupiah is a culture and spirit of tolerance and humility which places the humanity of others before self and accepts that all citizens have a right to participate in the shaping of their destiny directly without fear of reprisal.

But we know where this type of intolerance towards independent-minded chiefs or chiefs who refuse to be servants or agents of the politicians in government leads to. We will say something that nobody has probably said publicly to demonstrate this point.

This type of intolerance by those in power towards dissenting chiefs or chiefs they cannot control or push around is what led to the abrogation of the Barotse Agreement. The Barotse Agreement was abrogated in an attempt to fix or curb the powers of Litunga Goodwin Mbikusita Lewanika, who the political leaders of the time in Lusaka found to be unsuitable.

A decision was made to remove Mbikusita from being Litunga because of the evidence those in government in Lusaka had of his collusion with the colonial government and of his opposition to independence. However, those in power were advised of the grave political dangers and consequences of removing Mbikusita from the throne.

They were told that if they went ahead and removed Mbikusita from being Litunga, all the Lozi-speaking people, wherever they may be, whatever their political affiliations at the time, would come to his defence and the government would be in trouble politically and otherwise. They listened but decided to use their legislative powers to fix or curb Mbikusita's powers using the local government Act. They succeeded in doing so in 1969.

But Mbikusita was just an individual; and a few years later, this Litunga died, leaving Zambia with the problem of the abrogation of the Barotse Agreement it today faces, a problem that led to the death and maiming of so many people in Mongu on January 14, 2011. Instead of dealing with the issues, they went for the individual.

And Rupiah today thinks he can go for chieftainess Nkomeshya, and all the problems in Soliland will be over. They never learn. They are blinded by power and ambition. The problem is not Nkomeshya. She is actually part of the solution. If the things she is saying are listened to and worked on, the political challenges the MMD faces in Chongwe today will go away.

What this approach of Rupiah entails is a counter reaction, a counterattack. Chieftainess Nkomeshya enjoys immense respect and prestige from her subjects and beyond. They will not allow Rupiah to remove her just like that. They have the right and duty to politically mobilise and defend their chieftainess and their right to their traditional independence. This now gives chieftainess Nkomeshya the moral, political and legal right to make a clarion call to her people not to vote for Rupiah and the MMD and ensure that they lose this election in self-defence.

There is no law that stops anyone from defending oneself. And in this case, Rupiah's electoral defeat can legitimately be a self-defence strategy for chieftainess Nkomeshya and her people. She has every right to defend herself by ensuring that those who are out to destroy her are not given the opportunity to do so. Every Soli of dignity will defend chieftainess Nkomeshya because she has reigned with sufficient honour and integrity.

If chieftainess Nkomeshya were corrupt, she would today be one of the richest chiefs in Zambia because she controls the most highly prized land in Zambia. Whereas some of our corrupt chiefs had been selling land to the highest bidders, chieftainess Nkomeshya has been donating land to the most deserving projects and to local authorities within her chiefdom. There is no one today who can point an accusing finger at Nkomeshya in this regard.

She has been absolutely incorruptible. How many of our chiefs can today claim to be as clean, as incorruptible, as caring for their subjects as chieftainess Nkomeshya? Chieftainess Nkomeshya is certainly one of our country's best chiefs. This being the case, we call upon all Zambians of goodwill to join their Soli brothers and sisters in defending the best of our chiefs.

Moreover, all of us who live in Lusaka, who hold some plots of one sort or another in Lusaka, are her subjects, are her guests, are her beneficiaries. And, therefore, we should defend our chieftainess now and in the future.

It will be suicidal for Rupiah to remove Nkomeshya as chieftainess of the Soli people. And Rupiah's threat to do so shouldn't be taken lightly; it should be taken as a call for all the Soli people and all Zambians of goodwill to come to the chieftainess' defence and do what needs to be done now and in the future.

Labels: CHIEFS, CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA, MMD, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:07 PM