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(LUSAKATIMES) Moses Muteteka hopes for the best on the Barotseland Agreement

Moses Muteteka hopes for the best on the Barotseland Agreement.
TIME PUBLISHED - Thursday, December 29, 2011, 7:43 am

Government should involve all the concerned parties when handling the controversy surrounding the restoration of the Barotseland agreement of 1964, Chisamba Member of Parliament and MMD presidential aspirant Moses Muteteka has urged the Michael Sata led administration.

This follows reports of a named group in Western province that is allegedly calling for the Independence of the province. In an interview with Qfm, Mr. Muteteka explains that the issue of the Barotseland agreement is a sensitive matter that needs to be handled with caution.

He says it is therefore important for the government not to politicize the issue but that they should ensure that they implement what they promised the people of Western province during campaigns in the run up to the just ended tripartite elections.

But Republican president Michael Sata has urged the people of western province not to resolve to confrontation in dealing with issues surrounding the Barotseland agreement.

Meeting officials from the Linyunga Ndambo and the Movement for the restoration of Barotseland at State House this morning, President Sata called for dialogue stating thatgovernment is willing to address challenges facing Western Province.

And President Michael Sata says government will commence exploration works for oil in the western province.

The president has also observed the need for the rice growers in the province to be assisted with a market for their produce saying this will help in addressing that the people of that area are facing.

He adds that there is so much agitation among the people of western province because of the high unemployment levels among the other many challenges they are currently facing.

The president was speaking when met the officials from the Barotseland Freedom Movement (BFM) the Movement for the Restoration of Barotseland (MRB) and the Linyungandambos at state house today.

And the president has observed that there is a lot of misunderstanding on the Barotseland agreement but added that the PF government would give all the ethnic groups of western province to give their views on the matter.

President Sata notes because of the ignorance of the colonial masters about the geographical setting when they came to Zambia, the made the Litunga sign theagreement illegally on behalf of the other chiefdoms on the issue of concessions.

The president however, expressed government’s determination to resolve the matter through dialogue with all the interested parties.

QFM

Labels: BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT, MICHAEL SATA, MOSES MUTETEKA

posted by MrK @ 7:36 PM