By Sunday Chilufya Chanda
Buumba Malambo’s sentiments leave a bitter taste in the mouth. But she deserves more sympathy than anger because she is a victim of UPND and Hakainde Hichilema’s tribal ideology. Sadly she has been schooled to believe that UPND is a “Tonga” Party and every Tonga owes it a vote! Wrong!
Sadly, UPND was founded on a tribal cradle. These are hard truths being raised in love. Sadly, the culpable often find it difficult to stomach and digest hard truths. This is particularly so when they are uncompromisingly and heretically entrenched in their error. Rather than examine the truth, they swiftly turn their reflex defence into attack screaming “victimisation” as they vilify those citing their erroneous ways.
As an act of respect for Dr Kenneth David Kaunda’s commitment to “One Zambia, One Nation”, an ideology uniting Zambia’s 73 tribes, we expected the UPND leader to publicly denounce Buumba Malambo’s remarks but he will not because UPND is a poisoned tribal chalice.
In the words of late Mozambican President Samora Machel “For the nation to survive, tribe must die”.
But Buumba is only reinforcing a multitude of indisputable facts exposing the tribalism and regionalism at the core of the UPND DNA, that also forms the tap root of Hichilema’s political existence.
These truths have been well documented far and wide facts.
For example, in his book “Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa” Daniel N. Posner documented UPND’s entrenched Tribalism when he recalled UPND’s Tribal campaign in the Mbabala Constituency by-election of February 2000. I quote:
“The UPND candidate Emmanuel Hachipuka faced two other Tonga candidates. The fact that they were all Tonga both by tribe and language did not stop Hachipuka from implying that he was the only “real” Tonga in the race. “Tonganess” he (Hachipuka) suggested, derived not from a candidates own background but from a candidate’s party affiliation: he reckoned that since he was the only candidate running on the ticket of a Tonga party, he was the only true Tonga candidate”. End of quote.
It is worth noting that it was not anybody else but UPND that labelled itself a “Tonga Party” and Buumba Malambo has been schooled to think and believe as such.
To be “Tonga” according to UPND was to be UPND, and by the same token to be UPND was to be “Tonga”. This is where Buumba Malambo is coming from and the reason she cannot be reprimanded by Mr Hichilema.
It is a pity that Hichilema goes out of his way to make Southern Province synonymous with a single political party. For him as far as he and UPND are concerned, all Tonga’s are by birth and by default UPND and under an obligation to make him President.
However, we all know that there are good and bad people in EVERY tribe. Thankfully, Hichilema’s tribalism is NOT reflective of all Tongas.
Tongas are good people and they contributed immensely to the independence of our country and its establishment as a nation state. Zambia’s freedom and eventual unity arising out of the “Choma Declaration” would not have been possible without the magnanimity of the great Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula.
What of the great Mainza Chona? Chona and other nationalists broke away from the ANC and, in October 1959, and Chona became the first president of the United National Independence Party (UNIP), the successor to ZANC.
Chona, like Nkumbula was Tonga, yet he chose to support Kenneth Kaunda – a non-Tonga. What would OUR Father Mainza Chona make of today’s tribally inclined UPND and its leader?
We could spend the whole day highlighting the exploits of other great national patriarchs arising out of Southern Province. What would great Tonga patriarchs Elijah Haatuakali Mudenda; Samson Mukando; Kebby Sililo Musokotwane make of the “only a Tonga can lead UPND” or Buumba’s mantra?
What would they make of Hichilema’s insincerity? They would truly speak the truth in love and call him out.
So instead of burying their heads in the sand, Hichilema and his tribally configured UPND must confront their tribal roots, embrace change and reset.
Kwamana!
The Author is Patriotic Front Parliamentary Candidate for Kanchibiya Constituency in Muchinga Province
PF is not relenting in advocating tribalism.
Mazoka was far from tribalism having gone to Mungwi Secondary School.Those who knew can attest to this
PF have no Election Campaign message. They want to use tribalism to win the 2021 Election. Unfortunately Zambians who are clamouring for a change of Govt don’t want to hear CK’s Tribal Rantings. We want issue based Campaigns and not this Tribal nosense. We don’t want to hear ECL tell the Nation that becoz HH is Tonga he will Never Rule Zambia. We don’t want to hear ECL say:”6 out of 10 Bembas are thieves “. PF should address the Hard Economy, PF Cadre Violence and thuggery, Gassing, Burning Markets, Covid-19 etc. PF wants to ignite a Rwanda type of Civil War in Zambia. Zambians don’t want that. They just want a change of Govt on August12. Period.
I am worried when such articles are put out to justify a clearly misplaced statement to define concept of tribalism. So two misguided Tongas were arguing who was more Tonga?! Mr Chanda do you know that the people who have been victimised by tribalism are Tongas, Lozis, Luvales, Linda’s, etc – they have lost jobs, opportunities and treated badly.
Government has formulated a policy that such tribes will not get public finance funding. At the inauguration of ECL last time dogs were dressed as Tongas, go and watch that video. Voting pattern can not constitute tribalism, actions do. PF has a manuscript that says no Tonga should rule Zambia. So what do you want the Tongas do, comply and vote for Nawakwi? Because PF has failed to govern!
Thought we were done listening to this chap. What exactly did Miss Buumba a Malambo say?
She is just an ignorant tribal b.i.t.c.h like her party leader. I have asked the police to investigate her behaviour and what she said.
On this post you wont see a comment from her fellow tribesmen like tarino aka tikki, spaka and the other ugly bab00ns
LT this one sided censorship. You are taking our readership for granted?!
Chanda is diverting our attention from Real 2021 Election issues. PF should tell the Voters what they achieved during the 10 years in Power. PF should tell us what they will do if given another 5 years in Power. The Economy is currently in a mess and People’s lives have been ruined. PF Corruption is rampant, high cost of living, PF Cadre Violence and thuggery, PF Gassing Citizens, PF Burning Markets etc. Can Chanda talk to these pertinent issues . Tribalists in PF want to ignite a Rwanda type of Civil War in Zambia. Zambians don’t want this. All Zambians want is to replace this failed PF Govt with a New One. HH and UPND Alliance should be given a chance to Govern Zambia. ECL and PF have totally failed. On August 12 ECL and PF “ku wire” chabe.
This is a sign of no leadership in PF just as soon as BUFFOON CK was reprimanded by ECZ another foooool pops up from the box …this comes all the way from his campaigning to come back and write more rubbish. It seems PF are unable to just campaign how they are going to reduce the national debt they have accrued ,,,that’s what we as a nation want to hear from them not talk about petty retrogressive issues.
comment is awaiting moderation
Jr Ngumbu – He has come back he misses writing rubbish
Above Tribe. Being Tribal is a choice, like UPND has chosen. Spaka once said he is by default a UPNDEAD voter. By default no doubt, he votes. I shout out and hats off to all those Tongas many of whom are my friends who have vowed to vote on merit and disregard Sejani’s coining of the party as a Tonga party. There is nothing like being more Tonga than others they way Upnd would like to brainwash us. My girlfriend is Tonga and I love her more than anything in this world. She’s sweet.
The message of priotising one tribe is a problem we can completely tackle when all leaders denounce it. KK summed it up for us. To all you thick skulls, it’s One Zambia One Nation. We are not to vote for a party that promotes this sick vice. This is where the dead camp as successfully managed…
Above Tri.be. Being Trib.al is a choice, like UPND has chosen. Spaka once said he is by default a UPNDEAD voter. By default no doubt, he votes. I shout out and hats off to all those To.ngas many of whom are my friends who have vowed to vote on merit and disregard Sejani’s coining of a party as a Ton.ga party. There is nothing like being more Ton.ga than others the way Upndead would like to brainwash us. My girlfriend is Ton.ga and I love her more than anything in this world. She’s sweet.
The message of priotising one tri.be is a problem we can completely tackle when all leaders denounce it. KK summed it up for us. To all you thick skulls, it’s One Zambia One Nation. We are not to vote for a party that promotes this sick vice. This is where the dea.d camp as successfully…
Well written Sunday! The truth hurts!
Sunday thing be civil man, you just got an erection from Buumba. You just failed to find a woman in Kachimbiya
Inflation 24 %, forigne reserves down to less than $1.5 billion , unemployment 70%
And is that all you people can spew ??
Please we need manifesto
PF donkeys like Sunday are sly they will use tribalism talk to run the clock down …just look at how much time you were side-lined talking about BUFFOON CK’s utterances …imagine if that much time was spent on talking about improving the economy
We going to speak against this civil and social problem again and again and no amount of LAZ will stop us.
Who takes pride championing this social ill. ECL once thought of abolishing village and tribe on our NRC. We all murmured at this.
Tri. balism stinks apartheid and could end up like apartheid and xenophobia in South Africa.
Because of it (tribalism), we got ourselves a glimpse or a tip of an iceberg of tribal xenophobia in SP in 2016 in Zambia. Don’t underestimate that loud yet tranquil dark signal in and around SP. That’s how it stinks. We are gonna talk about it until we uproot it from Zambia.
I have no political affiliation to neither UPND nor PF, but I find this article to be RU.BBISH ! WHY? I think the writer in his quest to prove his nonsensity has forgotten that UPND was founded by Mazoka and NOT the hated HH, is the writer suggesting that Mazoka founded UPND based on TONGALISM ? If so he has failed to prove that. The quoted excerpt from “Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa”, clearly has been taken out of context to ruthlessly put across this nonsense of tribalism. As a non-political affiliated, when I read comments from PF leadership, there is a lot of conflicting statements on how they define this tribalism, which convinces me that, its basically top-down PF strategy to use tribalism as a flagship theme. Who from PF has condemned Kambwili? No ONE.
Ba LT, what moderation, imwe kanshi.
I have no political affiliation to neither UPND nor PF, but I find this article to be RU.BBI.SH ! WHY? I think the writer in his quest to prove his nonsensity has forgotten that UPND was founded by Mazoka and NOT the hated HH, is the writer suggesting that Mazoka founded UPND based on TON.GALISM ? If so he has failed to prove that. The quoted excerpt from “Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa”, clearly has been taken out of context to ruthlessly put across this nonsense of triba.lism. As a non-political affiliated, when I read comments from PF leadership, there is a lot of conflicting statements on how they define this tribalism, which convinces me that, its basically top-down PF strategy to use tribalism as a flagship theme. Who from PF has condemned Kambwili? No ONE.
UPND started this when they reported CK to ECZ. Now that they are being reminded of their tribal genesis, they talk of issue based campaigns. UPND grow up for once.
Simple question Sir, why is it that MMD would get votes under Mwanawasa in Southern Province and effectively compete in that province? Just do right by the Zambian people and they will grant you some goodwill. PF has done so badly that I am sure tribalism is the last stand. See the heart attacks people will get when Lusaka and Copperbelt results are announced. Expect shockers. In Lusaka, PF will only hold Matero and Mandevu, Copperbelt, all mining towns are gone. See this unfold as Nshindano tries his best to circumvent results.
This foool is talking about things in the past yet his party is faced with multiple issues their president needs to address in the country. If these goons don’t believe people can change from their past then simply know that they can’t bring the change people want to see in Zambia.
Ba people, we are talking about the things that we all know that Sunday Chanda is right. Why is it hard to see things from what those raising and understanding them
That’s a blatant lie. Mazoka never founded UPND on a tribal tag and that’s why he got a good number of votes in the Northern part of Zambia in the 2001 elections
Here is an open challenge to HH and UPND…
I challenge HH to stand on a podium addressing his supporters in red regalia and shout out the national motto of…ONE ZAMBIA, ONE NATION.
This is a very simple challenge, but I can bet you HH will never chant this national slogan.
SUNDAY, THESE ARE STALE AND STINKING STORIES AT THIS TIME WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR WHAT DREAMS YOU HAVE FOR NKANCHIBIYA WHERE YOU ARE AN MP CANDIDATE. WHY HAS THE TRIBE TAG BECOME SO TALKED ABOUT SINCE PF ASCENDED TO POWER? WHERE IS BRIAN HAPUNDA IN THE PF? THE FEW PEOPLE FROM SOUTHERN, WESTERN AND N/WESTERN WHICH THE PF HAS SPRINKLED ON ITSELF SHOULD NOT MAKE SUNDAY BOAST THAT IT IS A TRIBALLY BALANCED PARTY!
… These questions which HH has lamentably to failed answer or deal with with explain his loses in part. HH has no excuse whatsoever why he has failed to deal dicisively with hs tribal inclination. The Lungu-Mambwe and Namwanga tribes who settled in Zambia earlier the Tongas are not that tribal they accept everyone including Tongas.
The incoming president will be on test the first 5 years n if he is tribal as PF are saying , then Zambians will have no choice but to show him the exit door….it’s as simple as that.
This talk about tribalism ws never heard in this country until ECL become President from then on that has been the PF menu the earlier we dispatch them on 12th August the better for all of us
Total rubbish.
This is what the PF leadership represents.
They are the key drivers of tribalism and nepotism in Zambia
Fake chap
THE LAST KICKS OF A DYING HORSE
PF HAVE ONLY ONE PLAN LEFT WATCH THE INDEPENDANTS
ELC HAVE ALREADY PLANTED THE SEED