Former diplomat, Muhabi Lungu says it’s extremely dangerous to lie to the nation that some regions like Southern Province were excluded in the governance of the nation in previous regimes.
“This is a very dangerous lie to suggest that a certain group was excluded in governance, in leadership or in parastatal companies for 26 years,” a daily tabloid quotes Lungu as saying.
To think that an individual with absolute cognitive abilities is able to churn-out such untruths is mind-numbing! If we set the record straight, President Hichilema wasn’t just talking about Southern province when he made those remarks; he was actually referring to the entire Zambezi provinces – Western, North western and Southern provinces! And the previous regimes he was definitely alluding to weren’t the United Nation Independence Party (UNIP) or Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), but the Patriotic Front (PF)!
Stop insulting or mocking our intelligence Mr. Lungu, Sir; evidence of how your colleagues in PF sidelined people from the said regions in government appointments abounds. In my upcoming book, One Zambia One Nation; how various presidents have navigated around the issue since independence, I seek to demonstrate to which extent the recent regime desecrated the sanctity of our motto, “One Zambia One Nation” by completely ignoring certain ethnic groupings in government appointments. For the purpose of this rebuttal though, we’ll restrict ourselves to the issue of nominated MPs right from the Kaunda days to date.
There are basically two reasons why our forefathers inserted provision of nominated MPs into our Republican Constitution:
(1) To give room to a President to ‘head-hunt’ individuals with exceptional abilities and capabilities outside parliament in the event of the same being absent in the August House. That’s how Ng’andu Magande, a man who would demonstrate to be arguably the best Finance Minister, found himself at Manda hill from the diaspora!
(2) In case a particular political party fails to secure parliamentary seats in certain parts of the country; for the sake of fostering inclusivity in line with our motto, “One Zambia One Nation” a President may create space for individuals from such regions to promote national unity. A perfect example was when President Levy Mwanawasa nominated ex-service man, Lupando Mwape as MP and subsequently appointed him as his vice president. Readers may be keen to learn that his party, MMD was rejected in the northern parts of the country.
May we set the tone by considering the example our founding President Kenneth Kaunda set for us. KK, as he was fondly referred to, always ensured that his appointments to public offices reflected the ethnic diversity of our country – Lundas, Tongas, Bembas, Chewas, Kaondes and Luvales always found space in his administration. He never abused this privilege by roping-in every Jim and Jack as long as they traced their roots with him back to Chinsali! For instance, he would bring on board the likes of Professor Lameck Goma, a prolific scholar and excellent researcher and also Frederick Chomba, a brilliant legal mind. Others who cut theb list of nominees between 1988-1991 include distinguished military officers such as Malimba Masheke and Benjamin Mibenge and illustrious sons of the soil such as Fwanga Mulikita, Alex Shapi and Lazarus Tembo, a differently abled person.
Following the 1991 revolutionary elections that ushered MMD into power, the party failed to secure any seats in Kumawa – Eastern province! As it were, the region had overwhelmingly voted for UNIP. Did Frederick Chiluba give them a cold-shoulder, henceforth? Of course, not! Of his 8 nominees, 4 were from Eastern province. The list somehow looked like this – William Harrington, Katele Kalumba, Kabunda Kayongo, Mwami Maunga, Godfrey Miyanda, Zilole Mumba and Hosea Soko.
As respected scholar and historian, Sishuwa Sishuwa, put it in his article, “Leadership matters; Remembering Mwanawasa,” the former lawyer turned politician didn’t only ensure that every tribe was catered for, but also went after the finest brains! When the northern provinces denied him parliamentary seats, he co-opted in Lupando Mwape and also brought in brilliant fellows such as Ng’andu Magande, Mundia Sikatana, George Kunda, Kalombo Mwansa, Patricia Mulasikwanda, Ben Kapita and Daniel Munkombwe – ignore his politics of benefits rhetoric!
At a time when some of us ‘suspected’ akulu mpuno, Rupiah Banda would disappoint us by reinforcing the “Umodzi Kumawa” syndrome by giving them jobs, he surprised many of us by casting the net wider! While still maintaining some of his predecessor’s nominees, his choice of candidates wasn’t disappointing. The following were his nominated MPs: Vernon Mwanga, Kalombo Mwansa, Situmbeko Musokotwane, Chileshe Kapwepwe, Boniface Kawimbe, Daniel Munkombwe and George Kunda.
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! The Michael Sata led PF takes over power and everything goes haywire! Sata would literally throw caution and dignity to the wind by arrogantly or ignorantly neglecting to enhance national unity by exclusively nominating his Kith and Kin as MPs just as he would do with his cabinet! This was indeed a national scandal. Here was his choice of nominated MPs: Alexander Chikwanda, Panji Kaunda, Joseph Kasonde, Solomon Mbuzi, John Phiri, Robert Sichinga, Ngosa Simbyakula and Sebastian Zulu. Not a single representation from the Zambezi provinces! Nangula tapaswosa, sure?
After a barrage of criticism and scrutiny from some of us, Sata’s successor, Edgar Lungu would break with the ranks and try to normalise things although he’d still fail in other places. He came up with the following team: Davies Chama, Edify Hamukale, Richard Kapita, Nathaniel Mubukwanu, Felix Mutati, Joyce Nonde, Godfridah Sumaili and Catherine Namugala.
We now come to the man that his many opponents and detractors want to smear with a tag of tribalism no matter how hard he tries to balance his appointments in government. When touring the northern circuit recently for instance, he reiterated that if he didn’t believe in KKs philosophy of national unity, he wouldn’t have appointed cabinet ministers from the same region. Here’s a complete picture of his nominated MPs: Doreen Mwamba, Peter Kapala, Felix Mutati, Elias Mubanga, Likando Mufalali, Elisha Matambo, Mrs Mazoka and Elisha Matambo. The northern regions have claimed a Lion’s share of 5O%! What more should a man do?
Please, let’s give credit where it’s due! Mulekutika?
Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
Ba Editor, Whose article are we reading? Kapinga or Muhabi Lungu?
Mmmmmmm!!!!! So bcoz they were so let us be…. my God. Anyone who advocates tribalism, racism, regionalisation, xenophobia MUST be cast in hell. What we are seeing today shame.
One thing is that HH had made it difficult for the government to operate in those areas especially Southern Province. How do you expel a member from your party for welcoming a sitting president. How do you ban your MPs from taking up posts in government. Mr Kaping’a I have come to believe you are the one who’s a tribalist. You keep on bringing up subjects that divide us. Your articles are full of malice against fellow Zambians.
You, badala …….
Are the biggest tribal supremacists on LT……….
You see everything through yout tribal lense……..
How could HH who had no political or government power prevent anyone from operating anywhere? Would you characters would have sold the coal of the Tonga in Gweembe to Indians if HH had power to stop it? Would you tribalists would have sold Tonga agricultural land along the border with Western Province to Boers if HH had the power to stop it? Would you tribalists would have sold the nickel of Tonga in Chikankata to foreign mining companies, with all the benefits accruing to your provinces alone if the decision was left to HH? You think that HH would have tried to steal Siavonga and Itezhi Tezhi districts if it was up to him? When you need to kill or steal our cattle, you have no problem. When things go wrong in our province, it is the fault of HH was not even in power.
@Spaka..If I was tribal I wouldn’t have allowed my relatives to marry from other tribes.
It’s a fact Zambezi people resent Bombas
This historical…. even in colonial days…. even wanting to have a president from there…. even the way the colonials distributed jobs to the natives was a problem.
@Ingombe… I don’t have to explain to you because your mind is set. Have a good day.
For sake of peace let us not go into this route please, we know our former leaders committed crimes against God, and so its God himself to sort out that. Personally, I’m Tonga, but I give too much respect to my bemba brothers and sisters because when go to visit them they will give you total freedom and it’s easy to forget where you came from.
The only thing you need to do is to respect them that is it. Kindly let us avoid this issue at all costs, remember the former paya farmers was heavily punished in northern, CB and Eastern province in 2021. Because of the sins they committed during their 10 years rule and lastly if your friend has done you something wrong then do not revenge just move on.
No @peacemaker, the truth needs to be said. The called us “Zambezi Provinces”, looted our natural resources, built up their provinces, and saddled us with debt. The barred us from the civil service, the army and the police. Today they want to behave as if the damage they did was of no consequence. Today, they want to talk about tribalism only when they want to besmirch and accuse HH. If we do not discuss this, they will do this over and over again. As the English saying goes “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”
Yes PF was very much tribal but then so is upnd. It’s like PF opened the way appointments are to be made which created a benchmark for all subsequent governments to follow starting with upnd.
Its called Revenge. Whether its healthy only Rwanda, Katanga and Biafra can help us answer
That outfit called Zambia is cracking up, you have Bembas and Nyanjas thinking that they can make everyone speak their languages in offices, schools, hospitals, toilets and God knows where else. And what is it about being the so called widely spoken language in Zambia, damn, do these *****s not know that seRotse is spoken in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Lesotho? While Bemba is spoken only in Zambia and Katanga in Zaire. You can keep your Lingala to yourselves, don’t use ZNBC funded by all tax-payers to speed your Kasai!
@bo Njangwamuloty, they produce nothing in their areas; they run to the productive provinces, where they abuse the “One Zambia One Nation” mantra to speak their languages, and to refuse to learn the local languages. Then they begin to imagine that because they speak Bemba among themselves in Mongu or Solwezi, the people of those cities also speaking Bemba or Nyanja. We do not not want your languages.