The Civil Society Constitution Agenda (CISCA) has condemned tribal utterances attributed to Chanda Nyela and challenged President Lungu to act decisively.
In a statement released to the media CiSCA said that had the utterances attributed to Chanda Nyela in a recent video been made by any other tribe or opposition leader, the Home Affairs Minister would have already swung into action.
CiSCA said that expecting any action from the Home Affairs Minister was pointless and CiSCA will simply point out his ineptitude in this regard for posterity’s sake so that Zambians can see for themselves the kind of leaders they have.
Below is the full statement
CiSCA condemns tribal sentiments from PF officials, challenges President Lungu to act decisively
Lusaka, 08 September 2020: The Civil Society Constitution Agenda (CISCA) has noted, with great concern, the continued tribal sentiments attributed to senior members of the Patriotic Front (PF).
Considering that these sentiments have been expressed openly and publicly without any censure or rebuke from both party and government leadership, we have no doubt that those spewing such vitriol are sanctioned by the PF leadership, with the full blessings of the Republican President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
CiSCA calls on President Lungu to prove us wrong and categorically, unequivocally denounce his senior leaders for their tribal utterances and accordingly sanction them to deter others from this vice. We doubt he will. If he is unsure how to do this, we encourage President Lungu to seek counsel from our former first President, Dr Kenneth Kaunda who worked hard to erase the tribal lines which Lungu and his cronies are shamelessly working hard to bring back.
The PF presently holds the dubious record as the most divisive party this country has had since independence. The Zambian people have worked hard over the years to live up to the ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ motto as manifested in the integration across tribes. Any utterances that promote tribalism go against the national values espoused in Article 8(d) of the Constitution, and undermines the national unity and harmony as contained in Article 43(d).
The PF has failed to live up to their campaign rhetoric of improving the lives of the millions of Zambians living in poverty and have resorted to divisive, tribal tactics to try and hang on to power.
We note that the tribal attacks are perpetuated mainly by a few misguided individuals from one ethnic group, the Bemba. Sadly, the traditional leaders have remained mute suggesting that they too agree with this misrepresentation of the many Bemba speaking people who are not vile tribalists like the few PF leaders.
This week, President Lungu will be speaking in Parliament and will probably re-echo the rhetoric on national unity, while he is doing nothing about his party’s agenda of polarization of this country on tribal lines.
The President must demonstrate leadership by condemning the utterances of his senior party members and removing these members from positions they hold.
We have little faith in the Secretary General of the Party in dealing with this. President Lungu must prove that he is intolerant of tribalism as it is under his watch that we have seen an upsurge of tribal divisions and he needs to deal with this convincingly and decisively. Zambians will not take kindly to his usual glossing over of important national issues and continued politicking for the sake of staying in power.
CiSCA is also disappointed by the ineptitude of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) in decisively dealing with the continued use of tribal remarks during election campaigns. The Commission puts the country at risk by their continued failure to deal with such behavior which has now become a permanent feature of the Patriotic Front campaigns.
We know that had the utterances attributed to Chanda Nyela in a recent video been made by any other tribe or opposition leader, the Home Affairs Minister would have already swung into action. Expecting any action from him is pointless and so we will simply point out his ineptitude in this regard for posterity’s sake so that Zambians can see for themselves the kind of leaders they have. Nyela, in his recent utterances, confirms something we have always suspected: that the ‘other tribes’ can never be considered for leadership. The singling out of only specific individuals from these tribes is merely a rouge to mask their deep-rooted tribalism that sees other tribes as not worthy of holding leadership roles in the country.
If the PF cannot preside over a united country and can only survive in a toxic, divided environment, we remind them that Zambians are above this and deserve better from those in leadership or those aspiring for leadership. and must say no emphatically to such misrule.
Judith Mulenga
CiSCA Vice Chairperson
We have no time for dividers of Zambians. Iwe Chanda Nyela are you so foolish that Zambians will buy cheap talk from you? What kind of a leader are you. Just talk about how Zambians are going to have more money in their pockets. Find answers to our economic problems.
Zambia must find and invent its own form of electoral democracy befitting of its own conditions. We may have to divide the country into 4 Blocks from which Presidents should be elected on a rotational basis. So for each election, every contesting party would field a Presidential candidate from the qualifying block. No consecutive terms for a block
What do you expect from leaders with no agenda for developing the country? And this is the second time Nyela is being quoted on tribal sentiments, meaning the PF leadership agrees with his behaviour and attitude.
Tribalism must be stopped. We are one people.
Tribalism is not good at all.
Cisca whatever you call yourself please just shut up. HH recently said because he is coming from SP people are attacking him over privatation, and you were all quiet. Chief Mukuni supported his tribesmen, you didn’t condemn him. Just two days ago it was senjani and that professor whatever his name, you buried your heads in the sand. Someone even said HH is above the Law whatever crime he commits he can’t be arrested, this Ngo was frozen. Sourthen Province insulted Nawaki when she just asked HH about his role in privatization. Today you have ganged up to condemn Chanda. Don’t you have shame. Can’t you be balance for once in your life?
Lungu is behind all this mess
Meanwhile, permanent unemployment is organic for graduates under lungus GRZ
Cisca is just a useless upnd sponsored propagandist organisation. To deal with tribalism we need to go to the root cause. If I remember correctly it all started with the party that declared only a Tonga could rule it. Fast forward to 2021, they are definitely living upto that declaration. So cisca do not waste our time with that nonsense
This ka full is rude
What is comment from Nawakwi’s Antonio about that Chanda aNyela in PF?
That name: Chanda..
Asking who to act? He has not acted on anything and the country is in free fall and you expect him to act on this. My foot….
So-called NGOs should not be seen to be taking sides over matters like this one. Otherwise they will be seen to be aligned to one political party. When tribal sentiments are expressed anywhere in Zambia, they should stand up to condemn this. They should not only condemn when it is the ruling party involved.
It is very difficult to believe this is Kaunda’s Zambia.And no one should blame democracy because it never deteriorated
to these primitive levels in the Chiluba,Mwanawasa or Banda regimes.
Dear CISCA, Your President will not saying anything, Mapenzi Chibulo was killed in cold blood, even in Vespers killing by Police he came so casually, and we are talking about death of people who were sent to their early graves for no reason. The man has not shown any leadership at all in any issue and you expect him to challenge the majority tribalists in his party. Forget it, until this auto piloting of Zambia is brought to an end, there is no way forward
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Cornelius Mweeta isulted the VP and you were quiet. Cisca is not an NGO but an extension of a political party that is upnd as the senile bishop vividly showed us. Henceforth, your statement is a political statement from one party to another. But in your party the “only a tonga can lead upnd” philosophy is the identity of the party. So clean your house before you point at your neighbor’s first, then we shall take you seriously.
What is this organization called Cisca? When a leader of a political party says that if “I were not a Tonga the issue of privatization would not have arisen” and you keep quiet, then you are not worthy the salt. If you want to be relevant you cannot just keep quiet and respond only when it suits your pay Master.
Insoni ebuntu, just shut up. What’s wrong with this flowers girl. What has the bull’s balls done her.
I find nothing wrong with nyelas statement because he was telling the truth.
Ask Mweetwa the apologise to nawakwi
its the same chanda nyela again..i didn’t know that we still have maggots who are dunderheads and can still think like that the way he put things..chinafika mu grade chani chija kanshi?
CISCA organisation was silence when HH said the Bembas and the Easterners are the ones who don’t want him to president of Zambia. That not tribalism. The CISCA is saying things to people that knows what exactly is happening. They want other people not to talk about tribalism and yet they want to use on the same tribalism in Southern Province.