Friday, March 29, 2024

Chief Chitimukulu Launches a Voters Drive, Voter Apathy leads to a Minority President

"All eligible voters must register and actually turn up to vote"

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PARAMOUNT Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba speaking people and other traditional leaders have launched a National Movement aimed at sensitizing Zambians on the need to take part in voting.

Speaking at the launch of Movement for Voter Sensitization (MVS) held at Mika Conference Centre in Lusaka, Paramount Chitimukulu who is patron of the Movement, said the low voter turnout was bad for good governance, and that therefore there was need to sensitize the people to take part in voting.

He said voter apathy did not only lead to having a minority President but also threatened the very existence of Democracy in the country and therefore the need to address the issue urgently.

The Traditional leader also observed that apart from high poverty levels, inadequate voter sensitization, and lack of patriotism among some citizens, long distances between polling stations and communities was also a major contributor to voter apathy in the country.

He called on every well-meaning Zambian to get involved and ensure that people are sensitized on the benefit of voting.

Chief Chitimukulu said the Movement was a nonpartisan organization and was formed on the basis of fighting voter apathy and to encourage citizens to take part in the Governance system of the country.

The traditional leader said it was only through taking part in voting that the country can have majority elected leaders who can be held accountable.
“Voting allows citizens to participate in the governance system and therefore if you don’t vote you have no right to complain,” he said adding that all Zambians should buy into the objectives of the movement by participating in voting in next year’s election and future polls.

And speaking at the same event, Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people advised Zambians to refrain from violence and tribalism.

He said the two vices had no place in modern Zambia and that traditional leaders in the country will continue promoting peace and harmony.

Meanwhile chief Chikanta of Kalomo said in the past three elections there had been no violence and called on all Zambians to continue embracing tolerance and love for one another ahead of the 2021 general elections.

He said traditional leaders should fight violence and tribalism and pledged support to the Movement to ensure that the country hold peaceful and fair elections next year.

Among others who also attended the launch, are Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe, Tourism Minister Ronald Chitotela, Chief Mushoka, Snr chief Kanongesha, and Chief Shakumbila.

16 COMMENTS

  1. Are chiefs immune to prosecution? Who is paying the allowances for these chiefs? Just speaking and attending cost alot of money.
    If chief Mukuni is excluded from that Chitimukulu campaign team, then the all thing need be investigated by ACC publicly.

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  2. @2 “If chief Mukuni is excluded…”
    I think Mukuni excluded himself. I am pretty sure that there’s system/structure in place in the house of chiefs. Do not underrate the chiefs of nowadays. Most if not all are very educated. You are living in stone age if you think otherwise. Maybe, you should be asking yourself why the only chief you are interested in remained behind as opposed to being, “…excluded..”.

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  3. I always refrain from commenting on Kingdom matters but I should say this is a good move by the paramount Chief as it addresses a fundamental issue that has resulted in people’s votes being cast and counted in absentia by rigging parties. Let’s get everyone to vote so that they will FEEL the rigging when it does happen. I think that pastor in Lukashya felt it when only his vote showed up in his constituency; having mobilized his entire household and church to go and get him into parliament via MMD.

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  4. during voter registration and NRC registration, you won’t hear that foreigners in the southern , western and north western are trying to register, but go north, luapula and east its a different story, does it mean neighbours in the south and western part of this country to be zambian is not on their wish list or perhaps they don’t to leave their economies for ours, whats the deal here, someone help here.

  5. Loss of faith in the electoral system is what causes voter apathy. Freedoms of expression, assembly. movement and speech have been suppressed by this regime. The PF regime is a very cruel one such that it has made some of us lose interest in the systems . The votes do not reflect the true wishes of the electorate

  6. THIS SPELLS DOOM FOR ZAMBIANS .
    ALL THE VILLAGERS IN MUCHINGA, LUAPULA , NORTHERN AND EASTERN WHO,THOUGH LEAVING IN ABJECT POVERTY BUT DONT KNOW IT AS A RESULT ARE OK WITH THE STATUS QUO OF A BAD ECONOMY THAT WE FEEL IN URBAN AREAS WILL COME OUT AND VOTE IN NUMBERS FOR PF

  7. @Aristotle, while I totally do not condone the practice, it is a DNA as well as a tradition issue at play: You have guys who by the design of borderlines have ended up having kin on either side of the divide, especially if it is a natural one like a river or mountain range. Then of course you have clear DNA links where brothers or entire cousins were split by these same boundaries. Some chieftaincies still serve subjects that are markedly in a different nation (the Lozi, the Nyamwanga’s etc.). So there is that. So we do need a strategy in the way NRCs are managed. Perhaps for now we should still maintain a two-step registration (that is, NRC followed by Voters’ Cards to hopefully audit the process). Or just invite the folk to get dual citizenship. Cikasililemo.

  8. Sounds like a PF cadre chief – we are old enough to recall how the original Chief Chitimukulu Chitapankwa was regarded in Bembaland and out side his chiefdom.

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  9. Legitimise PF rigging schemes. PF has given about 10 NRCs to one person. This voter drive is to hoodwink us his effort yielded results in voter registration and voting in Northern and Luapula. I doubt if Sosala is more educated than us and believe that he can fool us.

  10. Corruption scandals: 48 Houses Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans Corruption scandals: 48 Houses Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans

    The background of this is fascinating: the thief (oops chief) once complained that the Tongas in S/Province turn up in large numbers to vote, unlike his subjects in his chiefdom. So this is his way of trying to get his people to vote for Lungu and the PF en masse. The Bembas should put their chief in check.
    As soon as you have those govt officials attending, then all claim of non-partisan is out of the window.
    They would also be better educating people on the Manifesto of the political parties and what is at stake.
    I think Chitimukulu Sosala should stop pretending and just join politics as a PF cadre. Sata would be turning in his grave!

  11. Agreed that chiefs are well informed they have to first educate (sensitization was for Nazi concentration camps) in their chiefdom before stepping out to the national podium! Are chiefs not supposed to serve their subjects’ interests before lending a hand to other’s? Voting is indeed a powerful tool for expression among the voiceless, it outsmarts violence! However issues surrounding voter apathy should first address reforms in voter registration to capture a huge voter base. As it is currently the registered number of voters is less than 50% the national population which translates to any elected president being chosen by the minority and this will continue being the standard if the current voter registration system is not revisited to capture at best 75% the national population! Let…

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