By Mbita Chitala
We, just like many other citizens such as President Fred Membe of the Socialist Party are concerned with the continued practice of nepotism, cronyism and favoritism by several administrations in our country.
Nepotism, both in scientific literature and in public opinion, is understood as the abuse of person’s position, power or influence in order to confer a privilege on his/her relatives or tribesmen or regional affiliates.
Cronyism on the other hand means the patronage in a professional career that is based simply on close relationship (i.e. schoolmate or friend, common socialite or political ally and the like).
Favoritism is yet another distasteful conduct which describes patronage that is not based on professional or meritorious interest but on personal relationships or interests. In our country Zambia, we have no legal definition of these vices yet.
However, we all know that nepotism, cronyism and favoritism are negative phenomenon both morally and politically, especially when they manifest themselves in the public sector or the political life of our government as they undermine the principles of the legitimacy of any government and public representation.
They undermine democratic processes and our civil society by encouraging mistrust in public authorities, erodes the confidence of civil society in public institutions, weakens the foundations of state security and defense and reduces the resilience of the Zambian society to internal and external threats.
Studies in both our country and elsewhere also show that the risk of corruption is heightened which damages organizations and society at large, compromises democracy, the legal system and the security of our nation.
We teach our students at universities and colleges that when a person in power gives unfair advantage to people who do not have the requisite qualifications or professional responsibility, such a person in power is not only violating the law, but is also violating standards of professional ethics and causing conflict situations in our country.
We further teach our students that it is in the public interest that citizens employed in the public sector, act professionally and provide quality services that are equally accessible to all citizens so that all decisions are taken impartially and in good faith as required by the public interest.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case in our country since the introduction of the one party state constitution in 1973. All subsequent regimes have practiced nepotism, cronyism and favoritism.
President Kaunda tried to address it through the doctrine of “tribal balancing”. President Chiluba’s first term followed the UNIP doctrine but reverted to nepotism in his second term. President Mwanawasa perfected the system through the doctrine of the “family tree”.
President RB Banda continued with the Mwanawasa doctrine. President Sata advanced the system with naked nepotism via regionalism and President Lungu continued with the nepotism of his predecessor.
President Hichilema has simply reversed the obnoxious nepotism of the PF government by an act of retribution and activated a discriminatory doctrine of regionalism.
This has seen the continued Presidential appointment of cadres as District Commissioners instead of subjecting them to professional civil service conditions, the dismissal of Chief Executives and dissolution of Boards of public enterprises and their replacement with UPND members instead of subjecting them to the meritorious selection, the recall of PF appointed diplomats and the appointment of people from the former North Western Rhodesia to hold all senior positions in the Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, Defense and Security organs ad infinitum at the expense of those from the former North Eastern Rhodesia. In other words repeating a wrong that many of us hoped would be corrected by the educated people in the UPND such as Ambassador Sachika who has gone completely silent on this.
Most of us agree with the Socialist Party President Dr. Fred Membe that this conduct by the UPND administration does not advance our national unity and those in power must surely know this.
Why is Mr Mmembe being repeatedly mentioned in this release? Mwenso ba Chitala? Ba Chitala you cant stand up alone kano ukushintilila muli kambwanga Fuledi uwaibile umusonko wa calo cesu ilyo ali mu Post Newspapers?
There’s nothing to add
SHAMEFUL
…and President Lungu continued with the nepotism of his predecessor.
This implies HH inherited a civil service with heavy representation from a one or two regions. If that is the case, how do we get to a balanced representation of all Zambians in government senior leadership? Is it by making appointments of more people from the same regions Lungu selected his appointments from?
In the initial phases of re-balancing, there will be a perception of bias, because their is simply no other formula to correct the imbalance besides replacing people from over-represented regions with those from under-represented regions.
…and President Lungu continued with the nepotism of his predecessor.
This implies HH inherited a civil service with heavy representation from a one or two regions. If that is the case, how do we get to a balanced representation of all Zambians in government senior leadership? Is it by making appointments of more people from the same regions Lungu selected his appointments from?
In the initial phases of re-balancing, there will be a perception of bias, because their is simply no other formula to correct the imbalance besides replacing people from over-represented regions with those from under-represented regions.
This is crap.Every human being has his own preferences.Even you,if given chance to rule,notall your preferences will make everybody happy.
Even Jesus Christ,despite all the good things he did to mankind,he was condemned and killed.
Ikaleni fye tata!
Crying and crying always, nefishilingile. Just generalising with no evidence or examples advanced
I Warned you all about this boy hh. We are being ruled by the devil incarnate. He sent people to poison me in jail. I survived. Thank you lesa
Nepotism just like Chakwera in Malawi…he has appointed all his family members and those family members are also appointing their friends and relatives.
Fortunately there are elections every 5 years. Days of Jackal are numbered.
Its rather bizarre that………..
Those not given jobs are crying about regionalism and tribalism………..?
While many of their tribe given jobs are silent………..
Lamentations Lamentations Lamentations. All yo eyes can see is tribalism. Bakabwa. Look at progressive issues like desks for all school kids, debt restructuring. All the time talkig tribe. Useles Cheap talk.zats wy u ar all so poor and only depend on gvt appointments for all yo life till death..
Wy ar zambian leaders preoccupied with value less topics. Giv us the formula of water in yo tribe bwana chitala. Translate the bk u wrote in yo tribe. Build a factory to make the traditional drink of yo tribe. The reason u hv not achived much in yo life is bcoz of wat u hv preoccupied yo head with. Wat a waste of yo brain…
Perpetual govt parasites shall continue misleading zambians with useless topics like tribalism while foreigners in zambia are busy making money. Dunderheads think they will attain monetary benefits from imaginary creation of mental frictions among local zambians, yet the same zambians live happily among different tribes. Surely the brains of pipo like chitala cant be preoccupied with tribe emotions. leave that to kwambili and lungu, they are shallow.
clearly pf leaders are dunderheads. no malice here but just a fact. they preached tribalism when they were in power and it didnt work for them. what makes them think this time it will work for them. political stooges like chitala will never progress in their lives. the reasoning capacity of chitala is clearly so low
the difference btween succesful pipo/nations and those who are poor is what their brains are busy with. many foreigners in zambia like lebanese, indians, europeans, etc are richer than locals bcoz they are busy working making money while many zambians brains are busy discussing tribes-very lazy human beings.
i am surprised that even this man mr Mbita chitala is at this level of reasoning?? i think Sir, its beter for you not to be put together in same basket with kambwili, membe , nkandu luo, chanda nyela, etc
Zambia is just full of educated Foo!s. Boys like Derrick Chintala are just useless. He talks with no evidence and talking the very thing he was supposed to address during the Lungu led administration. Derrick you made a bit of sense before you transitioned to Mbita
Yes, HH’s government has distributed school desks, released CDF money, largely failed to ensure timely distribution of fertilisers, rationed the supply of electricity to homes on tribal lines!
Mr Chintala is lamenting how successive govt since the departure of Unip have failed to address the problem of tribalism. He continues to say that a lot of Zambians had hope that the current govt would handle this problem differently but they haven’t. I think it’s important for us to see this weakness so that it can be addressed now or by future govts .
Under Edgar Lungu in PF there was only one Minister from Southern Province, Hon EDIFY HAMUKALE . Is this not worse than HH. The same minister was subjected to mockery and trbal driven hatred within pf whilst Lungu couldn’t intervene
This man has been a benefactor of the above mentioned in previous governments now the gravy train has ended he starts crying out loud
HH is so tribal, and we have seen it.This country is gone with this nonsense of tribalism we are seeing.
You may have a point Dr. Chitala, but I still feel our citizens from Southern, Western and Northwestern Provinces were too marginalised in the past. So, what’s happening now is to equalise the situation in the spirit of One Zambia One Nation
This may apparently look like only one region is being favoured but I strongly feel once every one is given an opportunity, it will stop.
In the unlikely event that it continues, we will definitely air our grievances and let the President know that he’s gone too far and if not careful 2026 isn’t too far.
I submit
That is a lie. A very big lie. Give us examples of how people from any region of Zambia have been marginalised and by whom.
I am disappointed with the article. There is just rumour and innuendo. No substantial facts. Zambians, do not go by people’s surnames to determine what tribe or region they come from. Furthermore, nearly 60 years after independence, with so many intermarriage, how can we still be talking about tribal balancing sure? When it suits us, we ignore the origins of a mother and take that of the father. It is high time we stopped looking at people on the basis of tribe but content of character and merit. I would not mind if the whole Cabinet was Tonga if they were the best for the job!
These bemba pipo and their stooges i wonder wy they depend too much on gvt jobs and favors. ar they that dull to make it out there. ? All thy want is to be in govt..
Eastern province has 2 ministers, as a matter of fact its only one minister from UPND – provincial minister Mr Peter Phiri. Mr Mutolo Phiri came from so called coalition partnership with UPND. There is a perception that Mr Mposha is from Eastern province but it does not click to himself or people of eastern province. All the way from Luangwa river to Chama district what has been described is the correct position. Few weeks ago, a research was carried out as to how each province was represented in the current UPND government. The findings were that Eastern province was the least represented seconded by Central province. There practice of Nepotism, Cronyism or Favouritism is absent as its operationalisation is absent.
in every person’s home/office/hospital/mortuary there are various gadgets and other evidence of the briliance of a man, that has made our lives civlised and beter. i have not heard of any Bemba who has invented anything. whats the basis of their pride?
You will never see or hear of your own inventions because you were given a mentality that you never invented anything. That mentality makes you assume an inferiority complex that tells you that you cant invent anything so you must depend on someone else. That someone else then exploits you. Chitala whom you are using to attack the Bembas is not even a Bemba but a Mambwe. You blacks like fighting each other instead of moving forward together. Wake up!
@mahina And your tribe? What has it invented?
Ooooh another PF tribalist waking up fr the dead…
He is MMD not PF
Mbita Chitala served in the Chiluba, Mwanawasa and Edgar Lungu’s governments. Everyone else in the above governments was appointed on tribal lines except himself.
Yes noone from his tribe has ever ruled Zambia
Why didnt he say all these things especially during that most toxic of all tribal bigots Sata/ You kept quite when it mattered most so just zip your damn red-lips you bastardo.
The tribalists are well known. They think they are more Zambian than others and only them can rule this country….Fools. We will fight to have our own Country.