By Henry Kyambalesa
Of late, the behavior of some of our chiefs has become inimical to the functioning of a vibrant and peaceful multi-party political system that we are attempting to create. I have two examples of such behavior.
The first example relates to Paramount Chief Chitimukulu, who has been quoted by Chibaula Silwamba of The Post Newspaper as having said the following in an article entitled “Chitimukulu Vents His Frustration on The Post” of October 23, 2009:
“We have to be on the side of the governing party and the government. There is no chief who could be on the side of opposition political parties. I can never be on the side of an opposition political party.”
In an article by Ernest Chanda of The Post Newspaper dated November 1, 2009 entitled “Chief Puta Bans PF Activities,” Chief Puta is quoted as having banned Patriotic Front (PF) activities in his chiefdom on grounds that the party’s leadership is opposed to former Republican president Frederick Chiluba’s acquittal. In the same article, he is also accused of having tried to block the nomination of a PF candidate for the November 19, 2009 local government elections.
Since independence in October 1964, there have been complaints and sentiments from some segments of Zambian society about the use of traditional leaders by ruling political parties to gain political advantage, particularly during political campaigns. The revelation that chieftains in the Eastern province were consulted in the process of picking an MMD candidate for the Milanzi parliamentary by-election last year, and that the Republican president urged chiefs to support the MMD candidate in the Chitambo parliamentary by-election this year, are cases in point.
If we are not careful, we could be paving the way for anarchy in our 286 chiefdoms by pushing chieftains into the political arena. We could be planting the seeds of destruction for the Zambian nation, and for our nascent democracy; we could be starting a vicious fire for our children and grandchildren to extinguish—and they will not judge us kindly if we leave them a country that will be in flames!
I believe very strongly that the partisan stance by some of our chiefs is partly promoted by the subsidies, electrification of palaces and the car loans extended to them through the office of the Republican president.
I, therefore, wish to call upon President Banda to initiate, by Executive Order, the removal of public assistance to chiefs from the office of the Republican president and placed under the aegis of the Parliamentary Committee on Local Governance, Housing and Chiefs’ Affairs in order to forestall any suspicions that assistance to chiefs is designed to woo their support for the ruling political party during elections.
There is also a need to uphold Articles 65 (clauses 3 and 4) and 129 of the 1996 Republican constitution (as recommended by the National Constitutional Conference), which bar chieftains from participating in or joining partisan politics unless they formally abdicate their traditional leadership roles. If they are allowed to participate in partisan politics, they can consciously or otherwise abuse the absolute traditional authority they wield by imposing their political views and choices on their subjects — a situation which can lead to tribal politics in our country.
Moreover, traditional leaders’ participation in politics can lead to the disintegration of their chiefdoms. Let us consider a number of scenarios which can culminate in such a situation.
Firstly, a chieftain is, ideally, an impartial leader of all the people in his or her chiefdom regardless of their political affiliations. However, his or her participation in partisan politics can inevitably place him or her in an adversarial position against subjects who may have different political alignments.
Secondly, the political arena naturally requires participants to advocate certain causes and articulate their ideological convictions which, for a traditional leader, are likely to be at variance with the causes and convictions of some of his or her subjects. Thirdly, partisan politics is fraught with slander, snobbery and discourtesies to which traditional leaders can choose to subject themselves only at the immense cost of losing the abounding and unconditional respect accorded to them by their subjects.
Further, chieftains’ participation in active politics can frustrate efforts aimed at creating a level playing field for all political contestants, since they (the chieftains) already have a faithful following in their areas of jurisdiction.
We would do well to address allegations of election-rigging, vote-buying, intimidation, and access to public resources by the ruling political party without opening up other avenues for unfair political advantage.
MMD drags and will drag every chief in politics like it or not.
its only hungry chiefs like chitimukulu who will be draged by govt
I have not bothered to read the article as I know that the root problem is HUNGER. Poverty can make people do strange things – even play partisan politics.
Chiefs lot their relevance in Chiluba’s time.Just abolish these useless chiefdoms
Leave my chief Chitimukulu Mwine Lubemba alone – why can’t he express his own personal political views and still be a chief?
I also beg to differ with Henry Kyambalesa in his appeal – It is futile to expect the chief to be utterly silent about politics in Africa – the domains of authority in our culture are simply too interwoven to be seperated. “Impartial leadership?” – I’m afraid the virtue of human nature and complexity of the African mentality fall drastically short of this ideal.
All pipo are born politicians and expressing of one view on issues surrounding politics must be respected. Chiefs are pipo and free to discuss politics.
People like me who visit my village will know why Chiefs support the ruling party.Their palaces are in deplorable state and their support staff(kapasos) are rarely paid.Since we are used to politics of dangling carrots,which chief as vulnerable as ours will refuse?
#5Nine Chile- No one is denying your Mwine Chakuti, we are only complaing against the language he used against any non MMD. The insults he poured on Guy Scot for being a Whiteman. In any case we should strive to educate these Chiefs that the monthly pay they get is not a favour from MMD no. its our money as tax payers. These Chiefs should come together and form a strategy to ensure that GRZ not MMd pays them all their entitlements on time and in full.
This article only highlights what everyone in zambia knows,politics of poverty,fortunately we just witnessed a litmus test during the just ended parliamentary election where a chief was embarrased by his own subjects by voting for the opposition,people are not stupid anymore,they see,read and hear.the chiefs get gifts and favours from mmd and dont share but expext their subjects not to vote for the opposition.chitimukulu was embarrassed,if he had a way he could have banished everyone from his chiefdom,these chiefs are past their use by dates,they need to be replaced by young vibrant scholars
#5 Nine Chale what was the very first name you used on LT.I’m wondering whether you are my long lost LT friend.
#10 nurse, I have always been Nine Chale, right from the very start. I don’t believe in changing names like the weather so I don’t think I’m the long lost pal you’re missing…have a good day.
Interesting!!! Today morning was a court hearing of a Chikankata head charged for contempting a corrupt order by a corrupt margistrait judge by refusing to allow drankard and expelled pupils to write the exam. The ruling was that the case will be sorted out through the high court judicial review. the head has since been released after 5 days of being detained in remund prison. Help me people, can there such a review by a higher court over a case where no part is unhappy by the rulling of a lower court. in other words, can the high court review a case that has not been appealed to it? It was discovered that 3 pupils are children of one pharmacist and a deputy ZANACO manager where the judges get loans. secondly all the judges in Mazabuka are Bembas and one new judge jokingly stated that I…
# 5 nine chale,Yes chiefs are free too take part in Politics but not foolishly like your Lubemba over a ka small brown envelope.To make matters worse another chief called uta selfishly rants about banning political activities for a named political party.If i may ask you,what do chiefs really do apart from drinking & marrying under age girls
…first it was freedom fighters, then we hard “kaponyas” , then Retirees now even chieifs want to be Presidents…….ala elo lwanya manje pa zed!
there is nothing wrong with chiefs’involvement in politics moreover it is their huma right to participate in the affairs of the nation inclusidng politics.
What is the role of chiefs in this age and era? Are they still relevant?
Good article.
Assuming PF/UPND came to power, i wonder what chief puta and chitimukulu would do given their stance on opposition political parties. A sensible chief should try by all means to be non partisan, or even if they are, should not show it. Governments come and go, chiefs normally stay longer than governments, they cant afford to be changing stances each time a new government comes in. I guess we are seeing an ugly face of hunger in our people, like many of the bloggers have observed.
#13 Wanzelu & everyone else questioning the relevance of our chiefs, I would advise you to think afore and beyond political times – It was our chiefs and kings who upheld the strategy by which our tribes mastered existence over hundreds of years before colonial interference. These chiefs have been there before politics and they will continue to be there long after politics have ceased, so it is ridiculous to question their authority. The contemporary leaders know that and that is why they will always do everything to pull the chiefs on their side.
#11 Nine Chale thanx for the response guess you are not. there used to be people like Ba Joze, Socrates, bornrich,original pundit,bauze,inonge,Easy e and an irritating guy called easy… etc guess they have all moved on or changed their IDs!
How come there’s no mention of that thieving chief in Southern province. The one that swindled his very own subjects out of their cattle.
what’s the name again???
contd.
Ask yourself this: the British hail the Queen, the Romans hail Ceasar, the French hail Napoleon – who do the Africans hail? No one takes notice of the millions of Africans that hail the pope more than those that hail their traditional rulers.
Look at it this way – if tradition & culöture is a road, then the chief provides the map that organizes our emotions, values, convictions and worldview in the right order.
Off topic,Why is zambia the most expensive country in southern africa?.
Off topic,Why is zambia the most expensive country in southern africa?.
# 3, me neither – didn’t bother to read the story. and # 3, yah, these guys are politicians. and like the others have said, just get rid if them. it’s not just the chitimukulu. how about his royal highness the litunga, imwiko II? they’ve made themselves irrelevant. abash!!
Could someone give me a typical “Day in the Life of a Zambian Chief” so i can make an informed decision as to what they really do and if they have any relevance ion today’s Zambia?
#22/23 – the answer is because Zambia has d.ic.k-h.ea.ds running the country, that’s why.
I think what chiefs need is a non-profit business model that will develop their areas and make them financially independent from anyone in government. This is where government and parliament can help.
#17 computer Guy
What makes you think the UPND/PF Pact wont do the same to get teh chiefs support? Sata is on record many times taking brown envelops to Mpezeni when he was serving under Chiluba.This made the Paramount Chief staunch supporter of MMD.When LPM came into power the relationship between Mpezeni and MMD fell apart.HH made a trip to the East and met Mpezeni in a closed door meeting and later,the Paramount Chief threw his support to UDA.what did HH do during the closed door meeting to get the support? This promted LPM to send emmissaries to the Paramount Chief with a bigger envelop than what HH offered and the Paramount chief changed his mind.The current crop are all the same.they use the same methods.They dont inspire anyone.
I equally wonder the relevance of these chiefs in Zambia.
As #25 Chenda Bwamba rightly points out, can the chiefs advise us of their typical day.
The Zambian chiefs can really not be compared to the Queen of Great Britain, who has official functions in the Government as Head of State and officially appoints the Prime Minister and also dissolves Parliament.
I truly believe the chiefdoms should really be abolished as they do not play a positive role in our society.
This will maintain our One Zambia One Nation principle.
#28 I was just trying to say that the Chiefs should raise above partisan politics, because they are more important than that. They are very important but they just don’t realize how important they are
Looks like chiefs and politics in Zambia are inseparable.
We will start beating them up these useless chiefs. They should give direction to their subjects and not siding with any polical party. RB is taking us so back , see what is happening now, some chiefs have started siding with the opposition. Just wait for a while it will be kafwafwa in 2011. There will be confusion in Zambia if RB cant put this to an end.
I think we need to go the Uganda way in which chiefs are devoid of any meaningful power instead of allowing them to make clowns of themselves by prostituting themselves to the highest bidder.