By Patson Chilemba
What Jonas Shakafuswa has said has just given us the true meaning of the tribal clique President Hakainde Hichilema meant, says Chishimba Kambwili.
Shakafuswa said the clique thought this country will always be theirs forever, but that Zambians will never allow any clique to run affairs with impunity, including his own “Bantustan” clique.
But Zambia’s former High Commissioner to Australia George Zulu said both Shakafuswa and Kambwili need pastors to cast the tribal spirit from them.
Calling in to Daily Revelation to respond to Shakafuwa’s statement, Kambwili said he understood immediately what President Hichilema meant when he talked about the tribal clique.
“It is good that Shakafuswa is the one that has opened up. Because if I am the one who said it people were going to say Kambwili is a tribalist. There he is Shakafuswa, he may not have gone straight but those innuendos we are able to differentiate sense from nonsense,” Kambwili said. “Anyway all I can say is that now the truth has come out through Shakafuswa … When this sentiment was said I knew that this was directed at the Easterners and the Northerners because it’s from the Bemba clan and the Easterners that presidents have been produced, and in my understanding this is what HH was talking about. This is the clique he was talking about … For Shakafuswa to say a clique it’s wrong because even Mwanawasa came from Central Province, from where he comes from, and Mwanawasa is a Lamba. He ruled because his time came.”
Kambwili said there has never been a clique in this country because elections have been held, and Zambians have been able to choose who they wanted to lead them, just like they chose President Hichilema this time around.
“How did I know that when he said a clique he was actually referring to the tribes, tribal alignments because on two occasions, when we were in a pact, when everybody advised, including Dr Kaunda to say let Sata begin because the PF appears to be bigger, HH said all of you are not supporting me because I am Tonga. It’s on record. When he lost elections in 2016 he said he lost because he was Tonga,” Kambwili said. “So the man has always thought being president is synonymous with which tribe you come from, but I think the zambian people have proved him wrong, that it’s not about the tribes. It’s about time..so it’s unfortunate that even when he is president he still wants to refer to issues of tribe.”
Kambwili continued.
“The people of North Western are wonderful people, the people of Western province are wonderful people. The people of Southern Province are wonderful people, excellent people, I have even said me my own young brother is married to a Tonga, my young sister is married to a Tonga,” Kambwili said. “I have nothing against the Tonga people whatsoever, but I have everything against their regional voting, particularly Southern Province. I have a problem with the way they have been voting from 2001 when UPND came on the scene. From 2001 todate the Southern Province has just been voting for UPND.”
Asked on arguments that those in the UPND have also felt that the votes from the country’s Northern blog have never been good for them, Kambwili argued that if there was ever a tribal clique as is being suggested, President Hichilema would never have won in Chienge (Luapula Province), and the four Northern Province constituencies of Kaputa, Mpulungu, Senga-Hill, and Mbala tying former president Edgar Lungu in Isoka (Muchinga at 12,000 votes each), as well as getting 49 percent of the votes in Eastern Province. He said apart From winning in the mentioned seats, President Hichilema received impressive votes even in areas where he lost in those regions.
“And does Lungu come from Luapula? Look at how they voted in Western Province in the previous elections and North Western Province, have you ever heard anybody complain about that kind of voting? Because in any case it has only happened for the first time that they have supported the UPND over 70 percent…that people will not have any problem with,” Kambwili said.
Kambwili said “this indoctrination that some of the tribes have been treated unfairly must come to an end.”
“What we should ask about the Southern Province is are they telling us that since 2001 only UPND have been having the best candidates at councillor, the best candidates at constituency, the best candidate at president?” Kambwili asked. “And Ackson Sejani just needs to apologise for saying only a Tonga can run UPND. This is where the problem started.”
Kambwili said he had nothing against President Hichilema, saying he recognised him as President and would always attend state functions when invited, and praise him when he did good.
“For instance I appreciate taking a lot of money to CDF because that’s what we emphasised as PF from 2012 when we started decentralisation process … He has done very well to implement it because these issues should have been implemented long time ago. I don’t even know why they were delayed,” said Kambwili.
In a Facebook post, Shakafuswa argued that President Hichilema’s statement was spot on.
“At least we can now face reality. Truth be told that the clique thought this Country will alway be theirs for ever. They believe they are born rulers. GBM said it. Kambwili amplified it. They got all the cream of the Country,” Shakafuswa started. “They looked down on our tribes. We never chose to be born where we found ourselves. It is the Almighty God design and will.”
He stated that God had a way of equalising.
“Welcome to the real world where we won’t hide behind a finger. We will call a spade a spade. We have suffered enough to get our freedom as a Zambian people. Today a new dawn has emerged where every Zambian has an opportunity to lift, not because of their names or regional background. But because they are Zambians. The clique openly bragged. Openly became rich out of sharing positions and Government businesses. Who doesn’t know this. The Truth hurts,” argued Shakafuswa. “HH never insulted innocent people. The Clique know themselves. Feel the heat. Time for facing the truth and reality has come. Time for all Zambians to feel the true meaning of being a Zambian has come. Never again are we going to allow any clique to run our affairs with impunity. Not even our Bantustan clique. Let all Zambians have equal opportunities. It is an insult to us for State House to apologize. Let the truth be told.”
But Amb Zulu urged Shakafuswa to stop adding fire to the fuel over what the President meant, saying he must be speaking reconciliation instead.
He also castigated Kambwili, saying the people of Eastern Province have demonstrated that they were not tribal in their voting and should not be conscripted into “this tribal nonsense.”
Amb Zulu urged caution in the manner the country was talking about tribal issues, saying Kambwili, Shakafuswa and the others who have taken advantage of the President’s response to spin the matter in different manner need pastors to cast the tribal spirit out of them.
