Paul Moonga has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to do a reshuffle of his public appointments to remove the tribal imbalance in his administration, but Mulowa Mukumbuta disagreed saying competence is what is important whether one is “Lozi or Tonga.”
Former Senanga member of parliament (UPND) Mukumbuta, who fell out with his party towards the 2021 general elections, also defended President Hichilema for promising that he would do things differently from Lungu on appointments, saying people must understand politics because what one says when in opposition does not mean that that is what they would do exactly when elected into office.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Moonga described the appointments to public service as national cake jobs which must benefit every region.
Moonga, a Tonga, urged President Hichilema to look seriously into what Socialist Party (SP) leader Fred M’membe and others are raising on what they viewed as tribal appointments in his administration.
“He would have looked at what do we do? Is what M’membe saying, the judiciary is from one side. My Brother (Chief Justice) Mumba Malila is my brother, a Lenje, (Mulilo) Kabesha is my young brother Lenje, (Marshal) Muchende is my young brother, Tonga. The minister of justice is my nephew, a Tonga. Look at who is in charge of the intelligence, (Friday Nyambe) a Lozi, the one in charge of the army is Lozi, in charge of Zambia Air Force, he is Kaonde (Lieutenant General Collin Barry). And the National Service Commander (Lieutenant General Maliti Solochi) is Luvale,” Moonga said, saying there was truth in what people were asserting and warned that this might become “cancerous” in the country.
He said he hoped President Hichilema would balance appointments to public positions, wondering “what is wrong with putting one Bemba or one Easterner to these key positions.”
Moonga said the government that was in place right now was mostly made up of appointments from Southern, Western, North Western and parts of Central Province, saying people were complaining and “we can’t burry our heads in the sand like an ostrich.”
He said those in UPND must heed and listen carefully to the complaints, saying the truth must be told that the country was governed right now by the provinces he has mentioned.
But on the arguments that the government of former president Edgar Lungu whom he supported was dominated by appointments from the Northern and Eastern regions, Moonga argued that Lungu tried despite having challenges to choose from, especially in parliament as opposed to President Hichilema who had representation from across the board.
He argued that president Lungu appointed Dr Denny Kalyalya as Bank of Zambia governor, and he also appointed Hibeene Mwiinga as his advisor at State House, Kanganja was Inspector General of Police from North Western Province, and Dr Patrick Matibini was Speaker.
Moonga said Jean Kapata was minister of Lands while Given Lubinda served as Justice minister, and that among the nominated members of parliament were Kapita, Nathaniel Mubukwanu and Hamukale, saying Lungu did that despite having a challenge of numbers.
“But this cabinet is supposed to have a reflection of true Zambian, One Zambia One Nation. I am afraid it’s not,” said Moonga. “And I am asking my brother HH, it’s not too late, he can make a reshuffle. It’s not too late, let him listen to people’s voice. People’s voice is God’s voice. Let my dear brother HH listen to the people’s voice.”
Dr M’membe recently said that critics are asking if what they are seeing is equal to what they were promised, mentioning the various positions including that of President (Tonga), Vice-President (Bemba married to a Lozi), Speaker (Lozi), Chief Justice (Lenje), Acting President of the Constitutional Court (Lozi), Attorney General (Lenje), Solicitor General (Tonga), Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission (Lozi), Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission (Tonga), Commissioner of Lands (Tonga), Chief Legal Advisor to the President (Lozi), Minister of Justice (Tonga). Dr M’membe further stated that appointments to key ministries that can’t easily be done away with flowed in the same direction including Home Affairs (Tonga), Local Government (Tonga), Education (Tonga), Tourism (Tonga), Justice (Tonga), Foreign Affairs (Lenje), Health (Soli), Defence (Luvale), Infrastructure (Lozi), Finance (Lozi), Lands (Lunda), Governor of the Bank of Zambia (Tonga).
In the Defence Forces, Zambia Army Commander (Lozi), Zambia Air Force (Kaonde), ZNS Commandant (Luvale), Inspector General of Police (Kaonde), Director General of Intelligence (Lozi), Commissioner of Correctional Services (Tonga), Chief Immigration Officer (Lozi).
At the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), chairperson (Lozi), vice-chairperson (Mambwe), and that the three other commissioners are Tonga, Lozi and Lunda.
But Mukumbuta said Zambians must not be affected by the tribe they belong to as what is most important is competence whether one was “Lozi or Tonga.”
He said the President had the prerogative to appoint people and therefore people must not be petty, saying people must allow Hichilema to rule the country as it was his time now.
Mukumbuta said President Hichilema like other human beings can make mistakes but people always want to resort to tribe in attacking the President.
“The President shouldn’t fail to appoint Tongas just because he is Tonga. He will be aligned that he has appointed that person because he’s what? He’s Tonga. If somebody is competent it’s just a good appointment, we just appreciate those who are appointed. They deserve it. Unless if you see that this person has no competence. He talked about what is important is that you are a Zambian, you have the competence. You have the qualifications which are needed, you can be appointed,” Mukumbuta said. “So if he appoints a person and there is competence, he has got what it takes, even if he is Tonga please, we shouldn’t go in that direction. Tongas are also human beings. If they qualify, they deserve to be given appointments.”
He said the UPND is a party which has got nearly all the tribes, and therefore if they want to blame anyone they should blame all the tribes.
Mukumbuta said from time immemorial, Lozi’s have been very attached to police jobs before President Hichilema became President.
“Because UPND was labeled to be a tribal party, now because Hakainde is a President everything he does people they like to look at the tribe. That is not the direction we should take as a nation. I can differ with Hakainde, we shouldn’t differ on the issue of tribe,” he said.
But asked on the fact that President Hichilema criticized his predecessor for filling up government positions with people from the Northern and Eastern region and that he would do things differently once he was elected into office, Mukumbuta said going by how politics operate, what one says when in opposition is not exactly what they would do once elected when in government as “politics was about competition.”
“You cannot tell your opponent the right thing to do. Sometimes you would want to dribble so that Zambians can believe that what you are talking actually it makes sense than what the other person does. But to me I think even Edgar Lungu his time he was doing the right thing, Hakainde what he’s doing now he’s doing the right thing,” said Mukumbuta, arguing that he did not approve that Lungu was appointing people from the other side but based on the competence in the same manner as President. “And this issue of the people thinking that Hakainde should reverse some of the appointments it’s null and void … You cannot tell somebody who is doing his job within the law that what you are doing is wrong. Then it’s you who is wrong who is accusing him. That is very petty.”
