BAROTSE ISSUE WILL NEVER DIE- SIABUTUBA
……if President Hichilema and the Litunga can’t resolve this, an independent
person can be invited to facilitate the conversation – Siabutuba
By Edwin Mbulo
in Livingstone
IF left unresolved the issue of Barotseland Agreement can become a big conflict, notes Partner Siabutuba.
The Youth Development Organisation (YDO) executive director says the Barotseland Agreement debate shall never die.
He called for engagement of the generation that worked with Dr Kenneth Kaunda to help resolve the matter.
“It’s not a new issue but leaders have not genuinely discussed it. Leaders need to sit down and resolve this issue. If not genuinely addressed, it’s going to leave anger in people and it has the potential to escalate and become a big conflict. And the earlier people realise there is a potential conflict the better,” he said. “If President Hakainde Hichilema and the Litunga cannot resolve this, an independent person can be invited to facilitate theconversation.” Siabutuba said Lozis know the consequences of secession, “but they probably are demanding forfair distribution of resources and development”.
“This issue will never die.Some day there will be a new generation that may reach into…Dr Kenneth Kaunda who signed
the agreement is gone but the government can engage those that worked with him so that we don’t lose the opportunity. It’s now or never,” said Siabutuba.
Recently, President Hichilema said there is no country called Barotseland stressing that Zambia is a unitary state.
“You where you sit, you must remind yourself that and the people that we are One Zambia One Nation. One Nation One
people. We are interdependent.
For us to succeed in the economic expansion for jobs, for business, for social support, we need to work as a team.
PS [Simomo] Akapelwa, you don’t have a country called Western Province, Barotseland.
There is nothing like that. It is a unitary state,” said President Hichilema
Most parts of zambia where copper is found it belongs to barotse people that is why many people are saying it should be one zambia one nation . Zambia Cannot survive without barotseland.Unless otherwise, let’s hope there will be no deaths in our western province.,,,,we will lose our relatives..
The fact that most minerals are found in ” Barotseland is exactly the problem. Where did ” the King” of lozis find the authority to include all mineral rich chiefdoms in Barotseland? Western Province is a geographic creation of Zambia , therefore cannot constitute ” Barotseland”.
Nonsense