CHITIMUKULU IS A LIVING SHAME
Paramount chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba speaking people in Northern Province says his establishment will work with the government of the day.
Speaking when infrastructure minister Charles Milupi paid a courtesy call on him on Saturday, Chitimukulu said President Hakainde Hichilema played a vital role when the traditional leader was rejected by late president Michael Sata.
“Myself, I will work with government of the day. Mr Hichilema had put me on a payroll when I had issues with government. I was on payroll by Mr Hichilema, I still have the fridge that he gave me,” said Chitimukulu.
John Lennon once said, “One thing you can’t hide – is when you’re crippled inside.”
While Oscar Wilde pointedly said, “I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.”
And Noam Chomsky noted that, “For the powerful, crimes are those that others commit.”
What an astounding turnaround for the Chitimukulu!
One who has never known the Chitimukulu Mwinelubemba Henry Kanyanta Manga Sosala would think he means what he says today.
Unfortunately, he is a shameless opportunist who has an art to worm his way with politicians without regret.
We all recall how he conveniently aligned himself with Edgar Lungu and the PF.
He traversed this country promoting PF and Edgar’s interests without shame.
Chitimukulu’s messages were then and are now full of tribal connotations; and he seems to be very happy about it.
This is the same person we saw on television telling Edgar that he had refused to meet then opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema who wanted to pay a courtesy call on him.
Someone lied to Chitimukulu that if Hakainde won the presidency, he would dethrone the Mwinelubemba.
What has changed now for Chitimukulu to remember the help Hakainde rendered to him when Sata refused to have him enthroned as such? Why did he not remember all these favours he received from Hakainde when Edgar was in power? If not hypocrisy, then what is this?
In case he has forgotten, we wish to remind him that the same Edgar he prostituted with is the one who was home affairs minister under Sata and sent police officers to cordon the palace in Malole so that Sosala did not enter. But because Edgar was in control of the treasury, Chitimukulu ignored all these things and turned his hatred on Hakainde. He wined and dined with his once oppressor. What a chief!
In fact, Hakainde did not just give him a fridge and put him on payroll. Besides Hakainde, there were other Zambians who helped him, including now Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe Besides Hakainde, there were other Zambians who helped him, including now Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe who was then editor-in-chief at The Post.
But can he consider Dr M’membe fairly now? We really doubt. Chitimukulu will only remember all these things when Dr M’membe becomes president of this country.
In short, the Mwinelubemba is an ungrateful soul – ba mutasha kali kwitobo – he will only show gratefulness when he is receiving help. Once it finishes, he turns the other side and looks for other sources.
This is what he has done to Edgar and team; he can’t commune with them now. They have no political power anymore.
In fact, the likes of Chitimukulu are not worthy wasting time on if you are president of this country. Respect them for being our traditional leaders but what counsel can one get from these kind chiefs? But Chitimukulu is not alone in this – many are traditional leaders of his mind!
One of the major depositories of wisdom, justice and equality in this nation is traditional leadership. That is how we have lived, and that is how colonialists found us.
Our chief never used to segregate their subjects – rich or poor, Bemba or Tonga, no. Every traditional leader is expected to welcome any Zambian as their subject and treat them as such.
This is the tradition we have grown up with as Zambians, and it enriches our culture. We have esteemed traditional leaders, except that some of them have reduced themselves to political cadre level for expedience.
We also wish to remind Chitimukulu that in his own language they say ubufumu bucindiko mwine – simply translated; “if you want to be respected, show self-respect first.”
If indeed our traditional leaders such as the Chitimukulu want to be respected by every citizen of this country, they should detach themselves from political alignments. We have a lot of chiefs in this country who have been politically impartial and they have gained people’s respect.
Chitimukulu never speaks for his people but for himself – for his pocket.
We hope he learns something from his conduct towards the August 12, 2021 elections where he openly supported the PF and campaigned for them. We are also aware that he was given campaign material by the PF to campaign for them.
Lest he thinks we are sleepy. What he forgot was that he just commanded one vote – his own. And the more he parroted for PF the more he annoyed his subjects and made them hate PF even more.
He paid a blind eye to PF injustices against his own subjects, simply because his pocket was being filled by the oppressors.
So, should he now posture as an advocate of development for Bembaland? We certainly doubt it.
The only logical explanation is that the Chitimukulu is living in shame. He is therefore just trying to find space in the new dawn government sphere because he has realised his grave mistakes. He calculated wrongly. And the best opportunity he has found is Milupi’s visit. Otherwise, he would have turned Milupi away, had PF been in power.
Carlos Wallace warns against the likes of Chitimukulu, “There’s a difference between an opportunist, and someone who seizes an opportunity. One selfishly harvests the fruits of another’s labour, the other strategically helps plant the seeds.
The latter can be an asset, the former will always be a leech. That climb to the top is already back breaking enough! Don’t carry opportunists up your ladder of success!”
The MAST