HICHILEMA IS A HIGH PRIEST OF TRIBELISM – M’MEMBE
Fred M’membe also describes President Hakainde Hichilema as a radical tribelist who should be the last person to accuse others of tribalism.
Dr M’membe leader of the opposition Socialist Party has accused Hichilema of being a high priest of tribalism.
“And why does Mr Hichilema see tribe in all he does? Why is tribe so important for him? Why is he swift to spot tribalism in others when he is the high priest or apostle of tribalism? For Mr Hichilema, it seems that practising tribalism in the manner he does is not wrong, but pointing it out is a crime of hate speech or inciting tribal war. And so far, it seems only people from one side of the country are tribal, no wonder they are being arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for tribal hate speech or inciting tribal war. Why?” Dr M’membe wrote in his article reacting to President Hichilema accusing the people of Luapula of being tribal.
Dr M’membe analysing election results from 2001 to 2021 observes that the voting pattern in Southern Province has been tribal inclined as compared to Luapula.
He has charged that Hichilema must be the last person to talk about tribalism.
“Mr Hichilema is a hardcore tribalist and should be the last person to insinuate that he cares for this country and its tribes, and therefore, would want to maintain the peace and unity we have enjoyed for almost 60 years now, because his deeds, which seem deliberate by the way, point in the opposite direction,” Dr M’membe said. “We want to place it on record that there is nothing peaceful and unifying about the method Mr Hichilema is governing this country today.”
Below is the article by Dr M’membe a Journalist turned politician:
HICHILEMA IS LYING; ABENA LUAPULA ARE NOT TRIBALISTS
Mr Hakainde Hichilema was last Saturday in the Chiengi district of Luapula Province attending the Builile traditional ceremony. Whilst there, Mr Hichilema is quoted to have said that Luapula Province has been lagging behind because the people of that region had from time immemorial been promoting their tribesmen to be presidents of the country, and that political fights and tribalism had negated the economic progression in the region.
This interpretation of our country’s political history is factually incorrect and twisted. It is a well-known fact that out of the seven presidents that have ruled Zambia, only Mr Fredrick Chiluba originated from Luapula. Therefore, how can Mr Hichilema allege that people from Luapula only promote their tribesmen to be presidents? And how can Mr Hichilema accuse people from Luapula of tribalism when an assessment of the presidential elections results for Luapula and Southern provinces between 2006 and 2021 indicate a contradictory outlook.
For example, in 2006 presidential elections, Southern Province gave Mr Hichilema (UPND) who hails from there 279,329 votes against 8,234 votes from Luapula Province, Mr Levy Mwanawasa (MMD) who came from Copperbelt and Central provinces polled 70,901 votes from Southern Province and 64,936 votes in Luapula Province, Mr Michael Sata (PF) who hailed from Northern Province then polled 13,559 votes from Southern Province against 118,901 votes in Luapula Province). And in the 2008 presidential elections, following the death of Mr Mwanawasa, Southern Province gave Mr Hichilema (UPND) 266,754 votes against 1,758 votes from Luapula Province, Mr Rupiah Banda (MMD) who hailed from Eastern Province polled 71,519 votes from Southern Province and 47,289 votes in Luapula Province, and Mr Sata (PF) got 24,609 from Southern Province and 151,822 votes from Luapula Province.
Further, in the 2011 presidential elections, Mr Hichilema polled 181,094 votes in Southern Province against 1,588 votes in Luapula Province, Mr Banda got 51,550 votes from Southern Province and 32,552 votes from Luapula Province, and Mr Sata polled 11,779 votes from Southern Province and 100,301 votes in Luapula Province. In the 2015 presidential elections following the death of Mr Sata, Mr Hichilema polled 272,182 votes in Southern Province against 10,493 votes in Luapula Province, Mr Edgar Lungu, who hails from Eastern Province had 20,937 votes from Southern Province and 81,289 votes from Luapula Province. Mr Daniel Pule, who hails from Luapula Province, got 137 votes in Southern Province and 493 votes in Luapula Province. While in the 2016 presidential elections, Mr Hichilema got 527,893 votes in Southern Province and 35,929 votes in Luapula Province against Mr Lungu’s 42,907 votes in Southern Province and 205,770 votes in Luapula Province. Then, in the 2021 presidential elections, Mr Hichilema polled 601,998 in Southern Province and 119,550 votes in Luapula Province against Mr Lungu’s 36,255 votes in Southern Province and 233,129 votes in Luapula Province.
With this evidence, is it fair for Mr Hichilema to accuse the people of Luapula of practising tribal politics? why is it so hard for Mr Hichilema to admit that the Southern Province has been voting on tribal lines since 2001? Why does he live in denial? Why is Mr Hichilema so deceptive?
It just doesn’t end here. What tribalism can Mr Hichilema blame on the people of Luapula when they have accepted and respected culture by totally submitting to certain traditional authorities in the province whose ethnic descent are from regions outside Luapula, the Southern Province to be specific. These people have magnanimously embraced these traditional authorities with the highest form of customary recognition and respect and are today living peacefully and happily together as one people. Are these the people Mr Hichilema can boldly accuse of tribalism? This is not fair. Mr Hichilema has gone too far with his divisiveness.
And why does Mr Hichilema see tribe in all he does? Why is tribe so important for him? Why is he swift to spot tribalism in others when he is the high priest or apostle of tribalism? For Mr Hichilema, it seems that practising tribalism in the manner he does is not wrong, but pointing it out is a crime of hate speech or inciting tribal war. And so far, it seems only people from one side of the country are tribal, no wonder they are being arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for tribal hate speech or inciting tribal war. Why?
We have said it before, when it comes to discussing tribalism and national unity, Mr Hichilema is not the right candidate to lecture the country. And certainly, his lying lips are not the finest to make such declarations about tribalism and national unity. Mr Hichilema is a hardcore tribalist and should be the last person to insinuate that he cares for this country and its tribes, and therefore, would want to maintain the peace and unity we have enjoyed for almost 60 years now, because his deeds, which seem deliberate by the way, point in the opposite direction. We want to place it on record that there is nothing peaceful and unifying about the method Mr Hichilema is governing this country today.
Indeed, tribalism and national unity must be addressed, but not in a one-sided manner. It must be addressed both in speech and deeds.
We also advise Mr Hichilema to humble himself and respect all traditional leadership in this country. We say so because he has ignited too many fires with several traditional authorities countrywide. So many palaces have a story or two to tell over his uncultured demeanour, arrogance, and pomposity. Mr Hichilema must remember that presidents come and go, but the institution of traditional leadership is permanent.
Let Mr Hichilema respect all the chiefs of this country and fix all broken relationships. He knows those he has offended.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
Fred, from the results of elections in all tribe areas, not a single leader can be accused of being a tribalist. The results actually have a natural phenomenon of favouring one who either comes from there or has some tribal inclination like cousin ship. The comments usually made by well meaning leaders are meant to reduce this natural phenomenon. Remember the origin of “one Zambia one nation” by our fore fathers, the great KKs. I feel it’s better to keep your good lane when you are in competitive arena. You may remove your self from there!!
M’membe just sees tribalism in HH but he can’t see it in himself just as he can’t see his back. He should have included Chiluba as well in his voting pattern results so that he shows us how the people of Southern Province overwhelmingly voted for him in 1991. M’membe is a very divisive man who always want to live on opportunism. If HH is a high priest of tribalism, then him is the chief high priest and prince of it. He says there is nothing peaceful and unifying in the manner MR. Hichilema is ruling the country today, but that’s contradicting himself. If he admits that we have enjoyed peace and unity in the past 60 years, then how can HH overturn things just three years in office? He talks of some Luapula Chiefs being related to Southerners and yet him is also related to Westerners although he sadly talks more of his Bemba side than his Lozi side. But there is no harm in people being related, it just shows that we all came from one place, Kola in Congo and we are one and the same people. M’membe should know that even HRH Kalonga Gawa Undi is related to the Bantu Botatwe and Chewas are in also in Malawi and Mozambique. Lozi people are related to the Lozi people of Namibia, the Tswanas of Botswana and Sothos of Lesotho. I can’t talk about Lundas, Luvales, Chokwes, Tongas, Ngonis, they are all found in other countries of Southern and Central Africa. This time around that’s why we hear the President telling people to adopt the slogan of One Zambia, One Nation, One Nation, one People, we are one people indeed. It’s therefore very sad to see that the person M’membe hates most is actually his cousin through his Lozi blood. He is full of hatred hence he can’t see anything peaceful and unifying in the presidency of HH. Let’s shake off hatred and embrace love and unity so that we build and develop our nation on a good platform.