PRESIDENT HICHILEMA URGED TO CONSIDER SIGNING ARBITRATION DOCUMENT PRESENTED TO HIM BY BAROTSE NATIONAL FREEDOM ALLIANCE
By Musonda Kalumba
Former Environment Minister Willian Harrington says there is need for President Hakainde Hichilema to consider signing the submission agreement presented to him by the Geneva-based international law firm on 30th September 2021 for and on behalf of the Barotse National Freedom Alliance organization following the 2012 Barotse National Council resolutions.
This follows the recent decision by the Linyungandambo Busile to write to President Hichilema demanding that he settles the Barotseland agreement and discuss with the group on the sharing of assets and agreeing on boundaries, a matter which has raised concern among various stakeholders.
But Mr. Harrington says the route adopted by the Linyungandambo, though understandable, has been tried and tested through successive governments since 1969 but has failed with one of the reasons being that no president wanted to be held responsible for the separation of Barotseland thereby resulting in the recurrence of the calls for separation of the two boundaries.
He feels the intervention of a neutral and impartial body such as the international court of arbitration on this matter can be a sustainable alternative and has urged the head of state to use his tenure of office to bring this matter to closure without any further injury, arbitrary arrests and imprisonment or death by signing the arbitration document as a matter of urgency.
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