The Urgent Need to Deal with Regionalism in Zambia – A Caution to the Nation.
22 December 2023
As the New Heritage Party (NHP) we deplore regionalism from any tribal grouping, regardless of the source.
All matters touching on ethnic, regional, racial and/or religious sensitivities are always highly emotive, and generally prone to create divisions if not handled properly.
Whenever individuals or groupings begin to raise concerns that are based on any of the above, whether the concerns are real or are mere perceptions, our reaction should not be to dismiss them and condemn those raising the concerns; on the contrary, all such matters must be seen to be heard and then comprehensively attended to or dealt with.
The feeling of marginalization or being discriminated against, again whether true or just imaginary, if not dealt with positively by way of disproving them with facts, or by ameliorating the situation being complained about, can only grow bigger, and ultimately be blown out of proportion!
Dialogue over all contentious matters affecting all citizens of this country is what will heal all controversial perceptions which may be leading to the formation of ethnically or regionally based groupings.
Outright condemnation and bashing of such groups or individuals who raise concern, will not deal with the problem. In fact, the formation of such groups may just be symptomatic of the fact that there may be a bigger problem below the surface. If so, it helps the unity of our nation if we seek to discover and expose what that problem is and be seen to make a start in dealing with it amicably. To be dismissive is to massage a swelling which might be cancerous!
Zambians are also encouraged to learn to critically interrogate and analyse situations that may on the surface be deemed to be ethnically or regionally based and which are quickly and contemptuously “dismissed with the contempt they deserve” as tribalism.
Of late, we have seen a number of regional groupings being set up, an MP from North Western Province angrily calling for Zambia to be balkanized and become a federal state, the institutions of Government being placed in the hands of those from one region and people from other regions crying foul.
Those setting up the regional groupings state that they are doing so to pursue developmental agendas, however, they are being attacked and accused of being tribalists and regionalists.
All this points to a mushrooming problem that we as the Zambian people need to unearth, face head on and deal with. If we continue to bury our heads under the sand, then we are fooling ourselves. Wisdom dictates that we must willingly deal with this time bomb now rather than being forced to do so after that bomb has erupted and go through the processes of costly ‘Reconciliation and Truth’ Commissions as well as the unnecessary loss of lives.
Let those in Government who are in a position to, pull back from the destructive path of nepotism and regionalism that they are on. Desist from this practice once and for all.
We Zambians, from all regions only want what is fair and just, for all of us and our children. We would like to see an equitable distribution of the national cake. This can and must be done.
CHISHALA KATEKA
President – New Heritage Party
Allow others to rule not always one tribal.
Just be objective. The only problem is that HH is President and he is not from a preferred tribe by a clique of elite tribalists. It happened to Mwanawasa as well.
Bbola, which one tribe has been ruling.
Continue to choke while reality remains that any Zambian can be president of Zambia. The problem is that many people from certain regions of the country couldnt think a Zambia president can be someone born from any other corner of the country apart from their corner. You are even failing to hide your tribal sentiments, where were you during PF time when tribalism was at its highest? Now you feel provoked just bcos its not yr tribal brother or sister ruling the country. What a shame.
MUSONDA mwanawasa (lamba), Kaunda Kenneth (chisali/Malawi),chiluba(luampula) Rupiah bwezani Banda (estern) SATA(north) and Edgar lungu (estern) you never wanted an other tribals to run Zambia no wonder today you have created PF 1 PF 2 umodzi kumawa PF 3 and kola foundation PF 4 which will never work.
Here’s the whole truth. Modern nation-states do not emerge as complete nations from day one where no groups are seen as the “other”. They’re artificial creations by far-sighted groups of individuals and this takes a bit of time. It’s not just Africans who have had to face this. Proclaiming a state is the easy part as it takes a matter of hours but the process of building a nation out of different communities is a much longer one. That’s where we are in Zambia. The process has its own dynamics and has been a subject of academic interest in social science for a long time. Who would have thought, for example, that a Hindu child of Asian immigrants from Africa to the UK would today be sitting as Prime Minister of the country of Enoch Powell given what was being written about Asians in the British press in the 1960s? Change happens and it’s happening in Zambia.
Nothing wrong with Regionalism.
This woman must be taking some shit hatd stuff!! Even her Kapwepwe or Kaunda could not deal the tribalism in Bembas and Ngonis so how come she expects ND to be attending to nonsense of Tribalists.
The so called Kolas and Chimodzi Kumawa were there in the Kaunda, Sata, etc years and they left them. So Kateka was sleeping in those years and just woken up now to be complaining now?
Was there no Kolas during Lungu, Mwanawasa?
It’s such nonsense that ND should deal with hard not appeasing them which can make the situation worse.