Fred M'membe

SOCIALIST Party leader Fred M’membe says the country has a lot of selfish and greedy traditional leaders who have succumbed to political manipulation.

He has also wondered where President Edgar Lungu is getting money from that he has been distributing across the country.

But Dr M’membe warns that, “impunity is a hyena that has no relative or friend. The system that they thrive in to subvert good leadership, good governance and the rule of law is the same system that will come for their necks tomorrow. We shouldn’t support any form of impunity; thrive in impunity; propagate impunity and grow impunity. This corrupt government will not be here forever. Governments come and go. Even the President will not be president forever”.

Last week, Socialist Party general secretary Cosmas Musumali accused President Lungu of destroying traditional leadership structures around the country.

He said days after President Lungu had left Lukulu district and the hand-outs he had given had all been spent, the traditional leaders were not themselves.

“Their people were calling them all sorts of names. They had been reduced to leaders without authority!” said Dr Musumali.

In his reflections on the manipulation of political, traditional and religious leaders, Dr M’membe said it was disappointing that most traditional and religious leaders could not show integrity in how they conducted themselves.

“Abija makani! Dr Musumali’s concerns are very legitimate. With a few exceptions, what we have today are traditional rulers who are selfish and greedy. They are busy accumulating wealth, building private houses for themselves. We have traditional leaders who care only about themselves and do nothing for their subjects,” he said from Mwika Royal Village in Chinsali. “They are more concerned about their palaces and personal comfort than the plight of their subjects. What they corruptly receive from these politicians they don’t share with their subjects – it’s for them alone. It’s not different for our spiritual leaders or guides. Many of them have been manipulated and have surrendered their churches and congregations to politicians and crooked businessmen with money.”

He said people would never have respect for manipulators.

Dr M’membe said such institutions were losing public respect.

“But, as I have already pointed out, people have no respect for manipulators and those who allow themselves to be manipulated. As a result, veritable chaos is created. All these institutions – state, traditional authorities and churches – are today increasingly losing public respect and support. They are being destroyed,” Dr M’membe noted. “But if you destroy the prestige and authority of the state, the traditional authority and the Church, the consequences are terrible. This may not be the intention of those leaders, but that is the final result of their corruption, selfishness, greed and manipulation. They are making enormous mistakes by failing to see the consequences of what they are doing. And all these things are being done with so much impunity. But impunity is a hyena that has no relative or friend. The system that they thrive in to subvert good leadership, good governance and the rule of law is the same system that will come for their necks tomorrow. We shouldn’t support any form of impunity; thrive in impunity; propagate impunity and grow impunity. This corrupt government will not be here forever. Governments come and go. Even the President will not be president forever.”

He cited several traditional leaders who in the past resisted bribes and slavery from colonialists, saying, “this is not something new. In our history many of our traditional leaders were manipulated in this way by slave traders and colonialists.”

“But we also had those like Mpezeni and his son, Nsingu, who resisted, refused to [be] manipulated, to take bribes and paid the ultimate price – death.

Chitimukulu Sampa for ten years refused to be manipulated with all sorts of ‘gifts’ by white capitalist traders and missionaries. He was rejecting bribes of all sorts, telling his people, ‘Fibwesheni, nshilefifwaya’ (Take them back, I don’t want),” Dr M’membe said. “How many of our chiefs today can do that, can reject bribes and return them like that dignified Bemba leader of the late 1800s? The Lozis had Mulambwa Santulu (Sipopa Lutangu), the tenth Litunga, who stopped the selling of human beings – slave trade. He became known as Muule Ambwa, loosely translated as ‘buy dogs’ instead of human beings – sell dogs instead of human beings. This was a decree he issued at the peak of Portuguese slave trade in his kingdom.”

He wondered how many chiefs could today show such resistance to manipulation.

And citing Socialist Party general secretary Cosmas Musumali’s statement last week that President Lungu had nothing to show other than corruption, Dr M’membe questioned the source of such money that the Head of State was dishing out.

Recently, Dr Musumali accused President Lungu of distributing money in areas such as Lukulu as a way of buying political support.

But Dr M’membe reminded President Lungu that manipulators had never commanded respect in society.

“But where is President Lungu getting all this money from? From which budgetary allocation is this money coming? Tusakanshi bakwete bakateka? Twafumakwi?” Dr M’membe asked.

“What kind of manipulation is this? What abracadabra is the President playing? But manipulators have never deserved anybody’s respect or been successful anywhere. Manipulators are like little canoes that go with the wind and the waves. Manipulation is synonymous with opportunism. Manipulation doesn’t have substance; it doesn’t have roots.’’

He said it was common that those with money manipulated every weak leader and system.

“We don’t think a leader – political, traditional, religious or otherwise – would be respected if people thought he or she was a manipulator. And by the same token no citizen, subject or congregants would have any respect for a leader if they thought that he or she was being manipulated,” said Dr M’membe. “I think that everything – respect, relationships, serious analysis and understanding – is possible among people who are honest with themselves and others. Today those with money are manipulating those of our leaders with weak souls, who are hungry for money or are greedy. Today our political, traditional and religious leaders are being manipulated by those with money. Today crooks of all hues with money are manipulating our politicians. They give them money and all sorts of things. In return, our politicians tailor government policies to suit their interests; they are awarded lucrative government tenders or contracts.”

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