Tuesday, December 25, 2012
REVELATION TIME!
DISAPPOINTED DOOMSDAY PREPPER
By Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama
May truth be told, after all is said and not done, there are some of us who eagerly waited for this world as you know it to END! Yes, just fizzle out by any means necessary. We as humans badly needed a fresh start to things and generally in the manner we have been doing things on this planet. This is partly because of the sodding mess we have found ourselves in as a people, and largely because of what has been our experience on this Big Blue Marble that EARTH is. We as the human race really need to engage the RE-SET button for a lot of reasons. If you saw that captivating music video by the Rock group Linkin Park, “What We Have Done!” then you would probably understand why. So as it was, the day came,we awoke to the disappointingly clear azure sky, with nothing ominous about it save for some nimbus cloud hovering the skies which sent a lot of us agog. This soon gave in to disappointment as only traces of them remained and later to have them all disappear after a slight precipitation. We tried to get an overview assessment of what may have been happening elsewhere in the world from cable television only to be treated to images of a bunch of crackpot New Agers gathered around at Ground Zero of 2012 Dooms Day watchers at The Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chich'en Itza in Mexico. They were clad in ragtag apparel while they engaged in some hypnotic humming and ritualistic chanting which almost nauseated me due to the silliness of it all.
All in all, if one lesson had been learnt, and it is true it is this that we need to give our Mother, yes, Middle-Earth a little more credit. She has been around for way too long than we have been made to understand for her to just simply vanish for whatever reason. This planet is bound to endure a whole lot longer than earlier thought. This is of course when you wisely choose to ignore even the rantings of religious fanatics or zealots caught up in a feat religious excess about an impending end of the world. What I found really disheartening it must be stated here is how even scientists were also way off in their calculations this time around. Indeed another proof that it does not belong to man who is walking to direct his own steps. The most realistic scenario I orchestrated in my mind about how it was all going to pan out was this that, an over-zealous Netanyahu would get so uneasy and unleash their Zionist nuclear arsenal on the revolutionary Iranian regime as a pre-emptive strike and almost simultaneously cause an already edgy Brother Mahmoud Armedinajad to want try out his hitherto thought ‘non’ existent and yet to be perfected ‘weapons’ which the West still believe no Arab country should be trusted to possess as they are a preserve for the West and other ‘favoured or permitted ’ nations. It would be down-right stupid to do this if you asked me, for look if you suspect I have The Bomb and you choose to bomb me to make sure I do not use it against you! So much for the fabled intellectual brilliance of the Jewry I would say. This is Nuclear Fission we are talking about here people. The resulting Mushroom cloud would trigger a ripple effect which might cause other reactions in neighboring nuclear nations of Pakistan and India. A Synchronized Thermonuclear explosion of this magnitude would release so much energy that there is no telling what would happen to the idle weapons in the former Soviet Republics nearby. The resulting nuclear fall-out would then block out your mid-day sun light and throw the world into pitch black darkness causing untold panic and looting.
This , if you recall, is exactly how the Dinosaurs where brought to extinction when a meteorite is believed to have struck earth and a huge dust bow arose which effectively obscured the light from the whole planet and ushering in an Ice Age from the resultant low temperatures. So you see, it was never going to be an inter-stellar or intergalactic, apocalyptic cataclysm of ethereal origins which will cause our own demise as a people. The above scenario if allowed to occur was to me the surest way that this world as we know it would be brought to instant oblivion.
It is really sad that a combined Zombie/Vampire invasion has been postponed yet again. This is truly stuff for the box office as I can imagine how Quentin Terantino would have feasted on this event to come up with a blockbuster.
Friday, September 28, 2012
ZAMBIANS OR NOT ZAMBIANS? - Discussion Document, BNC, March 26-28, 2012 by PROF. SITWALA NAMWINJI IMENDA
ZAMBIANS OR NOT ZAMBIANS? - Discussion Document, BNC, March 26-28, 2012 by PROF. SITWALA NAMWINJI IMENDA
Published on Thursday, 27 September 2012 21:10. | Written by The Online Editor.
Quote of the Week
“We have always said we have nothing to fear about the Barotse Agreement. It is a decent agreement that must be honoured. Only crooks, dictators who want everything to be controlled by them from Lusaka can fear the Barotse Agreement.”
Michael Sata - January 8, 2011. Post Newspaper, Zambia
ZAMBIANS OR NOT ZAMBIANS? - Discussion Document, BNC, March 26-28, 2012 by PROF. SITWALA NAMWINJI IMENDA
Published on Thursday, 27 September 2012 21:10. | Written by The Online Editor. | | | Hits: 330
GREETINGS AND PREAMBLE
Na cilanisa, mi ni lumeIisa makwambuyu kaufela,batompehi, ni baenyi ba luna ba ba sepahala, ni batu kaufela ba ba konile ku to ina ni luna ha lunze lu buhisana fa litaba za naha ya luna - Barotseland. Ki bumai kuli ka mafosisa amañwi a ezahalile, ni palezwi ku toba teñi fa mukopano omutuna hakolo woo.
DEFINING MOMENTS LEADING TO BAROTSELAND'S FREEDOM
In this submission, I argue that Barotseland regained her status as a free and independent, sovereign state in 1969, but because we did not fight for the freedom, we have remained confused to the present day. Instead, we have been engaged in a fight to become Zambians once again by insisting continuously that the Barotseland Agreement 1964 be put back into Zambia's Constitution. This is most probably the only such bizarre story in the entire history of this world.
I am sharing these thoughts in response to an invitation by Sope, Minyolui (Ngambela of Barotseland) regarding possible key points for discussion at this all-important Barotse National Council (BNC) meeting. In line with my submission to the Chongwe Commission of Inquiry last November, I dwell on this one point only, which I believe to lie at the centre of most of the problems and challenges we face today as the people of Barotseland. As the title of my paper suggests, the key question I ask is: Is it correct to refer to the people of Barotseland as Zambians today?
In order to find a possible answer to this question, allow me - ladies and gentlemen, to itemize for you what I see as the defining moments in the chronology of events, leading to the position I advocate in this paper:
1964, May 18th
The Barotseland Agreement is signed; signifying the consent of the people of Barotseland, through their king, the Litunga of Barotseland, to proceed to independence from British rule, together with Northern Rhodesia, as one country. However, the Agreement contained strict conditions with regard to powers vested in the Litunga, the Litunga and his Council, as well as those to be discharged by a future central government. Important to this presentation is Clause 8 of the Agreement which provided as follows:
The Government of the Republic of Zambia shall take steps as may be necessary to ensure that the laws for the time being in force in the Republic are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement.
To me, this was the most important provision of the Agreement.
1965
In the months that followed the celebration of Zambia's independence, three defining acts of betrayal were committed by the Zambian government - contrary to the provisions of Clause 8 of the Agreement cited above:
1.0 Relocation of Administrative Staff - By a mere proclamation made by the Provincial Local Government Officer (appointed by the Zambian government), the entire administrative departmental staff under the Barotse Government, in all districts, were moved from the royal administrative centres to the respective Bomas. This had the effect of usurping the control of day-to-day administration of the affairs of Barotseland from the hands of the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) to Zambian-appointed government officials - with the attendant hierarchy of power and authority shifting away from the BRE and stretching, instead, all the way to the authorities in Lusaka. This was contrary to the above-referenced provision of the Agreement.
2.0 Promulgation of the Local Government Act No 69 - to repeal the Barotse Native Authority Ordinance - thereby usurping the powers and authority of the Barotse Government by abolishing the Barotse Native Authorities, the Barotse Native Treasury and providing that, henceforth, Barotseland be administered through a uniform local government system applicable to all districts and provinces of the country. [Again, this was contrary to the above-referenced provision of the Agreement].
3.0 The enactment of the Chiefs Act Chapter 479 of the Laws of Zambia - which empowered the Republican President to recognize, or withdraw recognition of, any chief in the country. [Again, this was contrary to the above-referenced provision of the Agreement].
The above acts of betrayal were then followed by one more in 1966:
1966
The Local Courts Act came into force in April, 1966, to repeal the Barotse Native Courts Ordinance - thereby abolishing the Barotse Native Courts, in turn disfiguring the judicial functioning of the indigenous courts in Barotseland.
1969
Promulgation of the Constitution Amendment Act No 5 - which terminated the Barotseland Agreement 1964; and abolished all rights, obligations and liabilities attached to the Agreement.
It stated that the Agreement shall on and after the commencement of the Constitution Amendment Act No 5 of 1969 cease to have effect, and all rights (whether vested or otherwise), liabilities and obligations there under shall thereafter lapse.
This is where my clock stops. This Act, not alone violated the above- referenced provision of the Agreement but it summarily terminated the union between Barotseland and the rest of the country- with the effect that:
1.0 The Republic of Zambia, as contemplated at the time of independence, came to an abrupt end; and, therefore
2.0 The two entities comprising the Unitary State became autonomous.
Thus, as a result of the above basket of breaches of the Barotseland Agreement, but particularly with reference to the Constitutional Amendment Act, three things should have happened:
1.0 New geo-political boundaries must have been determined for the two entities which had been rendered autonomous by virtue of Constitutional Amendment Act No 5 of 1969;
2.0 A new name should have been contrived to correctly describe the entity that remained after Barotseland fell outside the constitutional provisions of the ‘Zambian’ Constitution and
3.0 The governance and administrative structures of the part from which Barotseland had broken away should have ceased to operate in Barotseland immediately with the coming into force of the Constitution Amendment Act No 5 of 1969.
It is important to emphasize the point that the coming-into-force of the Constitution Amendment Act No 5 of 1969 marked the moment Barotseland became autonomous and free from the rest of country that was previously known as the Republic of Zambia prior to the constitutional amendment. The geo-political entity that remained after Barotseland was constitutionally tossed out of the Zambian constitution had the right to name itself anything - including the 'Republic of Zambia' - but should not, thereafter, have extended its governance and administrative structures to Barotseland. Thus, my humble but informed opinion is that the current governance and administrative dispensation obtaining in Barotseland is illegal - and should, therefore immediately cease to exist. What has happened is tantamount to illegal occupation of one country by another.
This point has been made numerous times before - and I have not yet come across any compelling and justifiable reasons, excuses or arguments, to contract this interpretation - either in law or by way of common sense. We see every day that the 'Zambian' government continues to extend its rule to Barotseland - including deploying its army, paramilitary and ordinary police, as well as its intelligence officers (plenty in this room) to do their dirty work in Barotseland. The fact of the matter is that without draconian acts of aggression, repression, suppression, intimidation, harassment, torture, arbitrary arrests - as well as other forms of brutality, Barotseland would have operated as a free, autonomous and sovereign State since 1969. This is what I understand to be the desire of the majority of the people of Barotseland even today.
Skirting this matter at this Council meeting will be to do the people of Barotseland an injustice; it will be failing to honour those whose limbs have been amputated, as well as those (whose) blood has already been shed eternally for this cause. There is no need for a referendum. What question is one going to ask the people? They have been rendered stateless for over four decades to this date. Constitutionally, they already fall outside the Republic of Zambia. The only possible question that could be asked is whether or not they want to go back - in line with the recent recommendations of the Chongwe Commission of Inquiry - as elucidated below.
SPEAKING IN PARABLES
The problem with speaking in parables is that the audience needs a certain level of cognitive apparatus, aptitude and insightfulness to be able to decipher the hidden meaning, or reasons for what is being said. In this case, it is certain that the Chongwe Commissioners saw it clearly that, as things stand presently - and, particularly as a result of the Constitution Amendment Act No 5 of 1969, Barotseland falls outside the jurisdiction of the entity calling itself the 'Zambian government'.
This explains why the Commission recommended an immediate constitutional reinstatement of the Barotseland Agreement 1964, in its original and entire form - even before any talks can commence for a future political dispensation. Unfortunately, because the meanings embedded in parables are beyond the reach of some people, the Zambian government has not yet seen the light. So, this means that 'BULOZI KI BWA LUNA", for the time being, while we continue to sit outside the boundaries of the Zambian constitution. The question is, don't we want to make this permanent? If we wait until they have put us back in their constitution, it may be difficult to wriggle out of the bind.
This is what makes it extremely urgent for us to come out of this consultative Barotse National Council meeting with one voice regarding our interpretation of the meaning of the Constitution Amendment Act No 5 of 1969. Certainly, by terminating the Barotseland Agreement 1964 and removing it from the Zambian Constitution, this tossed us out of the union with the rest of Zambia. We still sit outside their Constitution. I find it very strange that all along we have been relentlessly fighting to be put back into another country's constitution - while they have steadfastly refused. Do we really want to go back?
That is the question this BNC must answer on behalf of the people of Barotseland.
The sentiment that 'Bulozi ki bwa luna' is not new. In his letter of February 1, 1994, to President Chiluba, Litunga, Ilute Yeta IV had the following to say:
In our humble view, secession is a matter of right and is inherent in the Barotseland Agreement of 1964, so that the parties to the said Agreement reserve the right to revert to their original status if the agreement under which they intended to achieve unity can no longer work.
The problem has not been that this position has not been communicated to the Zambian government many a time enough, but rather that we have consistently lived under successive governments which have not had answers to the problems that they created; governments whose primary preoccupation has been to work tirelessly to project a falsehood as the truth - and the truth as a falsehood; governments which have consistently engaged in indoctrination and the propaganda of fabrication and deception - campaigning, through the various national media they control, to make Zambians believe that Barotseland came into Zambian independence on equal and similar terms as all other "provinces"; that the Barotseland Agreement 1964 was a seditious document - after they co-signed it, thereby agreeing to its terms (they actually hid it away from Zambians for almost five decades).
Every time they have been challenged to come up with logical reasons for denying the people of Barotseland their rights and freedoms they have simply responded through acts of intimidation, brutality, harassment, arrests and even killings. They keep on doing the same things over and over again, expecting a different result - love, from the people of Barotseland.
Einstein defined lunacy as doing the same thing repeatedly - and expecting a different result. The people of Barotseland are not going to forget this story - and time will come, as it appears imminent at this point, when justice shall finally prevail and the people will have an opportunity to exercise their rights and freedoms within their own State.
THE IMPEDIMENTS THAT PREVENTED BAROTSELAND FROM ACTUALIZING ITS FREEDOM
It is important, and appropriate, to reflect briefly on the circumstances that prevented the BRE from taking over the - governance and administration of Barotseland following the termination of the Agreement - thereby allowing the now - fake Zambian government to eat their case to the finish, and still have it.
The natural question that arises out of the background information presented above: What prevented the people of Barotseland from taking over the governance and administration of their land after the breakup of the Agreement in 1969
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is a sad one - particularly when one considers that the Zambian Presidents have so far projected themselves as God-fearing Christians, by day; by night, they have meted out the severest forms of brutality imaginable against the people of Barotseland. It is a situation that clearly illustrates that "in the hands of dishonest and deceitful individuals, power is a very dangerous weapon, indeed."
There are many ways by which successive Zambian governments have acted to suppress the people of Barotseland, and thus preventing them from exercising their human and political rights as a nation within their own State.
I am aware that there is someone here who has been requested to give a synopsis of acts of discrimination, aggression, repression, suppression, intimidation, torture, harassment, brutality, killings, etc., that the people of Barotseland have been subjected to over the years. So, I'll not steal their thunder by covering this area as well. Suffice it to stress the point that Barotseland remained classified as a nation without a State in world books of nations.
One of the best descriptions of the callousness of the Zambian government regarding the question of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 is contained in a letter written by RMA Chongwe and Company, on April 21, 1992, to the Zambian State President, on behalf of the BRE. The letter read, in part as follows, at p.2:
Mr. President Sir, the members of the Barotseland Royal Establishment had constantly reminded the UNIP government about the breach but due to the perpetual State of Emergency that existed at the time coupled with UNIP's dictatorial tendencies, it was feared and indeed reasonably so, that any pressure exerted on the UNIP government would have serious repercussions on the members of the Barotse Royal Establishment and therefore the grievances could not be publicly voiced out. [Emphasis mine].
As I have just pointed out, other speakers at this Council meeting will cover this topic in greater detail. However, the short answer is that successive Zambian governments have been 100% predictable in their response to anyone who attempted to reclaim freedom for the people of Barotseland. The response has always been a well-orchestrated regime of brutality. Over the years, many have been arbitrarily arrested and tortured, others have been maimed - to different degrees ranging from mild to permanent; some have been killed, and others have gone missing (baisizwe mwa kunu). This has been the reality of life for the people of Barotseland - contrary to the slogan some Zambian leaders {as perpetrators of the calculated legislative enslavement and violence against the Barotse people) that this country has enjoyed peace and prosperity since independence. What peace when people are being maimed and killed; what prosperity when Barotseland stands as the poorest of the poor?
GOING FORWARD
Going forward, there is one fundamental fact of life that this Council meeting needs to be aware of - and that is that, there is no government that easily and voluntarily surrenders its power and authority to a third party without compelling pressure to do so. Unfortunately, this is just the plain truth about life - even when a government has messed up in a big way, as is the case with the issue of Barotseland Agreement 1964. Failure to see this as a point of departure is likely to see this Council meeting emphasize resolutions as an end in themselves. What is needed is an Action Plan, with time frames, around a set of practical actions aimed to result in the realization of set goals for Barotseland.
This Council meeting should not end up like the previous ones - only with good-looking resolutions which, ultimately, took the people of Barotseland nowhere. This Council meeting takes place at a time of heightened expectations for a clear vision and leadership, going forward. I am sorry to say that over the years, there has not been much evidence of a clear vision and leadership coming from the structures of Barotse governance and administration. Lone soldiers have fought isolated battles - and it has been lonely out there.
In line with my argument in this presentation, one possible starting point is to debate, frankly, the matter of the meaning and interpretation of the Constitutional Amendment Act No 5 of 1969. The meaning and interpretation that the Council will come up with could help shape its Vision - and hence its Mission, broken down into SMART goals (Simply formulated; Measurable; Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound).
There may be other starting points, but for me it is this constitutional amendment that gives us leverage for reclaiming our freedom - and I think the Chongwe Commission also saw it that way, hence the high premium they have placed on it. Certainly, an affirmation, for instance, that by tossing the Barotseland Agreement 1964 out of the Zambian Constitution, contrary to Clause 8 of the Agreement, the Zambian government has no further jurisdiction over the territory they excluded from their constitution, this could set in motion a number of specific actions. It is time to allow the Zambian government to "fall on its own sword". That is why I advised the Chongwe Commission last November to go back and report to government that the people of Barotseland had long accepted the Zambian government's termination of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 - and understood that action to mean that Barotseland could now immediately proceed to complete self-determination.
In my view, this position leads to an immediate commencement of discussions with the government, with the sole purpose, in mind, of working out transitional arrangements towards Barotseland's self-determination. Certainly, given that the element of trust has broken down irretrievably between the Zambian government and the people of Barotseland, this matter can only be resolved by neutral, trustworthy, international mediators.
CONCLUSION
This Council meeting will have broken new ground if, and only if, at the centre of its honest and frank debates and deliberations will be the people of Barotseland's democratic wishes, rights and aspirations. Up to this point we, the people of Barotseland, have failed to find a common stand-point on the matter of the Barotseland Agreement 1964. The reasons for this may be varied, but we need to realize that we shall never achieve anything for the people with varied stand-points of this matter.
Let us shave different opinions, but in the end we need only one, two or a maximum of three points which should serve as our rallying point(s) as we approach the Zambian government for discussions. Such a position will not be possible if we each endeavour to fore-ground and craft that, which will be best for our own personal benefit. On the other hand, if our focus is on what the people desire to see, we cannot fail to establish the rallying points that we so badly need to move forward.
Our freedom has been deferred and postponed for far too long because of relentlessly undermining one another, and agreeing to be used by other people to fight ourselves. Are you not as sick and tired, as I am, of living in perpetual fear of targeted repression? Are you not as sick?
Monday, April 9, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
BAROTSE NATIONAL COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS
Barotse National Council
held at Limulunga, Barotseland
26th and 27th March 2012
RESOLUTIONS
PREAMBLE
We the people of Barotseland;
having constituted and deliberated as a National Council on 26th to 27th March, 2012 in Limulunga in the Barotseland Nation on the status and future of the Barotseland Nation in the Republic of Zambia, hereby declare this day of Tuesday March 27, 2012 at the close of our deliberations as follows:
Recognizing that the Barotseland Agreement 1964 provided the basis on which Barotseland became an integral part of Zambia and took the place of the treaties and other agreements hitherto subsisting between Her Majesty the Queen and the Litunga of Barotseland.
Acknowledging that the Barotseland Agreement 1964’s aim was to provide a safe guard against encroachment on the powers of the people of Barotseland to self government by Central Government of Zambia.
Realizing that the new state of Zambia, which came into being on October 24, 1964, never ratified the Barotseland Agreement entered into between Barotseland and Northern Rhodesia Governments on May 18,1964, and despite its non-ratification, unliterary abrogated by Zambia in 1969.
Aware that the unilateral termination of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 by the government of Zambia is a violation of the right of Barotseland to self determination and repudiation of the purported integration of the territory of Barotseland into Zambia.
Recognizing that successive Zambian governments never took steps necessary to ensure that the laws for the time being in force in the Republic of Zambia are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Agreement.
Aware that successive Zambian governments continued to undermine the modernization of Barotseland institutions and governance required to run an independent modern state as well as meddle in the national affairs of Barotseland, resulting in conflict in some sections of the Barotseland Nation.
Recalling that successive Zambian governments illegally administered and controlled Barotseland by intimidation and force since October 24, 1964, despite continued protests from the people of Barotseland against such transgressions, including futile calls to restore the Agreement.
Knowing that Barotseland’s right to autonomy on governance and political affairs is inborn and has been protected by treaties since the first encounter with foreign powers.
Rejecting the expectation or notion by the Zambian government that we surrender our autonomy as expressed in the Barotseland Agreement 1964 in return for economic development.
We now inform Zambia and the international community that we finally accept the unilateral nullification and the abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 by the Zambian government, which action has freed Barotseland from being part of Zambia.
In line with the Post liminium doctrine we can no longer be obliged to honour an international Agreement that the other party has nullified and abrogated, which has reverted us to our original status.
POSITION STATEMENT:
We the people of Barotseland declare that Barotseland is now free to pursue its own self-determination and destiny
We are committed to a peaceful disengagement with the Zambian government in the same manner that we attempted integration as a state within Zambia.
We call on the international community to support our legitimate right to self determination as a people and nation by resolving as follows:
1. That all the people in Barotseland shall continue to enjoy the centuries old harmonious peaceful co-existence by all the ethnic groups as had always been the case.
2. That the people of Barotseland shall not, in any way, take kindly to any individual, authority or groups of individuals bringing the institution of the Litungaship into public ridicule and disrepute by making derogatory remarks with intent to undermine the authority of the Litunga and Barotse Government.
3. The Zambian government to immediately refrain from committing actions of violence and intimidation against the people of Barotseland.
4. That no part of Barotseland shall be ceded to any other country.
5. The Barotse Government should immediately formalize the DECLARATION OF DISPUTE with the Zambian Government on the basis that the Zambian Government has violated and unilaterally abrogated the Unity Treaty whose purpose was to bind the two territories of Barotseland and the rest of Zambia, and also notify the SADC, AU, Commonwealth and United Nations of that fact.
6. The people of Barotseland shall exercise their right to revert Barotseland to its original status as a sovereign nation, so that the people of Barotseland shall determine their political, cultural, social and economic development.
7. The Barotse Government is mandated to, within 30 days, request the United Nations to oversee the transition process.
8. The Barotse Government should, within 30 days, put in place a transition process leading to taking over all government functions in Barotseland and the election of the KATENGO Legislative Council.
9. We mandate the Barotse Government to immediately engage the Zambian government with the sole purpose of working out transitional arrangements towards self-determination for Barotseland within the shortest possible time under the auspices of the United Nations.
10. The Barotse Government should embark on reforms to modernize its functions and enhance accountability and transparency.
11. The Barotse Government should immediately establish a Secretariat comprising of such number of Officers as required to run such an office
12. The Barotse Government should convene the next BNC at the end of June 2012 to receive reports on the progress on the above resolutions.
Submitted by:
BAROTSE NATIONAL COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE
Full Names
Position in Committee
Title / Institutions
Signature
Mr. Mutungulu Wanga, Chairman Chairman / MOREBA
Mr. Mwangelwa Akapelwa, Secretary Induna Mayunyi / Namuso
Mr. Mungandi Mungandi, Member Secretary / MOREBA
Mr. Namiluko Imwaka, Member Namuso
Mr. Lubinda Nyaywa, Member Induna Amuikuteile/Mwandi
Mr. Chazele Mulasikwanda, Member Secretary / BFM
Mr. Afumba Mombotwa, Member Chairperson / Linyungandambo
Mr. Mwangelwa M-Lewanika, Vice Secretary Member / MOREBA
Approved by the Barotse National Council, on this 27th day of March, 2012, as signed by:
Clement W. Sinyinda Batuke Imenda
NGAMBELA MUKULWAKASHIKO
Contact us
The Executive Council
barotseland.government@gmail.com
| HOME | GOVERNMENT | HEAD OF STATE | DEFENCE FORCES | CITIZENS | BANKING | INDUSTRY TRADE & BUSINESS |
| ECONOMY | PRIVATE PROPERTY | LEGAL SYSTEM | POLITICS | ELECTORAL COMMISSION | TOURISM |
Barotseland Free State © 2012
| Site Map |
Kingdom of Barotseland, Central Austral Africa, Linyungandambo, Tukongote Litunga In Lyetu
Thursday, March 29, 2012
KEYNOTE SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE NGAMBELA OF BAROTSELAND
KEYNOTE SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE NGAMBELA OF BAROTSELAND
THE RT HON CLEMENT W. SINYINDA TO THE EXTRA ORDINARY PIZO OF THE
BAROTSE NATIONAL COUNCIL
HELD AT ST. LAWRENCE HALL IN LIMULUNGA ROYAL VILLAGE
26 & 27 MARCH 2012
Your Royal Highnesses the Resident Princesses and Princes from all District Kutas, here present
Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Members of Parliament
Honourable Indunas from Namuso, all District Kutas and Lilalos
Guests representing various Government Institutions and Civil Society Organizations
Gallant men and women from the breadth and lengths of this beautiful land we’ve inherited from our forefathers
In short may I simply say all protocols observed,
May I start by thanking His Majesty the Litunga Lubosi Imwiko II, the People of Barotseland, and Kuta for according me this rare and lofty opportunity to serve as the Ngambela at this very critical and crucial epoch in our history as Barotseland.
The tasks ahead are huge and require almost super human strength and capabilities. My strength in this challenge is in Gods grace and with your support, I pledge to endeavour to be equal to the task.
I want to commend all of you that are here gathered from all over Barotseland and beyond, I realize you are here at a great personal cost and sacrifice. I also wish to recognize the great sacrifice made by many that may not be here in person but have contributed financially, materially and indeed through prayers to ensure that this Historic Council goes ahead.
This expression of personal sacrifice on your part and that of all those that have made it possible for you to be here is a demonstration of the fact that we all realize Barotseland is at the crossroads. Consequently, difficult choices have to be made and crucial decisions have to be reached. We are the ones to make the choices and decisions and this is the time to do so.
We can no longer wait for other people or another time. To every generation is given a cause to either fulfil or betray. To our generation is given the awesome responsibility to resolve the Barotseland crisis, a consequence of an impasse and a resultant failure from the non implementation and unilateral abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement 1964.
It is entirely up to us to either fulfil or betray this cause.
For a long time now, the BRE has been under immense pressure to call for the BNC. We were accused of Contradicting the position of the People that we represent. The BRE was accused of mishandling the thorny issue of the BA ’64. You are called for this moment to give us direction. The ever loving God preserved this day for all of us to assemble here to congregate and find a way forward.
To you all, I say, this is your historic moment.
I quote, Barrack Obama, President of the United States of America, who said:
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.
We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Barrack H. Obama, Speech made on the 5th February 2008
And I wish to add that change is a necessity when every other way becomes impossible.
In our pursuit to resolve this matter, we passed through turbulent times. Throughout the period of 47 years, successive Zambian governments applied the undemocratic principle of might is right.
We paid with our blood for simply requesting to consolidate our integration with Zambia. Intimidation became the order of the day.
Talking about state intimidation and brutality over the Barotseland question, I want to make it know to the Zambian Authority that we are well aware and alive to the fact that many of our nationals over the last half century have been brutalized, victimized and antagonized for simply holding the view that the Barotseland Agreement 1964 is a legitimate and honourable international treaty which must be respected. A number of people have been killed, maimed, tortured, imprisoned and heavily interrogated by Police due to their involvement in the matter of the Barotseland Agreement 1964.
Allow me to pause at this juncture as call upon this August gathering to take a moment of silence to remember and indeed honour those that have lost their lives, shed their blood and have been inconvenienced in one way or another simply because of their position on Barotseland, as I call upon Induna Yutanga of Naliele to come forward and read out the names of those who have been known to have died, those that are missing and those that have been maimed on or after the January 14 Fracas
****************
“Because of January 14 we will always remember that God hears our cries, He is touched by our tears, moved by our fears and pays attention to our prayers. The Lord has taken note of the blood that has been shed, the lives that have been lost and those that have been shattered by trauma for Barotseland. That blood has not been shed in vain; those lives have not been lost in vain; our lives are not disrupted, shattered and traumatized in vain.” Mungandi MM –January 14 Remembered
When I undertook to take up the position of Ngambela of Barotseland, at such a volatile and precarious time as this one, it was with no illusion that it was ever going to be an easy assignment because I fully realize the challenges and almost insurmountable obstacles that are facing our people and our land. My ascendance to the position of Ngambela has been predominantly a faith venture from all angles you choose to look at it. It took a lot of faith on my part and a lot of faith on the part of Barotseland as a whole.
I have faith in our system of governance which has evolved over hundreds of years and has been called by one of our youths on a social network site as the most beautiful form of democracy. As you maybe aware our system of governance is an all embracing bottom-up type of governance system.
The Barotse system of Governance has several tiers from the Central Government to the village. The first of these tiers is the Namuso (Literally translated as the Mother of Government). This is the Central Government of Barotseland with His Majesty The Litunga as the Head of State, and the Ngambela as the Prime Minister and head of the Government. The Ngambela, who is also referred to as Sope or Minyolui (the latter literary meaning Owner of Barotseland)
The Second governance tier is the regional governments which include the Lwambi in charge of the southern part of Barotseland. It is headed by Litunga-La-Mboela, which means the Litunga of the South. Other regions are also headed by Resident Princes or Princesses, Malena. The third tier consists of Chiefdoms and or Administrative Areas.
Barotseland, is sub-divided into several Chiefdoms and or Administrative Areas, each headed by a Chief or Sub Chief sometimes called Silalo Indunas. The Administrative Areas are referred to as Lilalo. A Silalo (singular) has an Induna who is its political, administrative and judicial head. The last governance tier in Barotseland consists of villages (Minzi). Munzi (singular) has an Induna who is its political, administrative and judicial head.
What is of key interest is the fact that decision is arrived at using the bottom-up approach. Consequently this August gathering which is the apex of the governance system in terms of structures will consider decisions and resolutions that have been made at village level and escalated in stages to the Silalo, District and finally to this, the national level.
Following the 1947 Barotse Constitutional reforms, at which point a Katengo Legislative Council was introduced, we undertook a democratic processes commensurate with systems applied in the developed world. Our next step as a government was to streamline our judicial system. All these efforts were terminated by Mr Kenneth Kaunda in 1965.
It is my wish and prayer that those dynamic democratic ideals are adopted and re-introduced today. I therefore propose; that we re-introduce the checks and balances model in the Barotse Royal Establishment, governance system which was terminated prematurely.
I have faith in our capacity to be united and rally behind a genuine and legitimate cause.
Our history has shown that whenever as a people we have allowed disunity to prevail among us, we have tended to take a downward curve. Yet as soon as we realize our need for unity we have risen from the ashes and taken an upward trend. The clear cases in point include:
The Makololo invasion which happened when Barotseland was embroiled in civil strife between the north and the south over succession. The Makololo took advantage of the situation and invaded the land and ruled over our forefathers. Yet when unity became a requirement for our survival, we converged and prevailed.
The dethroning of King Lubosi Lewanika which happened when the kuta was divided into factions for and against the reigning Litunga. After three years of chaos under the leadership of Litunga Tatila Akufuna, our forefathers reunited and restored King Lewanika’s rule. Barotseland prospered thereafter.
Our current quagmire is largely because of the disunity that existed at the time the wind of change against colonialism was sweeping across the continent. The Litunga and his Kuta were originally for the idea that Barotseland should proceed to independence in its own right as an entity, as was applicable with Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. whilst the Lozi young Turks, largely for personal reasons, vengeance and hunger for power opted to fight on the side of Northern Rhodesia. The Barotseland Agreement 1964 was therefore a compromise position between the two warring factions.
Disunity which was a consequence of lack of vision on the part of the so called freedom fighters has brought us where we are today. Signing an agreement with people who have no regard for the rule of law.
I have faith in our capacity for coexistence amongst ourselves and with those that surround us. Barotseland has a history of inclusiveness and harmonious co existence. That is the only way we have been able to exist together with our diversities within the whole Barotseland equation and Commonwealth. The missionaries, the BSAC and emissaries of the British Crown found us at peace with each other. Differences were most of the times resolved peacefully.
Our forefathers were able to negotiate coexistence with European Settlers and derived maximum benefits from the relationships.
I have faith in our peace loving nature and am confident that we shall forever remain committed to finding a peaceful settlement to the Barotseland Question. We are committed to non violent means of conflict resolution.
Though our blood has been spilt we will spill no innocent blood, though we have been shot we will not throw even a pebble at our aggressors, though some among us have been killed we will endeavour to destroy no life, though we have been tortured and persecuted, we will treat all persons with human dignity. Yet our peaceful nature should not be mistaken for lack of courage or determination to have this impasse resolved.
Things will never be the same again after this watershed BNC. We have been insulted enough, ridiculed enough, teased enough, mocked enough, cheated enough, dribbled enough, used enough, hurt enough, misunderstood enough, marginalized enough, sidelined enough, victimized enough, neglected enough, tossed back and forth enough, subjugated enough, segregated enough, mistreated enough, and we must put an end to it.
Now the Barotse people are saying: "Here we stand, we can do no other."
May I conclude, by challenging all Delegates here present to participate freely as we deliberate on the decisions, and resolutions that have come from different corners and angles of our society, and as we struggle to harmonize these different, diverse and at times competing views to come up with a cohesive and focused position to present to the world at large.
Tukongote wa mwana Nongolo, ising’i wa mwana Nalukapwa.
Contact us
The Executive Council
barotseland.government@gmail.com
| HOME | GOVERNMENT | HEAD OF STATE | DEFENCE FORCES | CITIZENS | BANKING | INDUSTRY TRADE & BUSINESS |
| ECONOMY | PRIVATE PROPERTY | LEGAL SYSTEM | POLITICS | ELECTORAL COMMISSION | TOURISM |
Barotseland Free State © 2012
| Site Map |
Kingdom of Barotseland, Central Austral Africa, Linyungandambo, Tukongote Litunga In Lyetu
Sunday, January 22, 2012
THE BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT 1964
THE BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT 1964
Presented to parliament by the Secretary for Commonwealth relations by command of Her Majesty may 1964
LONDON
HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE
EIGHTPENCE NET
Cmnd.2366
THE BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT 1964
Following talks in London between the British Government, the Government of Northern Rhodesia and The Litunga of Barotseland; an Agreement regarding the position of Barotseland within independent Northern Rhodesia was concluded at the commonwealth Relations office on 18 th May, 1964. It is entitled, “The Barotseland Agreement 1964”. It was signed by Dr.K.D.Kaunda, Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia, by Sir Mwanawina Lewanika III,K.B.E Litunga of Barotseland and by the Right Honourable Duncan Sandys M.P Secretary of State for common wealth Relations and for the colonies signifying the approval of Her Majesty’s Government.
The text of the Agreement is attached as the Appendix to this paper.
19th May, 1964.
APPENDIX
THE BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT 1964
This Agreement is made this eighteenth day of May, 1964 between KENNETH DAVID KAUNDA, Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia of the one part and SIR MWANAWINA LEWANIKA THE THIRD ,K.B.E., Litunga of Barotseland, acting on behalf of himself, his heirs and successors, his council, and the chiefs and people of Barotseland of the other party is signed by the Right Honourable Duncan Sandys, M.P Her Majesty’s principal secretary of state for common wealth relations and for the colonies, to signify the approval of her majesty’s government in the united kingdom of the arrangements entered into between the parties to this agreement and recorded therein.
Whereas it was proposed that the northern Rhodesia shall become an independent sovereign state to be known as the republic of Zambia.
And where as it is the wish of the government of northern Rhodesia and of the Litunga of Barotseland,his council and the chiefs and people of Barotseland that northern Rhodesia should proceed to independence as one country and that all its peoples should be one nation:
And where , as having regard to the fact that all treaties and other agreements subsisting between her majesty the queen of the United Kingdom of great Britain and northern Ireland and The Litunga of Barotseland will terminate when Northern Rhodesia becomes an independent sovereign republic and her majesty’s government in the United Kingdom will there upon cease to have any responsibility for the government of Rhodesia including Barotseland. It is the wish of the government of northern Rhodesia and of The Litunga of Barotseland to enter into arrangements concerning the position of Barotseland as part of the republic of Zambia to the place of the treaties and other agreements hitherto subsisting between Her Majesty the Queen and The Litunga of Barotseland:
And whereas on the sixteenth day of April,1964 a provisional agreement was concluded at Lusaka with purpose and it is the desire of the government of northern Rhodesia and The Litunga, acting after consultation with his council to conclude a permanent agreement with this purpose:
NOW THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSETH and it is hereby agreed between the said Kenneth David Kaunda, Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia, on behalf of the government of Northern Rhodesia and the said Sir Mwanawina Lewanika the Third, K.B.E., Litunga of Barotseland on behalf of himself, his heirs and successors ,his Council and the chiefs and the people of Barotseland as follows:-
1. Citation and Commencement
This agreement may be cited as the Barotseland Agreement 1964 and shall come into force on the day on which Northern Rhodesia, including Barotseland, becomes the independent sovereign Republic of Zambia.
2. The Constitution of Zambia
The constitution of the republic of Zambia shall include the provisions agreed upon for the inclusion herein at the constitutional conference held in London in May, 1964 relating to:-
(a) the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the individual;
(b) the judiciary; and
(c) the public service
and those provisions shall have full force and effect in Barotseland.
3. Administration of Justice
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the people of Barotseland shall be accorded the same rights of access to the high court of the republic of Zambia as are accorded to other citizens of the Republic under the laws for the time being in force in the Republic and a judge or judges of the high court selected from among the judges who normally sit in Lusaka shall regularly proceed on circuit in Barotseland at each intervals as the due administration of justice may require.
(2) The people of Barotseland shall be accorded the same rights of appeal from the decisions of the courts of the Republic of Zambia as are accorded to other citizens of the Republic under the laws for the time being in force in the Republic.
4. The Litunga and His Council
(1) The government of the republic of Zambia will accord recognition as such to the person who ois for the time The Litunga of Barotseland under the customary law of Barotseland.
(2) The Litunga of Barotseland, acting after consultation with his Council as constituted for the time being under the customary law of Barotseland shall be the principal local authority for the government and administration of Barotseland.
(3) The Litunga of Barotseland, acting after consultation with his Council, shall be authorised and empowered to make laws for Barotseland in relation to the following matters, that is to say-
(a) The Litungaship;
(b) The authority at present known as the Barotse Native Government (which shall hereafter be known as the Barotse Government);
(c) The authorities at present known as Barotse Native Authorities;
(d) The courts at present known as Barotse Native Courts;
(e) The status of the members of the Litunga’s Council;
(f) Matters relating to local government;
(g) Land;
(h) Forests;
(i) Traditional and customary matters relating to Barotseland alone;
(j) Fishing;
(k) Control of hunting;
(l) Game Preservation;
(m) Control of bush fires;
(n) The institution at present known as the Barotse native treasury;
(o) The supply of beer;
(p) Reservation of trees for canoes;
(q) Local taxation and matters relating thereto; and
(r) Barotse local festivals.
5. Land
(1) In relation to land in Barotseland the arrangements set out in the annex hereto shall have effect.
(2) In particular, the Litunga of Barotseland and his Council shall continue to have the powers hitherto enjoyed by them in respect of land matters under customary law and practice.
(3) The courts at present known as the Barotse Native Courts shall have original jurisdiction(to the exclusion of any other court in the republic of Zambia)in respect of matters concerning rights over or interests in land in Barotseland to the extent that those matters are governed by the customary law of Barotseland:
Provided that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as limiting the jurisdiction and powers of the High Court of the Republic of Zambia in relation to writs or orders of the kind at present known as prerogative of writs or orders.
(4) Save with the leave of the court at present known as the Saa- Sikalo Kuta, no appeal shall lie from any decision of the courts at present known as the Barotse Native Courts given in exercise of the jurisdiction referred to in paragraph (3) of this article to the High Court of the Republic of Zambia.
6. Civil Servants
All public officers of the Government the Republic of Zambia who may from time to time be situated in Barotseland shall be officers serving on permanent and pensionable terms.
7. Financial Responsibility
The Government of the Republic of Zambia shall have the same general responsibility for providing financial support for the administration and economic development of Barotseland as it has for other parts of the Republic and shall ensure that, in discharge of this responsibility, Barotseland is treated fairly and equitably in relation to other parts of the Republic.
8. Implementation
The Government of the Republic of Zambia shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that the laws for the time being in force in the Republic are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement.
9. Interpretation
Any question concerning the interpretation of this Agreement may be referred by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to the High Court of the Republic for consideration (in which case the opinion thereon of the Court shall be communicated to that Government and to the Litunga of Barotseland and his Council) and any such question shall be so referred if the Litunga, acting after consultation with his Council, so requests.
10. Revocation
The herein before recited Agreement of the sixteenth day of April, 1964 is hereby revoked.
In witness whereof the parties hereto (Signed)
Have hereunto set their hands in the K.D.KAUNDA
Presence of: - Prime Minister of Northern
(Signed) E.D. HONE Rhodesia
Governor of Northern Rhodesia (Signed)
(Signed) IMENDA SIBANDI MWANAWINA LEWANIKA III
Ngambela of Barotseland Litunga of Barotseland
Signed by the Right Honourable Duncan
Sandys in the presence of :- (Signed)
(Signed) RICHARD HORNBY DUNCAN SANDYS
Parliamentary Under Secretary of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary
State for Commonwealth Relations of State for Common wealth Relations
And for the Colonies And for the Colonies
ANNEX TO THIS AGREEMENT
1. The Litunga and National Council of Barotseland have always worked in close co-operation with the Central Government over land matters in the past have agreed that the Central government should use land required for public purposes, and have adopted the same procedures as apply to leases and rights of occupancy in the Reserves and Trust Land areas, where applicable. At the same time, the administration of land rights in Barotseland under customary law and practice has been under the control of the Litunga and National Council in much the same way as customary land rights are dealt with in the Reserves and Trust Land areas.
2. In these circumstances it is agreed that the Litunga should continue to have the greatest measure of responsibility for administering land matters in Barotseland. It is however, necessary to examine the position of land matters in Barotseland against the background of the Northern Rhodesia Government‘s overall responsibility for the territory.
3. The Barotse memorandum has indicated that Barotseland should become an integral part of Northern Rhodesia. In these circumstances the Northern Rhodesia Government will assume certain responsibilities and to carry these out they will have to have certain powers. so far as land is concerned, apart from confirmation of wide powers the Litunga over customary matters ,the position is as follows:-
(1) The Northern Rhodesia Government does not wish to derogate from any of the powers exercised by the Litunga and Council in respect of land matters under customary law and practice.
(2) The Northern Rhodesia Government would like to ensure that the provision of public services and the responsibility of economic development in Barotseland are not hampered by special formalities.
(3) The Northern Rhodesia Government recognises and agrees that full consultation should take place with the Litunga and Council before any land in Barotseland is used for public purposes or in the general interests of economic development.
(4) The position regarding land in Barotseland in an independent Northern Rhodesia should ,therefore, be as follows:-
(a) There should be the same system for land administration for the whole of Northern Rhodesia including Barotseland, that is, the Government Lands Department should be responsible for professional advice and services with regard to land alienation in all parts of Northern Rhodesia and that the same form of document should be used for grants of land (i) for Government purposes and (ii) for non-Government and non-customary purposes. The necessary preparation of the title documents should be done by the Government Lands Department.
(b) The Litunga and National Council of Barotseland will be charged with the responsibility for administering Barotse customary land law within Barotseland.
Printed in England and published by
HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE
(31725) Wt. 221-46 K16 5/64 S t_5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)