Socialist President Dr Fred M’membe has issued yesterday issued a statement on his Facebook page addressing the ongoing debates surrounding tribal politics in Zambia. In the statement, Dr M’membe sheds light on the accusations being made against Mr Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND over tribalism and the recent debates around the issue.
Dr M’membe points out that the reason for these accusations could be the promises made by Mr Hichilema and the UPND to have a tribal and regionally balanced and representative government.
However, as Dr M’membe notes, critics are now asking whether what they are seeing aligns with what they were promised. He goes on to list key positions in the government and key state institutions, including the judiciary and key government ministries, and highlights that the Tonga and Lozi tribes appear to be heavily represented, with very little or no meaningful participation from the rest of the tribes in the country.
Critics are questioning the representation in key positions of the government and justice system in Zambia. The President, Vice-President, Speaker, Chief Justice, Acting President of the Constitutional Court, Attorney General, Solicitor General, and Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission are either Tonga or Lozi, with very limited participation from other ethnic groups. The same pattern can be seen in the key government ministries, with Tonga and Lozi holding the majority of the positions.
The situation is even more pronounced in the defence and security agencies, where there is a lack of representation from the East and North regions, despite promises of a balanced representation from the political leadership. The Electoral Commission of Zambia also reflects this trend, with the chairperson and vice-person being Lozi and the remaining commissioners being Tonga, Lozi, and Lunda, with no one from the East or North.
Critics argue that this concentration of power in the hands of just a few ethnic groups undermines the diversity and fairness of the country’s institutions and justice system. They are calling for a more equitable distribution of key positions across all regions and ethnic groups in order to ensure a balanced representation and a just society.
Dr M’membe also raises concerns over the representation of tribes in key defense and security agencies, pointing out that there is no one from the East or North in these positions, which is not in line with the political leadership’s promise to keep the tribal and regional balance. Similarly, Dr M’membe raises concerns about the lack of representation from the East or North in the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
As Dr M’membe notes, these concerns are being raised, but the response has been to label those raising them as tribalists and divisive elements, and to prosecute or persecute them on charges of tribal hatred. He states that this is putting the multiparty political dispensation back in the spotlight, as the concern is no longer about the lack of political pluralism or diversity but about the hijacking of the political processes by tribal politics.
Dr M’membe notes that the challenge to the multiparty political dispensation is not the prevalence of ethnic diversity but the use of identity politics to promote narrow tribal interests. He argues that the African experience over the past six decades has shown the dangers of ethnic competition and underscores the importance of building nations around ideas rather than clan identities.
Dr M’membe points out that in the absence of efforts to build genuine political parties with clear ideologies that compete on the basis of ideas, tribal identities have become the foundation for political competition. He argues that leaders are often exploiting tribal loyalty to advance personal gain, parochial interests, patronage, and cronyism.
Dr M’membe argues that tribal practices are occupying a vacuum created by the lack of strong multiparty democratic institutions and that political parties are unable to find common ground through coherent party manifestos and ideological positions. He notes that many members of the political parties often don’t even know that their parties have manifestos, which are only issued just before the elections as much of the effort goes into regional manoeuvring and building tribal alliances.
Dr M’membe notes that tribal politicians are clever and calculating, quick to dress in the latest fashion and co-opt emerging trends to preserve their identities. He argues that their sole mission is self-preservation, with the side effect of subverting multiparty democratic evolution.
The way forward, according to Dr M’membe, lies in concerted efforts to build modern political parties founded on strong ideological foundations, clear development ideas, and not tribal bonds. He argues that political parties must base their competition for power on ideological and development platforms and that defining party platforms will need to be supported by the search for ideas, not the appeal to tribal coalitions.
Dr M’membe concludes by stating that political parties that create genuine ideological and development platforms will launch initiatives that reflect popular needs, while those that rely on manipulating ethnic alliances will bring sectarian animosity into government business by appointing people from their tribes and allied ethnicities to key government positions.