MUKUNI IS OVER STEPPING BOUNDARIES

CHIEF Chikwanda of the Bemba speaking people of Mpika when asked to comment on chief Mukuni’s demands that President Edgar Lungu should speak out on his nationality which is being questioned, expressed shock and the following was his reply:

Let’s say like the way Michael Sata came from my chiefdom, Michael Sata at one time they were saying he is a Tanzanian and we defended. We said this person comes from Chikwanda chiefdom. That person meaning he is my child and part of my subjects. He is my child and am ready to defend.

Those chiefs who defended, to say that this our subject and he is our child. Ah. The person who knows his child is a parent and those are the parents for Edgar Lungu. They know him exactly and his roots. How can someone come from nowhere come and speak for someone who is not his child honestly, does it justify? No!

The easterners have spoken and have defended that President Lungu is their child besides being their subject. Each and every parent knows where the child comes from. Someone will be able to say his roots are this and that. They know him and know his roots, so why should other chiefs speak on someone who does not belong to them? How can he justify? Even if the President keeps quiet, he knows my parents have already defended me, my parents have told the nation. He cannot start talking because those words were enough.

Why should other chiefs come in? That person doesn’t hail from their chiefdoms, that person hails from Eastern province and the easterners spoke.

We had the late President Sata, and us we knew him, we lived with the parents. We knew that Sata is Zambian because he came from my chiefdom and we lived with his father. Even equally, the way President Lungu the easterners had already spoken, they told the nation, they told us so why should I go again questioning where he comes from? What am I looking for?

I am a chief and I have got boundaries, so why should we start going beyond borders sure, because where Southern province and Eastern province are located is very far. Unless if it was one of the chiefs from Eastern province who shares the boundary from where President Lungu hails from would be able to argue and at least would have a basis. Actually the neighbor also has got no grounds to argue because it is us who know where our son is coming from.

When we start crossing the boundaries, going into other provinces then we do not know where our powers come from. If someone is silent, it does not mean they are guilty. The parents have spoken, so no one should utter anything.

Let us try to avoid such kinds of antagonizing each other. As royal highnesses we are there to work with the government of the day, even to keep checks and balances. That’s the way it is supposed to be. 75 percent of our subjects are impoverished, so if we are working with the government, we are supposed to compel them to do what they promised than to start going into