PF govt to blame over BA

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:25:47 +0000

The people of Western Province have put blame on the PF government for whatever is going on in their area.

In an interview with the Daily Nation, a senior citizen in Mongu’s Limulunga area Silimwe Situmbeko charged that the government of Zambia should be condemned for failing to normalise what it had started.

Mr Situmbeko claimed that, had it not been for President Sata promising to implement the Barotse Agreement (BA) of I964, the anxiety mounting in the area could  not have been there.

He warned that issues related to BA should not be handled carelessly but with caution to maintain peace and stability in the country.

“It is unfortunate that the PF government who started this issue are failing to control it, and this is unhealthy. If not handled with care this issue can lead to endless confusion,” he said.

Mr Situmbeko advised that the issue should be dealt without use of force to prevent chaos in the country, a situation he said was a source of worry.

He said people ofWesternProvinceexpected the PF government to provide a credible leadership that would inspire and unite people, but instead had incited a misunderstanding because of its failure to adhere to its promise.

“We don’t mind about what is going on, but whatever the case, the PF government will be held accountable. There is no need for them to start panicking now when in the first place they are failing to address this issue,” he said.

However, the Lozis have maintained that there was nothing wrong with the reported recruitment of service personnel in the area because they had a right to safe guard innocent people.

He said the Lozis did not want to fight with anyone, but instead were ready to safeguard the people ofBarotselandfrom  the intimitidation they were going through.

Mr Situmbeko also condemned the move by the Zambian government of sending army officials toWesternProvince.

He said Mr Sata’s decision to order the service chiefs to dispatch troops toWesternProvinceto verify the situation was most embarrassing.

“How can a Head of State make such a decision, if he really meant well for his people, how could he have done that, and this is shocking that all the allegations were unfounded. Such issues need thorough research before someone can come up with that decision,” he said.