Lozis reject new Constitution

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 12:03:00 +0000

The Lozis have started working on their own Constitution and will not contribute to the current Constitution debates because it is irrelevant.
Barotse Freedom Movement (BFM) national secretary Chazele Mulasikwanda has confirmed that Lozis will not submit their views to the Constitution Technical Committee (CTC) because the Lusaka document did not affect them in any way.
Some Lozi officials have since appealed to the people in Barotseland to exercise patience because ‘everything was in the process’.
In interview with the Nation, Mr Mulasikwanda said Lozis were currently working on their own Constitution that would stand the test of time and benefit the people of Western Province.
Mr Mulasikwanda explained that the silence over the secession bid did not mean that they were compromised, but was a sign that they were doing things peacefully.
He explained that issues concerning the Barotseland needed to be handled with care because it was sensitive.
“We have been saying that the people of Barotseland have got nothing to do with anything of the Zambian government. Time for discussion has elapsed. What we are working on is to see how we can develop our area so that our people benefit,” he said.
Mr Mulasikwanda maintained that the Lozis were no longer ready to participate in any Zambian programmes and that they disclose their scheduled arrangement before the end of this year.
And some residents in Mongu told the Nation that they were not ready to submit their views to the current Constitution making process because they were expecting their own document that would stand a test of time.
Victor Mutondo said it was not helpful to submit the comments on the Constitution because the document was not beneficial, adding that people of Western Province felt were being treated as second class citizens whose concerns and interests were not taken account of.
“People here are not participating in this ongoing constitution process because they feel their concerns and interests are not taken account of. The demand for secession is subject to any other arrangement because the Lozi’s had, had enough of promises, guarantees and undertakings which never materialized in redressing the grievances that the Barotseland citizens had.”