ONE ZAMBIA, ONE NATION

NEWS casters on our public service broadcaster are now under instruction to recite the “One Zambia, One Nation” slogan before each news bulletin.

Those familiar with the history of Zambia will recall that the slogan was introduced in 1969 by President Kenneth Kaunda when he decided to set aside the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 which gave Barotseland some constitutional status that accorded the Litunga some unique powers and privileges during the establishment of a unitary status at independence in 1964.
 The government asserted that in its quest for national unity it would not tolerate “a state within a state” and thus terminated the agreement.  The termination of the Barotseland Agreement was meant to bring about national coherence by applying uniform local government legislation and policies throughout Zambia. Unfortunately this decision resulted in the long-running dispute between the government and the Barotseland Royal Establishment, a dispute which has the potential of causing conflict. It is public knowledge that certain elements within Barotseland have advocated secession from Zambia, claims which the Barotseland Royal Establishment has repudiated.
Given the above background Zambians can judge for themselves the extent of relevance of the slogan “One Zambia, One Nation” to the post 2015 Presidential by-election era. The abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement is a constitutional matter which cannot be isolated from other factors such as the internal discord within the royal clan and the socioeconomic dimension of claims of economic neglect manifested in the perceived marginalisation of the Western Province by the government.

Let us breakdown the issues:

INTERNAL DISCORD
There is some evidence of internal discord within the royal clan. Some elements within the royal family clan have questioned the legitimacy of the current Litunga, this maybe an internal matter but has implications on the resolution of the Barotseland question since it sends a signal that the people of Barotseland may not be that united.
There is also some restlessness by certain chiefs who appear to detest their subordination to the Litunga and the Barotseland Royal Establishment.

THE ECONOMIC QUESTION

This in my view is the most important issue, a matter that sits at the heart of the misunderstanding around the Barotseland question. The Western Province is generally undeveloped despite having great economic potential for Zambia. This feeling of lack of development is shared by the people of North Western Province and some experts argue is one of the major reasons why the western and southern regions voted pr-opposition in recently held presidential polls.

After independence the government established agricultural processing industries that were designed to improve the livelihoods of the people of western province but most of these industries collapsed after the privatisation process that government embarked on in 1991. There are reported discoveries of oil, diamonds and other precious natural resources in the province that present great prospects for development, but these require an enabling policy and legislative environment. It cannot be denied that historically Western Province has been through a long period of economic decline and even marginalisation.

Finally there is a perception especially amongst government representatives that the traditional authorities and people of the province were hostile to outsiders including other Zambians, who would otherwise engage in economic activities that would assist to uplift the province’s economy. The marginalisation of the Western Province was therefore not entirely as a result of government’s neglect or failure to attract private investment, but is truly a political problem compounded by economic grievances and misconceptions.

*This article borrows from and reflects on the findings of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism Zambia Country Report No 16, published in January 2013.