BAROTSE NATIONAL FREEDOM ALLIANCE

September 24, 2019

BAROTSE NATIONAL FREEDOM ALLIANCE, MUNGU REGION

Dear Colleagues,

COMMENTS ON THE CONSTITUTION OF ZAMBIA AMENDMENT BILL NO. 10 OF 2019

I must quote here what Marino Busdachin UNPO General Secretary said in his letter of 27^th November 2015 to the President of Zambia, “UNPO is concerned about the trend of use of excessive force by the Zambia police in Barotseland region, silencing peaceful voices of dissent, suppressing legal assemblies and unjustly persecuting its citizens simply for having alternative political view. “It is against this background that I want to comment on Zambia’s constitutional amendments following Zambia President Lungu deceitful indications of restoring the defunct Barotseland Agreement 1964 (BA 64).

Dear brothers and sisters in the struggle, I wish to remind you that on the 27^th March 2012, the people of Barotseland said, I quote, “we the people of Barotseland declare that Barotseland is now free to pursue its own self-determination and destine.” This was Barotseland’s acceptance of Zambia’s rejection of the unitary treaty—the BA 1964—which Zambia abrogated or terminated. Therefore, their clinging on Barotseland is illegal. You cannot eat your cake and demand for it. Reasonable people would question you. In the same vein, when Zambia amends her constitution it should not concern us. Zambia rejected us in 1969. Please Zambia, hands-off Barotseland. If BNFA is wrong by holding this legal and political opinion, we have always requested Zambia to sign the Permanent Court of Arbitration submission process to allow impartial arbitrators to peacefully determine the status of Barotseland and Zambia.

We as BNFA Mungu Region totally reject the Zambian constitution together with bill no.10 of 2019 articles 149 and support the stance of the BNFA National Executive. The Zambia constitution is a threat to the integrity of Barotseland, article165 and article 4 (3) usurps the supremacy of His Majesty The Litunga of Barotseland in the territory. For any one still in doubt, including the BRE, these actions are a clear demonstration that the Zambian government never had intentions of restoring the BA 64. Their position has not changed over the past 50+ years.

We also denounce phrases like Zambia is “indisivisible”. Kaunda in his wisdom divided Zambia in 1969. We urge the BRE to join the BNFA in rejecting the Zambia constitution or risk being irrelevant to the independence struggle. We further urge our people not to participate in Zambia politics. The poverty, hunger, illnesses, poor nutritional levels and unemployment in Barotseland have been deliberately caused by Zambian oppression, which lives off Barotseland. This state of affairs can only be changed by running our own affairs. Let s stand in unity and be disciplined in order to achieve our mission. BNFA has laid down structurers from village, silalanda, silalo, sikiliti(Region) to national level. Each organ has a role to play and let us play it.

Signed 

SILILO SUSIKU