News / National
Chiefs must live a lavish life- Senator Komichi
09 Apr 2016 at 08:28hrs | Views
File photo: Chiefs
MDC-T senator Morgan Komichi has said the chiefs must be accorded the respect and live a flashy life like what the ancient kings Munhumutapa, Lobengula and Mzilikazi were.
Speaking in parliament Komichi said he support hthe move that chiefs must be 100% respected.
"We should give due respect to our chiefs. The chiefs should be given what is due them and again their status should be raised. Chiefs should not be threatened by officials from Government who come into their areas as District Administrators, Provincial Administrators or politicians. Chiefs are above all those people," he said.
"As far as our culture is concerned, our chiefs should be living a lavish life. When we go to our history and look at our chiefs such as Munhumutapa, Lobengula and Mzilikazi, they were the highest people in the country in their jurisdiction and we also want our chiefs to take that status in the country. When we look at the history of the chiefs, they were tortured and humiliated by the Smith regime when he declared the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965."
He said the chiefs were humiliated and given rules which were against their chieftainship.
"When we had the War of Liberation, Ian Smith further aggravated the situation of the chiefs by dividing them. At the end of it all, the chiefs ran away from their areas of jurisdiction and went to seek refuge in the cities like Harare, Bulawayo and others because of the cruelty of the Smith regime," he said.
"The War of Liberation was fought to liberate everybody in this country - including the chiefs who were humiliated, tormented and tortured by Ian Smith. To support the speech given, chiefs should be given the role which they should play. Their status should be elevated. They should be given what is due to them, their privileges and rights. We should know that it is a sin against God to put our chiefs into political manipulation."
Komichi said the chief has people who are under his chiefdom especially when you talk of the people who could be in the rural areas or in the cities, they belong to one chief or the other.
"So, when we are looking at the tenets of democracy, we see that the chiefs should be empowered so that they reinforce democracy in the country. The chiefs should be empowered to resolve the conflicts of the people in their jurisdiction in rural areas without any political affiliation," he said.
"We have noticed that when a Government is coming into power, the first people they subjugate and humiliate are the chiefs. The Chiefs Council should be an institution which is independent and apolitical. It should be an institution which is given its own Vote from the Treasury and these chiefs should employ their own secretariat which is not under the Public Service Commission."
Komichi said the chiefs should be running their institution according to the traditions and culture of their areas and hence the chiefs should have all the data on the chieftainship and culture of those people.
"All the people who belong to that chieftainship should have all the data at the Chiefs Council so that when people want to appoint a chief, it will be easy to make reference to the Chiefs Council. But what is happening is that when a new Minister of Local Government and Public Works takes over the first idea that comes into that Minister's head is to manipulate the chiefs so that they toe his line," he said.
"When we are watching the Nigerian soap operas, when they talk of an *Igwe*, they talk of somebody who is powerful. An *Igwe* is an *Igwe* but when we come to Zimbabwe, Honourable Senator Chief Charumbira is not given the power that is due him and yet you know that Chief Charumbira is the chief of chiefs and should be given that respect because of what belongs to him. Let us treasure and nurture that culture of holding our chiefs in high esteem. If we uphold the status of our chiefs, we will live in a peaceful and prosperous country."
He said he believe in that and if chiefs are given whatever is due them, people will be envying their status because they will be saying, he want to be a chief because of the privileges which are due them like a good mansion with electricity, running water, flashing up toilet and borehole.
"A chief should not be subjected to drinking water from contaminated sources. A chief should be travelling in a Mercedes Benz or an off road vehicle so that when he is going to see his people, they should be a people of status. When chiefs are coming to Parliament, they should have a special place built for them like the public gallery which should be a raised platform where they can sit and look down at us as we debate in this august Senate. Chiefs, I love you," he said. "I adore you and it is my wish that you be given all the privileges and powers. I believe in that and should my party get into power, we will definitely make a change in your lives by raising your status so that you are the envy of your chieftainship. I thank you."
Speaking in parliament Komichi said he support hthe move that chiefs must be 100% respected.
"We should give due respect to our chiefs. The chiefs should be given what is due them and again their status should be raised. Chiefs should not be threatened by officials from Government who come into their areas as District Administrators, Provincial Administrators or politicians. Chiefs are above all those people," he said.
"As far as our culture is concerned, our chiefs should be living a lavish life. When we go to our history and look at our chiefs such as Munhumutapa, Lobengula and Mzilikazi, they were the highest people in the country in their jurisdiction and we also want our chiefs to take that status in the country. When we look at the history of the chiefs, they were tortured and humiliated by the Smith regime when he declared the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965."
He said the chiefs were humiliated and given rules which were against their chieftainship.
"When we had the War of Liberation, Ian Smith further aggravated the situation of the chiefs by dividing them. At the end of it all, the chiefs ran away from their areas of jurisdiction and went to seek refuge in the cities like Harare, Bulawayo and others because of the cruelty of the Smith regime," he said.
"The War of Liberation was fought to liberate everybody in this country - including the chiefs who were humiliated, tormented and tortured by Ian Smith. To support the speech given, chiefs should be given the role which they should play. Their status should be elevated. They should be given what is due to them, their privileges and rights. We should know that it is a sin against God to put our chiefs into political manipulation."
Komichi said the chief has people who are under his chiefdom especially when you talk of the people who could be in the rural areas or in the cities, they belong to one chief or the other.
"So, when we are looking at the tenets of democracy, we see that the chiefs should be empowered so that they reinforce democracy in the country. The chiefs should be empowered to resolve the conflicts of the people in their jurisdiction in rural areas without any political affiliation," he said.
"We have noticed that when a Government is coming into power, the first people they subjugate and humiliate are the chiefs. The Chiefs Council should be an institution which is independent and apolitical. It should be an institution which is given its own Vote from the Treasury and these chiefs should employ their own secretariat which is not under the Public Service Commission."
Komichi said the chiefs should be running their institution according to the traditions and culture of their areas and hence the chiefs should have all the data on the chieftainship and culture of those people.
"All the people who belong to that chieftainship should have all the data at the Chiefs Council so that when people want to appoint a chief, it will be easy to make reference to the Chiefs Council. But what is happening is that when a new Minister of Local Government and Public Works takes over the first idea that comes into that Minister's head is to manipulate the chiefs so that they toe his line," he said.
"When we are watching the Nigerian soap operas, when they talk of an *Igwe*, they talk of somebody who is powerful. An *Igwe* is an *Igwe* but when we come to Zimbabwe, Honourable Senator Chief Charumbira is not given the power that is due him and yet you know that Chief Charumbira is the chief of chiefs and should be given that respect because of what belongs to him. Let us treasure and nurture that culture of holding our chiefs in high esteem. If we uphold the status of our chiefs, we will live in a peaceful and prosperous country."
He said he believe in that and if chiefs are given whatever is due them, people will be envying their status because they will be saying, he want to be a chief because of the privileges which are due them like a good mansion with electricity, running water, flashing up toilet and borehole.
"A chief should not be subjected to drinking water from contaminated sources. A chief should be travelling in a Mercedes Benz or an off road vehicle so that when he is going to see his people, they should be a people of status. When chiefs are coming to Parliament, they should have a special place built for them like the public gallery which should be a raised platform where they can sit and look down at us as we debate in this august Senate. Chiefs, I love you," he said. "I adore you and it is my wish that you be given all the privileges and powers. I believe in that and should my party get into power, we will definitely make a change in your lives by raising your status so that you are the envy of your chieftainship. I thank you."
Source - Byo24News
