Dear Editor,
WE note with dismay the revelation by acting Police spokesperson Dan Mwale with regard to the duplication of registra-tion and acquisition of National Registration Cards (NRCs) in Southern Province. This may be a calculated move to give an unfair advantage to the political stakeholders that are at the centre of this conspiracy.
We have observed with disbelief with regard to this incident that a tenderly aged juvenile is of a voting age and flies within the universal franchise and adult suffrage therefore eligible to participate in any election. It is therefore possible that political reasons maybe the motivation to increasing the quantity of identity documents.
On one hand, we wonder how a minor can conceive such criminal acts without the knowledge and participation of the adults? In the same breath, did the minor lack the counsel from the adults with regard to risk associated with duplication of registration?
This ostensibly reveals that the adults probably with preconceived motives endorsed the act. Although this may be politically attractive, it had more security consequences in the long term run.
Realistically speaking, the act can only take place with the collective effort of stakeholders such as parents and possibly the community where the juvenile lives. We feel that this plot is expertly, secretly and ruthlessly undertaken and difficult to leave evidence behind.
We also wish to give credit to the alert officers from the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship for exposing this well calculated fraud in the NRC issuance process. This is the wake up call to all stakeholders to be on the lookout for criminally minded individuals from hijacking the process.
The underhand method which a known opposition political party may have been entrapped with the view to increasing the fortunes of seal-ing the bid to acquiring state power.
This collates with their constant resistance to the ongoing voter register cleansing process. This gives a discerning mind that there are well founded suspicion on the integrity of the number of votes the named opposition party secured in a low densely populated region.
We can only urge the police to tighten all loopholes and ensure that a strong message is sent to would be offenders that not all days are Sundays and crime does not pay.
MARVIN CHANDA MBERI,
Youth Rights Activist,
Lusaka.
