Tue, 11 Apr 2017 12:07:45 +0000
By Oscar Malipenga
IF IT is proved that the police were unprofessional in the presidential motorcade fracas in Mongu involving UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema then police Inspector-General Kakoma Kanganja must be immediately fired or he should resign on moral grounds, says governance activist David Kapoma.
Mr Kapoma said similarly if it was the UPND leadership at fault police must arrest its leaders, HH and Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba without further delays.
Mr. Kapoma said President Lungu must be respected and given chance to pass without any individual attempting to block his motorcade on any road.
He also called for the setting up of a commission of inquiry to establish what went wrong in Mongu.
He was quickly echoed by other stakeholders who said Mr Hichilema should either be arrested or Mr Kanganja resign on moral grounds for endangering the life of President Edgar Lungu in Western pProvince.
And former President Frederick Chiluba aide for economics Donald Chanda said he feared for the life of President Lungu for living in what he called a ‘dirty house’.
“I fear for the life of the President because he is living in an unswept house,” said Mr Chanda.
Leading the assault on police, Patriotic Front (PF) deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri said the unprofessionalism exhibited by police officers was disappointing, adding that whatever happens to Mr. Kanganja would be up to the appointing authority to decide.
New Congress Party president Peter Chanda and ZRP leader Wright Musoma have called for the immediate arrest of Mr. Hichilema for blocking President Lungu’s motorcade in Mongu.
Mr. Chanda has also called for the immediate transfer of the Western Province police commissioner, top defence officers and intelligence officers in Mongu for allowing Mr. Hichilema to block President Lungu’s motorcade.
Mr. Chanda said it was unacceptable for top security wings in Western Province to have allowed the UPND cadres also attempt to sabotage a plane carrying President Lungu by stoning it when it was taking off at Mongu airport.
Speaking at a joint media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr. Chanda and Mr. Musoma who were both eye witnesses said Mr. Hichilema and his vice president for administration Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba had hired thugs from Lusaka to go and cause anarchy.Mr. Chanda said the hired thugs by Mr Hichilema and GBM were seen issuing threats and harassing police officers spotted in isolated locations.
Mr. Chanda said he witnessed a police officer Mike Mubita being threatened by UPND thugs hired from Lusaka.
And Mr. Musoma said Mr. Hichilema should be arrested because his behaviour while in Mongu was treasonable.
Speaking during a media briefing at the PF secretariat yesterday, Ms. Phiri said the party was ready to provide security to President Edgar Lungu and will look after him better than the Police.
“We call on the Police to give us a go ahead to protect our leader if they have failed. President Lungu is not just the Republican President but leader of the Patriotic Front (PF) and we have a very strong party security,” said Ms. Phiri.
Ms. Phiri said what transpired in Mongu over the weekend when Hichilema and the UPND obstructed the Presidential Motorcade in full view of the Police showed how unprofessional the Police service was.
She said for how long will the PF be expected to restrain itself from reacting to the UPND’s continued provocation and anarchy.
Ms. Phiri said when the police saw that the vehicles were so close she expected, professionally, they could have come out and guarded the presidential vehicle side-by-side.
“But they were seated in the cars maybe they don’t train to run. It is very disappointing but what happens to Mr. Kanganja is up to the appointing authority to decide,” she said. Ms. Phiri questioned were the police officers where because the pictures circulating online were showing that the President’s window of his vehicle was open, asking whether that was normal?
“Is what the police did right by allowing the window for the President’s car remain open?
She demanded that the police should give the PF a go-ahead to provide security to their President as a party leader if they had failed to provide security for him.
Ms. Phiri said the PF security wing could have provided better security than the police officers.
Ms. Phiri warned HH that the PF was capable of confining him to his House in new Kasama.
“He should take note we shall treat him like the way a rat is treated. We shall confine him to his House because he doesn’t care about his life,
“As a political party we are not happy and I think we have a right to speak because President Edgar Lungu is not only the republican President but also the President of the Patriotic Front he is our president,
She said it was really a shame for UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma to say the Presidential motorcade was not seen by his party.“If lies can move from HH to his followers then I do not know where we are going as a country. What he did in Mongu was attempted suicide and I am grateful that we have a leader who always tells us to restrain from whatever provocation,” she said.
