WE wholeheartedly agree with Mr Graphael Musamba, the Inspector General of Police when he says former President Edgar Lungu is entitled to State protection.
Mr Musamba, in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday, claimed that police monitoring of his movements is strictly for former President Lungu’s own safety.
In May 2023, government decided to withdraw State security and all his retirement benefits from former President Lungu after he announced his return to active politics and the former head of State has since challenged the decision in the courts of law.
“Our primary concern is the safety and security of all individuals, including Mr. Lungu. As a former head of State, he is entitled to protection, and our monitoring of his movements is strictly for his own safety.
This is standard procedure and will be done with the utmost respect for his privacy and dignity. Should Mr. Lungu fail to inform us of his movements, we will still ensure his protection by monitoring his activities, as it is our duty to do so,” said Mr Musamba.
This, it appears is where Mr Musamba and his men have gone overboard, throwing all protocol and common decency to the winds.
The result is the ongoing heated debate over the Kabwe incident in which a police officer last week barged into the office of Catholic Bishop Clement Mulenga in Kabwe to “fish” out Mr Lungu.
The police officer claimed the social meeting between the two men should be stopped as Mr Lungu had not been cleared by the police.
It is sad that Mr Musamba does not appear to understand the seriousness of that incident and wants to pass it off as routine police work of ensuring someone’s safety.
Moreover, how does Mr Musamba ignore that the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Mr Jack Mwiimbu, under whose portfolio the Zambia Police Service falls, apologised to the Catholic Church over the conduct of the rogue police officer.
Mr Mwiimbu had no choice but to apologise due to the public backlash that the government faced over what many think is their obsession to “fix” Mr Lungu by curtailing his movements.
Only this time, the incident involved Bishop Mulenga who committed no wrong in receiving former President Lungu who paid a courtesy call on him.
That invasion of Bishop Mulenga’s office has not gone well with the Catholic Church which says the incident was incredibly scandalous, intimidating and unwarranted.
The Catholic Church has aptly reminded President Hakainde Hichilema that the church has diplomatic relations with Zambia and has thus condemned in strongest terms the invasion by police into one of its prelates’ offices last week.
Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops president Archbishop Ignatius Chama has since written to President Hichilema registering deep displeasure against the police conduct.
“It should also be reminded that despite being a public institution, the Church is in a diplomatic relationship with the State. Therefore, going forward, ZCCB would like to see the Church’s premises and its ministers respected and their rightful dignity and autonomy upheld without what was witnessed in the Bishop’s office on Friday, May 17, 2024,” Archbishop Chama said.
Thus, we expect someone in Mr Musamba’s position to understand and take responsibility over the transgressions committed by his juniors.
In the case of former President Lungu, one is bound to ask Mr Musamba whether what the police is offering to provide is protection or persecution.
Author
